Shorter days, cooler nights: fall's sweater weather is here. Create room in your closet for bulky cold weather clothes and boots with our simple steps for a well-organized wardrobe.

So Long Summer: Free up room for cold weather fashions by saying good-bye to seasonal items until next summer. Retire flip flops, sundresses and bathing suits from your closet into off-season storage. By editing your closet to house only seasonally appropriate items, it'll be easier to dress each morning.

Assess the Dress: Give all fall items a through onceover asking yourself three questions: Does it fit? Do I wear it? Do I love it? If the answer to any of these questions is no, the item needs to go.

Move On: Gather unwanted or ill-fitting clothes into groups: one to donate, one to pass along to friends and another to trash. Consider enlisting a friend to help you assess your closet; their unbiased eye will help you weed out what no longer works. Be sure to keep receipts for any items donated to charity.

Identify Transition Items: Find a spot in your closet to house transition items, such as tees or lightweight dresses that can be worn with tights and belted cardigans. While some summer items can transition through a cool fall, they often must be retired during a cold winter. By grouping these items in one spot, you can keep track of them and ensure they eventually make it into storage rather than cluttering up the closet.

Color Code: Once your wardrobe is edited down to seasonally appropriate items, it's time to color code like items. By grouping items by color, specific items can be found more readily. Also, consider grouping items into zones: low rods for shirts, tops and folded pants, and a higher rod for dresses and long skirts.

Embrace Order: Opening the door to a tidy, well-organized closet each morning can be a moment of Zen. Arrange your hangers in the same direction and banish sloppy piles by storing items that require folding draped over hangers. Keep a small trash can to corral dry-cleaning bags and wire hangers. Aim for clutter free calm.

Tame Odds & Ends: Corral accessories and small items which can easily take over a closet. Use bins to capture handbags and larger accessories. Think vertical, using closet walls to display hats or favorite bags. Belts and scarves can be stored on the back of the closet door or in specially-designed hanging units.

Finally, we leave you with two articles that will help make your closet a shining temple of organization: How to Organize Your Closet  from Lucky Magazine and Clothing Closet Organizing Checklist from Real Simple.

Do you do a fall closet reorg? Or do you suffer a closet stuffed with summer gear until next Memorial Day? Share your thoughts here and on the Pendaflex Facebook and Twitter pages.

Your tan hasn't even faded but you are back to work big time. Hello September, time to get busy.

If your post-Labor Day mojo is in need of a reboot, read our five tips for making your reentry from the slow summer pace painless.

Plan for a Smooth Return: Returning to your office Monday morning from vacation to face a kajillion e-mails is never fun. Take some time Sunday evening to triage your email inbox, deleting what's unnecessary and sorting remaining e-mails into an "immediate action" folder and a "later in the week" folder. Likewise, clear your Monday calendar so that meetings and conference calls fall later in the day or even mid-week. By scheduling in an initial block of meeting-free time, you can catch up on what you've missed before new demands overwhelm.

Schedule an Update: After a vacation, schedule time for key work colleagues to update you on projects statuses, new deadline and other important considerations. By selecting key people to spearhead your update, you minimize information overload and the time-drain or hearing from too many sources.

Build in Fun: Returning from vacation can be a bummer. Ward off the post-vacation blues by booking a lunch date with a good friend or a trusted colleague mid-week. Connecting with friends keeps the post-vacation glow going just a little bit longer. Research shows that the happiest workers are those who feel connected to their coworkers and friends.

Engage in Goal Setting: While returning to work means diving in to must-do projects, take time to focus not just on the nuts and bolts of work but on your career big picture. Passionate, successful employees are those that are always growing and adding new skills or experiences. Look at September as a fresh start, and dive into career building.

Book another Vacation: Saying good-bye to summer Fridays and a leisurely vacation pace isn't easy. So consider scheduling your next getaway now. Knowing that you have a fun vacation to look forward down the road takes the sting out of returning to the 9-to-5 grind.

Finally, we leave you with one of our past posts to help ease the transition from summer BBQs to sweater weather: Top 10 Reasons to be Excited its Fall. 

Enjoy your fall!

How do you ease the post-vacation blues? What are your tips for making your return from vacation as productive as possible? Share your thoughts here and on the Pendaflex Facebook and Twitter pages.

We are huge fans of the magazine Real Simple. Their motto of "life made easier, every day" could be our own. At Pendaflex our mission is creating innovative products that let you work smarter, not harder, each and every day. So we were thrilled that the latest issue of Real Simple  features our Divide-It-Up folders as one of their top six products to simplify your life. 

