Hello all!
I am slowly trying to get the household more organized.

I'm wondering if anyone here has a label maker and how/if it works in helping you and your family be more efficient, tidy, organized etc.

Since we live in a small apartment on the university campus, we have to keep a lot of things in storage boxes/containers. As well, having clear boxes makes the place look messy, as a lot of the stuff is miscellaneous in categories... My significant other (boyfriend, but that label sounds so juvenile when I've been with him for 6 years and we're 25...) and I both find it feels much more serene when there is less visual clutter. I put fabric covers on the front of two shelves and it makes a HUGE difference!!! (I used grey fabric to cover up bookshelves that had all my textbooks and notebooks etc, and another shelf unit that held all kinds of stuff).

ANYWAY...
Some questions:
-how do you use your labeller?
-how do you incorporate colour coding and/or symbols with labelling (most models have symbols and diff coloured cartridges)
-what is an example of the difference you noticed before and after labelling a project?

I bought a model the other day, it had a $15 rebate, so I thought it was a great deal... I took it home and was soooo dissapointed when the print quality was that of a dot matrix printer!!! It cost about $40 reg. price Cdn, so I'm considering going back and getting a better model that has nice font on it...the font on the one I bought was all jagged, and looked like it was from an obsolete version of printshop... or wordperfect for commodore 64.
Needless to say, I returned it for a full refund... and e-mailed the company about it (I DID mention what I liked about the product as well, though).

So, before I spend more money on a higher end model, I want to gather some ideas...

here is a list of things I've thought of so far:
-labelling textbooks on the spine (and binders)
-containers that have been reused to be filled with something else
-colour coding textbooks and notebooks
-labelling contents of opaque storage containers
-labelling containers that will be used to take lunch to work in
-CD ROM labels (and tapes, VHS etc)

anything else?
Thanks for your help!!

GO WITH DYMO. I HAVE ONE. IT IS EXPENSIVE BUT IT WILL BE TH E LAST ONE YOU WILL BUY . JUST LOOK FOR IT ONLINE. I BOUGHT MINE ONLINE FOR 120.00 VERY MUCH WORTH THE MONEY. model 330 IT IS A THERMAL PRINTER AND IS CAPABLE OF ANY FONT,SINCE YOU USE YOUR pc.

I have an older stand alone labler. It takes time to set the label up. I prefer to just get mailing labels and print them off on my laser printer.

If there is a thermal that works with your pc, though, that might be worth considering. It would be much faster than setting up a single label in word and dealing with half used label sheets.

Hey all!
I bought a new one, by Brother PT1750. The tape is expensive ($3/metre) but I LOVE it!!!
I've always had issues with keeping everything in its place, but now that I VISIBLY LABEL it, it processes in my brain as more concrete and I end up putting things where they belong. I don't have to 'remember' where things go, or where I made up my mind last week to start keeping things.
With a label there, I see it, and I don't have to try and remember. It's neat... I never thought it would impact me in that way.

Things I've labelled:
*binders for triathlon training : it feels as though I am taking it more seriously, now that there is a professional looking label on it

*top loading accordian file (for back pack... these are AWESOME!!! So much easier to flip through papers): having each file labelled with a course, and colour coding them that way is a LOT easier on the brain! I'm taking only 3 courses this semester, so I can colour code my dayplanner with those too

*drawers that hold things

*textbook spines

*Movies (so we don't have to worry about people forgetting who they borrowed the movie from)

*codes/passwords for playstation parental guide override

*"DESIGNATED DRIVER" and "DESIGNATED DRINKER" stickers... a BIG HIT with my friends.. hehe

*my anxiety journal

*water bottle at work (lifeguarding... we always walk on deck, rotate two or three positions, and then when we come in for our break we don't have our waterbottles in our hand..hmmm....)

Does this sound silly?
But if you think about it, it may work for you too...
maybe the reason why you have troubles putting things back where they belong is that you don't have a visual reminder there for you...?
Example: you're just sitting around, and as your eyes go around the room, you see the labels for drawers... your brain will still process it without even trying to, and when you need to find something, you'll recall that there were some labels somewhere...
If you didn't have the labels there, you would have to try and remember where to find the stuff... or your brain would just put it wherever, since it doesn't have an assigned place, concretely.

Now that I have a binder marked 'triathlon' clearly on the spine, I recall that whenever I have a paper that has to do with triathlon in my hand, I can put it in that binder.
I had the binder before, but it was left blank... but now each time I go to my bookshelf for other reasons, I see the triathlon binder, and it again reaffirms it's position in my psyche.

Interesting indeed, how simply putting a VISIBLE WORD LABEL on something helps.

This sounds like a great idea for me. I'm going to keep an eye out for one.
Thanks for the tips.
ian

WAY TO GO!!!!!! Keep up the awesome labeling!