Ode to Binder Clips

One day about five years ago I was trying to solve a big problem for a client:  how to label a very large quantity of stackable wire cube compartments filled with papers. You could not stick a label tape to them, because they were made of thin wire. You could not write on them either. So I am in the shower and all of a sudden, EUREKA… it dawns on me to use binder clips… they are very easy to find, are inexpensive, and are the perfect size to hold label tape on the back of them, and they can clip right onto the wires. (UPDATE 1/26/11: I ended up making a Clutter Video Tip about this very thing– you can watch that here.)

Now our team uses these medium size binder clips all the time. They are great for paper trays and other narrow surfaces. And they look like you totally "did it on purpose"– like it was made for it! This holiday weekend I reorganized our shipping/mailing center in our office and used them for yet another purpose, shown here in this photo (click it for a larger version).  We have lots of Priority Mail and UPS envelopes, and some types we hardly ever use, like our Global/International envelopes and USPS Express Mail. So to differentiate them in our vertical sorters, I just labeled and clipped them so we can see them better.

Clutter Diet members can watch our video tutorial, Ten Ways to Label Your Stuff, for more ideas! Happy Labeling!