We designed our Divide-It-Up Multi-Section File Folders to do more, just like you do. One folder offers three sections, making it a snap to subdivide files for multiple or large projects. Managing a busy household? Assign each child a section of the folder. Have a student tackling a large project? Teach her to designate the separate sections for notes, drafts and resource materials. One folder, three pockets: endless possibilities.

We know the back-to-school season puts your need for organization and productivity into overdrive. That's why we made this fuss-free folder extraordinarily simple to use. Each folder offers an oversize tab for easy identification and three smaller tabs, making sorting simple. Heavy-duty documents are not a problem; the folders are sealed on all sides for maximum security. And the deep pockets easily capture and secure multiple or thick documents.

We also designed the folders in standard-letter size to integrate seamlessly into your existing filing systems: use them in either a hanging or desktop system. The folders also come in assorted colors so users can color-code documents for easy filing and quick retrieval. Who doesn't love a folder that works as hard as you do? Yup, Divide-It-Up simply does more.

How would you use a multi-tasking folder like Divide-It-Up? Share your thoughts here and on the Pendaflex Facebook and Twitter pages.

Back-to-school used to mean stocking up on new pencils and notebooks. Now you can better your back-to-school organization with apps that do everything from track time logged on homework to providing free access to costly textbooks. See our round-up of A-plus apps for more useful tools.

Top 10 Back-to-School iPhone Applications: This selection of apps features the cost-savings app CourseSmart  which lets you save mucho dinero on 7,000 textbooks, all offered for free. Not ready to read on your iPhone? You might be persuaded after spending time on Stanza,  an app that lets you track reading progress and boosts font size. It also provides links to 30,000 free classic titles such as the complete works of Shakespeare, Dickens and a host of other must-read writers.

10 Best Back-to-School Apps:  Students will like free app MyHomework which lets them track tests and assignment dates and helicopter parents will like iStudiezPro which lets them track all their kids' test dates and assignment deadlines on the down-low. Never be caught off guard by your slacking student again. Other apps include ones to help with note-taking and to make virtual flashcards.

These Back to School Apps Get Straight As:  Put the fun in fundamentals with apps like ChalkWalk,   iStory  and NumberLine.  These apps help grade-school aged kids make the grade and more.

Good luck in school this year!

What back-to-school app makes the grade in your book? Share your thoughts here and on the Pendaflex Facebook and Twitter pages.

Back-to-school shopping signs are everywhere signaling summer's end. Before you know it, cool weather will spell retirement for boogie boards, beach umbrellas and other summer gear. Start your fall on an organized note with our tips for storing seasonal summer items.

Beachy Clean

Before storing beach chairs, umbrellas and sand toys, give each item a cold water rinse and a good scrub. Next, allow items to thoroughly dry in the sun to avoid mildew and prevent sand and salt from corroding items during the off-season.

Likewise, hose down patio furniture and clean outdoor pillows with a mixture of water and mild detergent. Scrub mildew stains with a stiff brush; allow all items to dry in the sun, then store indoors in a garage or basement.

Once the summer BBQ season is over, it's time to thrill your grill. Dismantle and clean all the gunk off, finishing up with a light coating of oil spray to repel winter moisture. Then store your grill in an indoor, protected environment such as a garage. The exception to this storage rule? Propane tanks: safety dictates well-ventilated, protected outdoor storage versus indoors.

Store More

Maximize storage with creativity. Think vertical and use your garage or basement walls to hang lightweight items. Mark off the dimensions of

beach chairs, umbrellas, and surf and boogie boards along the wall. Next, add eye-hold screws along the measurements' perimeter and use bungee cords to affix items to the wall. You can also reduce the number of bulky items to store by deflating all beach balls and inner tubes and storing like items in a plastic storage bin.

Keep in mind that not all items need to be stored for next season. Kids grow like weeds so don't waste time storing outgrown summer clothes and bikes, etc. Organize a swap with friends whose kids are older or younger to pass along outgrown items and inherit what your family can use the following year. Give all items a careful onceover; sometimes an item is past its prime and is ready to toss. That slip 'n slide that is more slip than slide? Toss. Rusty gardening tools? Toss. Inner tubes that constantly lose air? Toss. You get the idea.

Be sure to free up closet space for your fall goods by storing all beach towels and bathing suits in plastic storage bins in the garage, basement or attic.

