Dan's Papers - January 11, 2008

I am always on the move, especially during the holiday season. Christmas Eve at my parents, Christmas Day at my sister's, New Year's Eve...You know the routine. So when I finally walked in the door of my apartment on January 3, the place exuded a sad sentiment of abandonment. But I quickly dusted off the table, pulled up a chair and began writing. It was then that I saw the pile.

I have a roommate, and when I'm not around, she puts all of my mail in a giant heap. When she's not around, I do the same. The heap isn't always in the same place, nor is it always only one heap. It's our system, albeit imperfect.

But this time of year is about taking those imperfect systems and changing them, right? I mean, why should I continue to sift through mountains of paper when very little of it has any significance? I shouldn't, of course. But the question becomes, how can we organize our lives and our mail and our messages to each other when my roommate and I are usually no more than two ships passing in the night?

The answer, as it came to me in a lightning bolt, is the bulletin board. Because the fact is, we all have busy lives. I can't wait around for my roommate to show up because I never know when that's going to be. But that doesn't mean I don't want her to know that I paid the Con-Ed bill so she should leave me $40 next time she passes through. Where should she leave it? Perhaps on the very bulletin board where I will leave the reminder.

Bulletin boards are excellent tools of communication in a forum where people are always on the move. Whether it's an office where you need to communicate with your co-workers about the Super Bowl party, or an apartment where you need to communicate with your roommate about the most recent mouse sighting, a bulletin board will do the trick.

So now that you've figured out how you're going to communicate with each other, the next question becomes where. The best place to put your bulletin board is in an obvious location. The wall right where you walk in the door, or above the kitchen table, or right next to the water cooler in the office are all good spots.

Now you need to make sure that the bulletin board has the supplies it needs. A giant slab of cork is no good if you don't have anything to go with it. Make sure that there are some pieces of scrap paper and some thumb tacks on the board at all times. Tie a pen to a string and attach it to the side of the bulletin board so people can always jot down notes to each other. Liven up your bulletin board with a few (but not too many) photos of the people that will be utilizing it.

Another important component to having a functioning bulletin board is organization. One option is to organize your bulletin board into sections. The first column could be labeled "unpaid bills," the second "stuff we need" and the third "miscellaneous." Or at the office, the first could be "events," the second "suggestions" and the third "business." Divide the sections with a simple border.

Now that you have a place to hang the bulletin board and what to put on it, you've got to find a bulletin board. Corkboards are classic, and with them you can use thumbtacks again and again. They are light, easy to hang and completely affordable. If you want to get creative with your corkboard, start collecting those old wine corks. If you're anything like me, you'll build up a collection pretty quickly. Then you can build a wooden frame and attach a sturdy backing. Using a strong glue, attach the corks to the backing, making a cool cork board and making use of all those old corks. Try to attach the corks in a cross-hatch pattern for a quilted look.

If you're not into pushpins, go for a magnetic bulletin board. The benefit of magnets is that nothing will end up with holes in it. However, magnetic boards may be heavier then corkboards.

Bulletin boards are a great way to help you with that eternal New Year's resolution - "This year I'll be more organized..."