Let us create a 3d Digital eBook for you! DigyCat.com
|
||
|
||
|
Organizing Information | Let us create a 3d Digital eBook for you! DigyCat.com |
|
|
|
Simple Ideas to Conquer Paper Clutter
Are stacks of papers, mail, newspapers, and growing "to do" lists cluttering your home? Has it been months since you've seen your countertops or have you completely forgotten what your countertops look like? Paper clutter includes bills, warranties, cards, mail, memos, sticky notes, lists, letters, advertising flyers, school papers, etc. If any or all of these items are cluttering your home and countertops, follow the simple ideas below to organize your papers and gain control over the clutter. Mail: the general and well known rule for reducing stacks of mail is to handle it only once. ? Choose an area for sorting mail and sort through it as soon as it arrives. Immediately throw away junk mail and separate the rest into several piles: bills, reading material, and mail to be shredded. Sometimes a fourth pile may be needed to separate your mail from your spouse's mail. ? Place reading material, such as magazines or catalogs into your inbox or magazine holder to be read later. ? Shred all mail containing personal information. This will help to protect yourself from identity theft by safely disposing of mail that contains your Social Security number, bank account numbers, or credit card numbers. Be sure to shred all unwanted credit card applications and home refinancing offers. ? Place your bills in your in box or wherever you pay your bills in order of the date they are due. Create a 13-pocket accordion file with tabs for each month and the last tab for income tax receipts. As you pay bills, write the check number and date on your copy and file accordingly. Also, add bank statements and credit card receipts in the correct months. At the end of the year, add your tax returns and store the entire accordion file. ? Another bill paying method is to purchase a portable filing box or a filing cabinet. Create a filing system of bills paid by labeling manila folders for each company that you pay a bill to. After paying a bill, make a note of your check number and date paid on your copy and file in the appropriate file. At the end of the year, clean out the files that you don't need anymore to make room for the upcoming year. Permanent Papers: ? Create a tabbed filing system for papers you need to keep long term, such as car insurance, life insurance, homeowner's insurance, medical insurance, children's records, animal records, etc. Receipts: use an accordion file, a large envelope, a plastic divided envelope, or a coupon wallet to organize your receipts. ? Sort through your receipt file every 60-90 days and throw out receipts that have an expired return date. Be sure to shred receipts that have your credit card number printed on them. ? Save gift receipts. A good rule to follow is to save the receipt for three months after giving the gift. You can also give a gift receipt with the gift for easier return or exchanging. ? Toss out receipts that are not tax-deductible such as groceries, pet grooming, and dry cleaning. ? Staple the receipts of major purchases to their warranty cards or with the instruction manual. For example, if you purchase a vacuum cleaner, staple the receipt to the instruction manual and file it in a labeled folder. Income Tax Receipts: ? Create a large envelope or a file folder for the current year's income tax receipts. Place all receipts for the year that pertain to income tax in the envelope or folder. This will make it much easier when it's time to figure out your taxes because all your receipts and statements will be in one location. Manuals, Booklets, and Warranties: ? Create a folder for each major appliance and store manuals, warranties, receipts, and any other important information to be saved. Label the folder for quick and easy reference. ? It's also helpful to keep the receipts, instructions, and warranties of children's products in case a product receives a recall notice or it stops working. This applies more to the larger products such as car seats, bouncy seats, swings, high chairs, electronic toys, etc. Create a folder for each product and label the folders for quick and easy reference. Magazines and Catalogs: ? Place them in decorative magazine holders next to your couch or wherever you read magazines. ? Store the magazines and catalogs upright so it is easy for you to thumb through them and see what issues you have. As new magazines and catalogs come in, discard the oldest ones. Books: ? After you have read a book, donate it to a library or sell it if you don't plan to read it again. ? Once your children outgrow their books, have them donate their books to a charity, kid's book store, or library. Coupons: ? File the coupons in a coupon wallet or an envelope and carry them in your purse or car. ? Be sure to go through your coupons