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Tag: organizing tips

Do you reconcile your statements?

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A very large number of our clients struggle with paperwork and mail. Many of them end up with a dozen or so boxes of mail that they’ve never even opened. Paper piles and paper management is one of my ultimate favorite things to organize and to help coach people on. A big part of why I love it is that we almost always find money in the paper piles either in check form, cash, gift cards or overpaid bills. I also love teaching people that most of the time, the paperwork they’re holding on to for dear life doesn’t have… read more »

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The sneaky attack of paperwork

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Who doesn’t struggle with piles and piles of paperwork? Very few people, that’s who. I am highly aware of all of the marketing tactics there are out there that sneak paperwork into people’s homes and offices. One of the tactics that works like a dream is giving you additional paperwork with your receipts. For just one week, make yourself really pay attention to all of the paperwork that people hand to you. Watch how you take that paper, put it in your car and take it back to your office or home. That junk paperwork is then mixed in with… read more »

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Holiday time management tips

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Make a list. – Create lists for who you need to shop for, what you will buy them, where you will buy it, etc. Plan your days. – Schedule time for everything you need to do to enjoy the holidays. When will you shop, clean, cook, etc. Allow extra time. – Always allow more time for tasks than you think it will take. This goes a long way in reducing stress. Prepare in advance. – Prepare cookies, snacks, meals, gifts, etc as far in advance as possible. Say goodbye to perfectionism. – The season is a time to enjoy family… read more »

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Where did I put that email?

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When you stop to think about how much time you waste (lose) searching for things, and the amount of stress it causes, you will understand the value of taking the time to get things organized. You will gain back the time you spent getting organized in no time, and you will save lots more time and stress on top of that! These days we all spend a lot of time on the computer. How many times have you wasted valuable time looking for documents that you know are on your computer, somewhere? It is important to set up your electronic… read more »

Category: Office Organization | Tags: , ,

Yikes, it’s December 1st!

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Once December rolls around, the stress and frenzy of the upcoming holidays begins to bubble up within us. As hard as we try to fight it, we usually end up succumbing to it eventually. I am very excited about Christmas this year. Usually I procrastinate about it for much too long and then end up running out and cramming all of my shopping into 1-2 days. Since I’m mentally prepared for Christmas this year, I can see that I’m taking a more proactive approach than usual and it’s already paying off. I am asking people what they want or need… read more »

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How long should I keep this paper?

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So what should you keep and how long should you keep it? Following is a list of documents and suggested retention times offered by the Better Business Bureau (BBB): Tax returns and supporting documents should be kept for eight years. Supporting documents may include charitable donation receipts, medical bills and property tax records, for example. Records on contributions to individual retirement accounts should be kept permanently. Retirement and savings plan statements should be kept from one year to permanently. Keep the monthly or quarterly statements until the end of the year, then keep the year-end statement and shred the others.… read more »

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Organization 101 – day four

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After completing all of the steps we’ve discussed already, you’re finally down to what will actually stay in the space. Now it’s time to figure out what containers to use for the items that are staying. Thank goodness in this project we already know what containers we’re using thanks to Rubbermaid. They gave me a set of drawer organizers to try out and want to gift a set to one of my blog readers that leaves a comment…hint, hint. The winner will be selected Monday. Before selecting your container, you’ll need to make sure that the container is the right… read more »

Category: Home Organization | Tags: ,

Organization 101 – day three

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Step Three Now that we’ve gotten rid of everything that doesn’t belong in this space, we can get a clearer picture of the things that will really be living there. Sort the remaining items into groups, or categories, of like things with like things. In our example, I’ve grouped the tools that will stay with the other tools that will stay, the batteries with the batteries, the screws together, etc. This step helps you to take another look at how much you have of each item and perhaps to let go of any other excess you might not have realized… read more »

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Organization 101 – day two

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Step One The first step in getting organized is to determine what your vision is for the space or system you are working on. My vision for the junk drawer is to be able to quickly find what I need, quickly retrieve it and quickly return it so I can easily find it next time I need it. Step Two Remove anything from the space or system that doesn’t belong there based on your vision. As you can see, my junk drawer had a lot of tools living there that really belonged in my tool box. There were about 5-7… read more »

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Organization 101 – day one

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This week I will lead you step by step on how to get organized on your own, using my junk drawer as an example. Regardless of what room or task you are organizing, you will follow the same simple steps we’ll outline this week. This is a before picture of my junk drawer. It has been a problem spot for me for a long time because I know there are alot of things in the drawer that don’t really belong there. Because of that, it makes it difficult to open or close the drawer. And, more importantly, it is hard… read more »

Category: Home Organization | Tags: ,
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