Behold! I give you the Tower o’ Power, or, nearly all of my current office-related projects right now.
Stacking trays do two fabulous things:
1) They allow you to turn undifferentiated piles of paper into separate projects.
2) Using vertical storage gives you a lot more desk space.
Label each tray by sticking a file folder on the bottom, and write the name of the project on the tab that sticks out, so you know at a glance which tray holds a given project. Here’s a picture of what I mean:
My file folders are colored, because it’s easier for me to remember colors. The colors are not in a particular order: I just learn by association. “Oh, yeah, that green one, that’s where my writing stuff is.”
So, what’s in my stacking tray? I’ve created both project trays and supply trays in mine.
Here’s the rundown:
You could also use stacking trays to corral papers related to:
A caveat about stacking trays: your Tower o’ Power should be reserved for papers you’re frequently using.
File cabinets are better for long-term or someday-maybe reference files.
Your stacking tray is for whatever current papers you’re always trying to find. If you hear yourself saying, “oh for crying out loud, WHERE are those tickets….?” — this might be something that needs a dedicated stacking tray.
A stacking tray allows you to put active papers somewhere where they are easy to label and even easier to find — and put away, again — whenever you need them.