If you still don't have a place to store all your summer items, hit the stores: storage items are traditionally on sale in the fall as stores court back-to-school shoppers looking to get organized. Evaluate your current storage needs and stock up on what you're missing.

Repair and Retire

Finally, get a jump start on next summer's warm weather fun by tackling needed repairs and restocking seasonal items now, while prices are at rock bottom. By repairing summer sports gear such as tennis racquets and swim goggles before storing, and replacing must-have items now, you'll be ready to dive back into summer fun the minute Memorial Day rolls around.

How do you store summer gear? Share your thoughts here and on the Pendaflex Facebook and Twitter pages.

Saturated summer sunsets have got us thinking, is it possible to interject color elsewhere in our world? Regular readers will know we love a color-coded file. Our past post, Crack the Color Code: Tips for Better Filing shows how easy, breezy filing can be when you commit to color coding. We went in search of other ways to incorporate color coding into our daily life and we found a number of colorful ways to bring order (and zest!) to our days.

Color Coded Clothes: Want an answer to the "what to wear?" dilemma you face daily? Consider color coding your closet. Not only is it easier to find your clothing, you'll get a happy charge every time you open the door to see a Crayola Crayon box of options. Read How to Color Code Your Wardrobe  for tips and feast on this visual eye-candy  for inspiration.

Bright Bookshelves: Adios Dewy Decimal System,  we're organizing our books by color! While alphabetizing works best for libraries, at home you have more freedom, so consider expressing your inner  Mondrian  by color-blocking your bookshelves. Visual thinkers may find the color code helps them locate books more effectively and man, does it look great! 

Color Coded Kids: Have a big household? Consider color coding your kids for easier organization. By assigning each child a color, and using it for common household items such as towels, toothbrushes, and laundry baskets, busy parents can tell at a glance who is keeping up with chores and who needs a gentle reminder to return their items to their rightful spots. Read How to Color Code Life with Kids for more helpful ideas. 

Easier Studying: Make studying and schoolwork easier by incorporating color coding. We like the advice in Organize Your Homework with Color Coded Supplies and older students who need to writie reports and papers will benefit from the tips in 5 Ways to Use Color Coded Index Cards. 

Color Code Email: Optimize your email productivity with color coding. Did you know that Gmail lets you apply color filters to specific emails? You can assign a color to a specific sender (or topic) making it easy to see at a glance what type of emails need your attention. Check out the Gmail blog  for more helpful tips on color coding your emails.

Do you organize by color? Share your thoughts here and on the Pendaflex Facebook and Twitter pages.

There are two kinds of people. Those who love a to-do list, and those who don't. We're firmly in the to-do list camp: Nothing makes us happier than getting from to-do, to done.

If you are a fellow list lover, you won't want to miss the organizing eye-candy we've rounded up. Who doesn't love a little pizzazz with their productivity?

Mad for the Pad

Classic: Billed as a "stylish reinterpretation of a stressed-out classic," these to-do list pads from Knock Knock will have you knocking off those to-dos in no time flat. From a classic list to a packing list, there is something for everyone.

Sarcastic: Appreciate the tongue in cheek? You might enjoy the "Crap I Need to Do" pad or its sarcastic sister, "The Freakin' Never Ending To Do List." 

Renewable: This Etsy seller offers a downloadable PDF that lets you print and reprint the classic take on a to-do. And these stylish dry-erase boards let you organize your to-dos over and over again.

Digital: Not everyone loves paper. For you high-tech list lovers, check out the findings from ABC tech correspondent Joann Sterna. She examines three popular digital to-do list apps and favors Wunderlist  over Remember the Milk and Astrid.  An attractive design and useful collaborative functions puts Wunderlist at the top of her list.

Finally, we leave you with something decidedly non-digital: this awesome chalkboard  from another creative Etsy seller which reads, "Keep Calm and Keep a List." Fabulous advice, fabulous chalkboard.

Happy list making!

What is your favorite, zippiest to-do list accessory? Share your thoughts here and on the Pendaflex Facebook and Twitter pages.

We know the beach beckons and your summer reads are calling you from the hammock. But the summer slowdown is the perfect time to squeeze in one of the organization projects that never seem to get done during the busy fall and winter months.

Summer has a few more weeks left, so time to get cracking. Come September, you'll be happy you did!

Getting Started

One and Done: Pick a project that will really and truly provide a sense of accomplishment. If you feel like you ought to clean your messy garage but would prefer to spend time sorting photos, go with the photos. Devote yourself to whatever project will provide the most gratification.

