Happiness Is...Manila Folders

I've had a serious case of the 'blahs' the last few days. I think it was partially missing my husband while he was traveling this week, partially just being tired from traveling every weekend, but, mostly, I think is was the two months of my desk looking like this finally really, really getting to me.

I will be the very first to admit that I have a problem. I am a complete file freak. I don't know what it is, but I need filing space and organized files sort of like I need air. While I think I am a basically organized and tidy person, I wouldn't call myself a neat freak really. But when it comes to papers, I need to have them in a highly organized filing system or else I develop a nervous twitch. I think I've always been this way too. When I was eight years old, I convinced my mom to buy me a 2 drawer filing cabinet with hanging files so that I could organize all the really important things in my little eight year old life (like every letter I'd ever received from long distance friends, reports I wrote for school, you know, highly important matters that certainly need to be in a filing cabinet, right?)

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Anyway, back in February we started a search for a filing system for our home office. I am sort of picky about these things, and my husband likes to impose budget limits on this sort of venture, so it took a while to find something that I could work with. I was rather fond of the 8 cabinet built-in model that I could have had installed. But anyway, I finally found a plastic container that holds hanging files and then a mini metal rack filing system to supplement it. The bigger problem was that I was completely unable to find manila folders.

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A more sane person might be able to, as my husband suggested, just file things away directly into the hanging files. But just the thought of it sent me into mild convulsions. Seriously, I needed manila folders to be able to properly organize my files. Hanging folders are for general subjects, the manila folders are what actually bring the organization to life!

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I knew that a blog-world friend of mine was coming down to Brasil this month to visit her in-laws and attend a wedding. I hated to ask a favor of someone I'd never actually met, but we were about to have a serious situation on our hands here at home, so I shot her an email explaining my situation and begging her to bring me manila folders. I was actually surprised when, instead of blocking my IP address from ever being able to view her blog again on account of my freakish-nature, she actually told me that she too has a file/organization issue and she couldn't imagine life without manila folders, and oh, she would be happy to bring some down, and what did I want: neon-colored, the normal manila color, or normal manila color with colored tabs, a three-tab system or something different, and did I need any labels? Oh, bless this marvelous woman! I received her package yesterday and could hardly contain myself! This afternoon I went to work putting together my files.

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And this is what I ended up with:

I really like the combination of my black plastic container, black hanging files, and then the "pop" of the colored files intermingled with the manila colored ones. My life is better because of these files.
And this little mini guy is so perfect for the bulky things like appliances/electronics owner's manuals, checkbooks, etc. I actually got it set up a few weeks ago since it didn't really have to have manila folders.
But they aren't actually going to stay on my big table there in the office. They will be living in this little cubby.
Which totally frees up my great big office table for fun things like spreading out paperwork while working, (gee, that would have been nice two weeks ago as I did our taxes!) or, even better, as my craft table! (The CPU won't actually be staying there; it is just hanging out until it gets repaired. But, that's another story for another time.)

And the opposite office wall is where my built-in desk and shelves are located.

I think I am really going to sleep much better tonight now that I finally have my files in order. Phew!!! Such a relief! Thank you, thank you, thank you to Laural for bringing me out of the 'blahs' today! (Eric thanks you too, since now he is coming home tonight to a very happy wife!)