on a regular basis and throw away the expired ones. Business Cards and Contacts: ? Store all business cards in a business card holder or a Rolodex. ? Keep all addresses and phone numbers in one location such as an address book or a spreadsheet on your computer. Children's Artwork: ? Purchase a colorful three-ring binder and include favorite artwork. To protect the artwork, place the papers in plastic sleeves made for three-ring binders. ? Turn children's artwork into cards that can be mailed to friends and family. ? Create a file folder for saved artwork. ? Purchase a portable file storage box with hanging file folders. Help your child to decorate the box and label the folders. For example, you might want one folder for kindergarten artwork, one folder for first grade artwork, and so on. This will keep all artwork organized and together in one place. ? Hang up a bulletin board in your child's room where he or she can display their favorite artwork. They can change out the artwork as often as they like and they will enjoy seeing their artwork hanging up in their room. ? Let your child choose a few favorite pieces of his or her artwork and frame it to match their room decor. Then hang the framed artwork in a special place in their room. Whether you have a built-in desk filing system or you use portable file boxes, the important thing is to label your folders and boxes the way it works best for you. There are many attractive binders and file boxes available on the market today to help you organize your papers. You can purchase portable file boxes in all shapes and sizes. They come in natural fibers, pretty pastels, shabby chic, contemporary, and even see-thru. Three-ring binders and file folders come in different sizes and all the colors of the rainbow, while in boxes made of fabric or linen can be purchased to match your home decor. In today's fast-paced world, it's often easy to toss papers on your desk or countertop and deal with them at another time. By doing this, you create more work for yourself and more countertop clutter. So, take the steps to get rid of paper clutter for good and you will be more organized, you will take pleasure in seeing your countertops again, and most of all you will enjoy a more comfortable and peaceful home. Lesley Dietschy is a freelance writer and the creator/editor of The Home Decor Exchange and the Home & Garden Exchange. The Home Decor Exchange is a popular home and garden website featuring resources, articles, decorating pictures, free projects, and a shopping marketplace. The Home & Garden Exchange website is a link exchange program and directory dedicated to the home and garden industry, as well as offering free website content and promotional ideas. Please visit both websites for all of your home, garden, and website needs. http://www.HomeDecorExchange.com http://www.HomeGardenExchange.com
MORE RESOURCES: Organizing Yourself - Google News Are you frugal or a hoarder? - Christian Science Monitor
High Holy Days focus on responsibility, repentance - Hometownlife.com
Church rebuffs military concerns on Quran burning - Rome News Tribune
How To Successfully Run A Home-Based Business - Nigerian Observer
Players balk at increased injury risk in expanded NFL season - Toronto Star
Labor's Stand for Immigration Reform: An Interview with Eliseo Medina - Americas Quarterly
Making Meditation Accessible - Huffington Post (blog)
Wardrobe makeover - Toronto Sun
David Plouffe to Dems: Don't despair, get to work! - Washington Post (blog)
How to Get Your House Organized - FOXNews
|
 |
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Too Many Unfinished Projects? 7 Time Management Strategies to Move Stalled Projects to Finish Line Q. I have several projects going at once -- but I never seem to finish them! I'm pulled in so many different directions -- and I end up with nothing to show for my efforts!A. Are You A Collector? Collections are the outward manifestation of a deeply-felt principle or emotion, and are quite different than ordinary garden-variety "clutter." One man has a love of photography and takes pictures of everything. What Clutter Clearing Can Do For You You can get a pretty good idea of the benefits of clutter clearing simply by imagining your life free of all the negative effects of clutter: lack of focus and clarity; feelings of being professionally, creatively, spiritually, and/or romantically stuck; insufficient time and attention for self and family; increased stress, irritability and depression. Wouldn't it be great to be free of all these?No matter what other factors may be dragging you down, I guarantee you that clearing your clutter will dramatically improve your mood and energy. Ending The Morning Madness Back-to-school time - what does that mean to you? For some people, it's shopping for school supplies, gearing up for PTA meetings, and artwork taped to the refrigerator. For others, it's the beginning