Limit Chaos: Ensure summer fun still stays on track by choosing projects in spaces that won't limit your ability to function. By tackling the spare room or attic first, you can use those newly organized spaces as a staging ground for future projects in high-traffic zones such as the kitchen or home office.

Bite-Sized Pieces: Plan carefully to make the project stress-free from start to finish. Plot out all steps: If you want to empty an attic, the first step might be tossing broken and outdated items, next, giving unneeded items to family members and then finally donating the rest to charity. Defining success before you dive in also helps you determine when a project is successfully completed.

Get Equipped: Carefully consider all your needs before launching a project and then stock up on needed tools. Filing projects require files, moving projects require boxes. Running out of hangers half-way through a closet reorg is as much fun as a rainy beach day.

Enlist Helpers: Many hands make for light work so enlist family and friends. Make the project fun (filing while listening to music!, garage cleaning with Popsicle breaks!) and you better your odds of getting helpers to pitch in.

Reward Yourself: Reward yourself for getting through your project and link your reward to your project if you can. Did you tame a cluttered guest room? Treat yourself to new throw pillows or a duvet cover. Did you tackle a mountain of paperwork? Reward yourself with new desk accessories. Print and frame all those family pictures? Host a BBQ to show off your new home décor.

Making August all about one major project betters your odds of getting it done. Who knows? The glow of accomplishment may even carry you through another project or two.

Do you have a major project in mind? What is the one area of the house you never seem to get to? Share your thoughts here and on the Pendaflex Facebook and Twitter pages.

Optimizing productivity, and doing more with less, fuel our days at Pendaflex. So we were intrigued when we stumbled across the eye-catching title: Debunking Three Productivity Myths.  First bit of wisdom the article discredits: "Surfing the Internet is bad for productivity."  Given that our surfing turned up an eye-opening article that inspired this blog post, we'd have to agree: sometimes aimless surfing bears fruit.

What's more, the article cites a study that says that workers who take breaks to surf the web return to their tasks with greater focus and concentration.  Hmmm.  What other productivity myths may need to be reconsidered?

"Faster is better" and "You can catch up on work by eating at your desk," also come under fire. Turns out that better decision-making is linked careful, methodical thinking, not faster turn-around. Ditto taking time for lunch: short breaks refuel energy and decrease stress. Both are necessary for true, sustained productivity.

Looking to reexamine other common productivity claims? You'll enjoy 10 Productivity Myths that Hold You Back and 10 Productivity Myths. 

What productivity claim to you think is the biggest myth? Share your thoughts here and on the Pendaflex Facebook and Twitter pages.

Paper may eventually go the way of papyrus, but for now, it's here to stay. Paper bills, taxes, receipts, school work, business cards, not to mention, your overstuffed mailbox: dealing with paper is a part of the day-to-day. Tired of watching papers pile up? Read on for six tips for taming that paper tiger. 

The Circular File: Open mail over the trash. Discard junk mail, catalogs and envelopes. You'll be amazed at how much paper you cut out.

Buh-bye Unread Mags: Do you have magazine or newspaper subscriptions you never get around to reading? Put an end to the wishful thinking and cancel those items. Likewise, cancel the catalogs that fill up your mailbox. Online sites like catalogchoice.com will help you fend off unwanted catalogs. Watch your recycling pile shrink.

Create a Mail Station: Keep envelopes, stamps, pens and a checkbook handy in one central location so bills can be paid quickly, without building up. Consider going digital with as many bills as you can.

Once a Day: Just as you empty your sink of dirty dishes each day, commit to a daily review of incoming paper. By spending even a few minutes a day managing the paper flow, you ward off the massive paper pile ups that cause stress and disorganization.

Get a System: You don't need to have an OCD  filing system to successfully manage paper. Sometimes a system as simple as Act Now, File for Action Later This Week, and Archive is all that's needed. Just be sure to develop a system that doesn't have you hanging on to every slip of paper than enters your home.  Which brings us to our next tip...

Let Go: Not everything needs to be saved. Work hard to distinguish what's important from what's not. If you don't reconcile your ATM slips with your bank statements, why are you holding on to those paper slips? Are you truly keeping each piece of children's art? Choose a few to hang in a rotating art gallery in your kitchen and get rid of the rest. Not sure what to keep, what to purge? Our past post File or Toss? A Handy Guide for Assessing Your Paperwork helps you decide.

Do you have any tips or tricks for managing the paper flow? Share your thoughts here and on the Pendaflex Facebook page.

