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People today are busier than ever before, and life is stressful. Trying to balance the commitments of having a job, social life and family can leave you feeling like you have no time for yourself. The key to staying on top of it all is organization: if you know exactly what you have to do on any given day, then preparing for it in advance can give you those extra five minutes of 'me time.' Rather than the hundreds of expensive filing systems and online calendars that are available to us though, I can suggest a far simpler a solution: a noticeboard.

A few years ago, there would have been a notice board in every person's kitchen, with invitations, important letters and RSVP notices attached to it. Although it may have looked messy, it meant that everything was in one place and could be easily located. Putting a noticeboard by the kitchen door means that everything that you may need is easily accessible: you can grab any documents on your way out the door, saving you valuable time that may have otherwise been spent searching for important pieces of paper.

A noticeboard is also a great, inexpensive way of decorating your house. Whilst they are traditionally made of cork, you can now buy notice boards for your home that are brightly coloured, covered with fabric, or themed to match your colour scheme. Even when not in use, then, they can be a useful addition to your home, as they will brighten up a bare wall and provide a focus point in a room. They can also be used, not as an organizational tool, but as a gallery: children's artwork, thank you cards, or even pictures and postcards can all be displayed on a noticeboard to make an individual statement. It's a great way of telling visitors about yourself, without spending huge amounts of money on expensive decor.

A personalized noticeboard can also make a great gift for someone special: buy one in their favourite colour or theme, and attach things that are important to them, whether that be memories that you share or photos of their loved ones or favourite celebrities. Although inexpensive, there's no better way of proving how well you know someone: gathering all of their favourite things in one place shows just how much you've thought about their gift.

So, whilst a noticeboard may seem like nothing more than a boring accessory for the kitchen, it's fair to say that, with a little imagination, a noticeboard can in fact be a vital addition to any room.