Tackle the Pile

Why not start 2011 by tackling the "pile". You know, the paper pile that sits on your kitchen counter or dinning table and stares you down when you're in the room. A solution that has worked for me is using an accordion file holder (photo below).

    The very front of the holder contains a "put away" section for things that need to be filed elsewhere at a later date. The rest of the sections I use are for things I've clipped from magazines that don't necessarily belong in a file cabinet, but that I want to refer to at a later time. You could also have a section for "bills to pay" (I don't do this because I wouldn't look for them in that spot).
    This system really has helped me turn my piles into a organized drop spot. I store the holder on top of my refridgerator for easy access.