I recently worked with Noelle going through piles of recipes on note cards, scrap paper, and print-outs. She went through every single recipe to determine what she’d realistically make again. Some Noelle never tried and now has no interest in trying so that went to recycling. Some recipes were from her relatives so there’s the sentimental component. She kept only her favorites to downsize the collection. There were a handful of duplicates and we kept the best versions, tossing the duplicates. She was able to downsize from two binders to one binder. The notecards went into a notecard box. Finally, we organized by main categories that are relevant to her collection: Salad, Soup, Side/Main Dishes, Sauces/Dips, and Baking. Keeping the categories broad is important so as not to get lost in sorting. Now that the binder is completed, it’s much easier to look at the collection in the binder and index card box as they both are not too crowded when Noelle is ready to make her aunt’s famous pumpkin pie, she knows where she can find the recipe.
S3 wishes all her readers and clients a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday.
Side note: These blog stories feature real clients and their organizing solutions. To maintain client privacy, all names have been changed.