For many, organization means never fruitlessly searching for a crucial document that has somehow gone missing. But did you know that the benefits of being organized extend far beyond merely retrieving a slip of paper in a snap? Being organized can lead to a happier, more productive, and even longer life.

Yup, you read that right. Being organized can extend your life, posits Howard Friedman and Leslie Martin, authors of The Longevity Project.  Martin and Friedman conclude that the key factor in living longer is "conscientiousness" which they define as being organized, responsible and thinking ahead.

The landmark study of 1,500 hundred people, spanning more than 90 years, concludes that the people who live longest:

§  Work hard. Successful careers and habitual engagement in "pursuing goals" were hallmarks of people with long lives.

§  Lead active lives. Time devoted to hobbies, leisure pursuits and enjoyable activities also characterized lives of longevity.

§  Are socially connected. Happy marriages and strong friendships, which all require time to nurture, are also hallmarks of long lives. 

In our busy, 24/7 always on world, carving out time to nurture careers, lead active lives and to nourish our critical relationships, requires extraordinary time-management skills, the ability to prioritize and nuts-and-bolts organization.

Our Beyond Folders blog offers a host of resources to help hone these skills. The following posts offer a good starting point for those in search of an "organizational" overhaul.

• Tackle Your To-Do List with Time-Blocking
• First Things First: Prioritization 
• Simple Tricks for the Filing Newbie 

Do you derive satisfaction from being organized? Share your thoughts here and on the Pendaflex Facebook page.

Forget "America's Got Talent." "America's Got Stuff" could be the title of a reality-TV show starring the American people. We buy, store, sort and toss oodles of goods, mountains of things. Even avowed minimalists probably have at least one drawer of useless doodads hidden away somewhere.

Do you have any neglected items cluttering up your home? Rather than tossing, take stock to see if they can be given new life. Clever upcycling, http://bit.ly/NCLurr  that is converting useless items into a new use or product, makes smart environmental sense. Plus it saves money. Why empty your wallet and clutter up a landfill by tossing items when they can be put to good use?

Curiously Awesome Repurposing

Would you ever think you could enjoy summer grilling on a barbeque made out of a discarded Altoids tin? Talk about curiously awesome! This clever repurposing idea comes from Inhabit.com,  an unparalled resource of upcycling projects. Click here  for more great ideas.

We also like the "aha!" ideas from RealSimple.com. In New Uses for Old Things Hall of Fame, you'll find creative ideas such as turning relics such as cassette tape cases into ear bud holders and terrific repurposing notions like using a colander as a party ice-bucket.

Reuse, reduce, recycle: your wallet and the planet will thank you.

Do you have any clever ideas for repurposing old items? Share your thoughts here and on the Pendaflex Facebook page.

Has the office summer slowdown hit yet? As tempting as it is to use summer's quiet days for long lunches and other indulgences, savvy employees squeeze extra productivity out of the summer work lull.

When projects move to the back burner and office colleagues decamp for vacation, use the found time to take stock of your office and get organized for the hectic post-Labor Day pace.

Clean Sweep: A simple clean up is the first order of business. Toss old newspapers, magazines, coffee cups, unused office accessories and clutter in the trash. Look around, you are more organized already!

Sort Your Desk Drawers: Next, take time to tackle your desk drawers, tossing unnecessary items and grouping like supplies (i.e. post-it-notes, pens, staples) together. Something as simple as a clean, well-organized drawer provides a sense of accomplishment. Ride that feeling as you move on to bigger projects.

Piles to Files: Filing is not just an end-of year chore. Move those piles into files for greater productivity, more breathing room and a calming sense of order. Set up a desktop file organizer for frequently used files; all other papers need to go into archival files or be tossed.

Eliminate e-clutter: Does your overflowing email box stress you out? Schedule blocks of time each day to get through the email. Once the in-box is empty, work to keep it that way with weekly maintenance.  

Summer Lovin':  Odds are good you spend more time in your office than just about anywhere else. Don't you want to love it a little more? Improve your relationship with your office space by adding personal accents. Consider a fun task lamp for your desk: a kicky color - bright yellow, hot pink - or one with a decorative lamp with a shade can cozy up your cube. And personalize your space with photos, fresh flowers, wall art or an attractive throw rug. While the mood should remain professional, a more personalized space adds up to a more welcoming work environment.

Do you get a charge out or cleaning and organizing your work space? How often do you take time to reorg and straighten up? Share your thoughts here and on the Pendaflex Facebook page.