It's that time of year. Holiday decorations are popping up, Black Friday is just around the corner. Time to start thinking about what to give all the people on your gift list this year. As you plan your holiday shopping, consider giving the gift of organization. It truly is the universal gift. Literally everyone, be they young or old, male or female, can benefit from a little more organization in their life. 

Here are some of my favorite organization gifts (to give and receive) to help inspire you as you plan your holiday gift list. Note: this post contains affiliate links. 

The organizer has 12 total pockets: 4 exterior and 8 interior. One set of interior pockets is removable to allow for larger items. ​

headphones, flash drives, memory cards, external hard drives, tablets, and other electronic doodads safe and organized for travel. Great for a student, a business person, or anyone who carries multiple electronic devices.  ​

If you're feeling really fancy an even better option is a wireless charging station. Instead of keeping the cords contained in one convenient location, it does away with the need for cords altogether! 

In the case of cell phones, it will cause your phone to ring, even when it's set to silent. If you have a habit of forgetting where you parked, place a Tile Mate in your car. Instead of wandering the parking lot looking flummoxed, open the Tile app, and it will lead you to your car. ​

A quick swipe back and forth is all it takes to conceal personal information (or any information for that matter). I accidentally covered up a code we needed for a recall on one of our vehicles using the stamp. In my defense, the code was printed directly above my address... There was no deciphering the information. I had to call the company issuing the recall to get the code.  The stamp works! When the ink gets low, replacement cartridges are available. ​

Eyeglass stands come in a variety of fun styles. Here are a few more cute options to choose from:

The bottle is insulated, so it keeps hot drinks hot and cold drinks cold for hours. The best part about this bottle is that it makes a great gift for anyone - children or adults. ​

I recently participated in a vendor show where I was required to provide a raffle prize. I brought an assortment of organizational pads such as you see here. They were a huge hit! ​

I know at least two ladies who would love such a gift. Now to choose the right one...

I hope this list has helped you to find the perfect organization gift for someone on your shopping list. Or maybe you found an item or two you'd like to add to your own wish list... Whatever the case, I wish you a joyous holiday season and a prosperous New Year. 

Twenty years ago my husband came home with this bulky wooden file cabinet. He paid $5 for it at a furniture sale put on by the university where he was working at the time. He's been enamored with it ever since.  I, however, have been looking for an opportunity to get rid of it.

When the file cabinet first graced our abode, it was painted what my husband calls OD (olive drab) green - like old army fatigues. To add to it's charm, it was covered in an assortment of free stickers - the kind that come in promotional mailings for things like the World Wildlife Federation and AAA - most of which had apparently bonded with the wood fibers at a molecular level making them nearly impossible to remove. 

I hated it because it was big and ugly. He loved it because it was sturdy, it held tons of files, and it would cost a small fortune to replace it with something of equal quality and size. I couldn't refute his arguments, but that didn't stop me from plotting it's removal.

Fast forward another ten years to the present. Recently we have turned our basement bedroom into my office. As I considered furniture options for the new space, I felt certain the time had come to bid the file cabinet farewell. Of course, that isn't what happened.

When I showed my husband the furniture I had picked out for the new office he wanted to know why I was spending money on a file cabinet when we already owned one that was bigger and better (he left out ten times uglier). At first I was annoyed, but eventually I had to admit that he had a valid point. While the file cabinet I had picked out was lighter and much less bulky, it was also obviously of lesser quality.

The only thing to be done was the thing I had been avoiding for twenty years. I would have to transform the hated cabinet myself, so that is what I did. ​

What do you think? I painted the top and the trim white (which I already had on hand from another project). Then I painted the drawer fronts and the main body with chalkboard paint. I also replaced the drawer pulls. To be honest, it really wasn't that hard (except for the drawer pulls which didn't quite fit into the old holes...), and I have to confess - I kind of like it. ​