of a constant struggle to get everyone up, ready, and out of the house on time. What Balance Looks Like For You Recently, in an online group, we talked about "balance" and an article one member had read decrying the demise of balance altogether. We all had different ideas about what balance is and how to reach it, and I realized, after a number of posts, that we were all right. Get Rid Of The Clutter You really can have a successful business and a great life. Often we get caught up in growing our business or climbing the corporate ladder that we put our personal lives on hold. 5 Tips to Banish Clutter From Your Life For Good Studies show that 80 percent of what we use comes from 20 percent of what we own. That means that 80 percent of the things in our homes are rarely or never used. Finish in Style - Organizing Works! One of my mother-in-law's many oft-quoted and wise declarations was "Finish in style." It has been on my mind lately, as I contemplate the end of another year, and the end of the first fifty years of my life. Give Up Control to Get Control For some reason, Americans think they have something to prove by doing it all themselves. People say to me all of the time, that someone else just can't do for them, the things that are on the "to do " list. Identifying the Rocks: Organizing Your Priorities In one of my favorite books, First Things First, written by Stephen Covey with Roger and Rebecca Merrill, is a story of the man in front of his class with a pile of rocks and a jar. He puts the rocks in the jar, and then asks the class "Is it full?" "Yes," they answer in unison. How Much Is Your Time Worth? Does Your Present Internet Filing System Work?Do You Really Know for Sure How Much You Earned? Do You Really Know for Sure or Just "Think So"? Do You Really Know for Sure Which Ads Work? Do You Really Know for Sure Where your URL's Are? Do You Really Know for Sure? DO YOU ??We have all wasted precious working hours, sometimes frantically looking for an article or business letter saying "that's where it was last time.. Spring Cleaning: Mission Garage Organization Spring is here and the garage door is open. This is a scary thought for Cindy. Calendars and Personality Type I recently conducted a survey to look at the relationship between an individual's personality type and his or her organizing and time management style, and noticed that the majority of participants said they have a calendar system that works for them. As there are so many time management systems available, both paper-based and electronic, I thought it would be interesting to find out which calendar systems are most popular with each personality type, and asked my ezine subscribers and visitors to my website to describe their time management system, what they like and dislike about it, and their personality type according to the Myers-Briggs Type IndicatorŪ (MBTIŪ). Get Organized -- Every Home Needs An Office EVERY HOME NEEDS AN OFFICEYes, it is true that every home needs an office to handle the business of running a household. There are bills to pay, health records to maintain, an assortment of receipts, bank and financial statements all with tax implication. Quick Organizing Tips From Assistance For You Keeping on task and getting organized starts with a basic plan that can be implemented into everyone's daily life. Just by following these simple steps you can be on your way to a more productive and friendly work environment. 10 Common Roadblocks to Getting Organized 1. All or nothing thinking/taking on too much. Until We Go Paperless From time to time I hear this question from an audience member during one of my presentations. They express a dire hope that getting organized is a one-time event based on acquiring the right tools?and then secretly hope for a magic pill. Organization Tips - How To Get Things Done What stops you from 'getting things done?'Have you ever started your day with good intentions of completing a task or project only to find that by the end of the day you've hardly worked on it?Or have you ever set a goal to attend a seminar, learn a new skill or just have more time out for you?I'm sure you have. I'm not going to write a long-winded explanation about the art of procrastination or "putting things off" but what I will do is share with you the secret of actually "getting things done". Balance- What Does It Really Mean? Balance- what a popular topic these days! Finding a work-life balance, being balanced in body, mind and soul, eating a balanced meal, balancing work, play and learning. But what does it really mean? When I ask my clients what balance means to them, most have no idea initially, and find it a good exercise to reflect on. 8 Signs Your Home is Out of Control -- and What to Do About It It happens without warning. One day you notice your home has turned into a collage of papers, junk, and stuff - everywhere.
|
|
© www.KewlOz.com 2010
|
|
