Buying Your Way to Organization -- NOT!

Unfortunately, try as you might, you cannot buy your way to becoming more organized. Yes, you can hire an organizer to get you started, but you will not become automatically organized by purchasing organizing items. The real secret is -- get ready -- to BE organized. Again, buying the latest gadget will not make you organized. Especially when you leave it in the bag. Believe it or not, you can use just regular, every day items to help you STAY organized once you get there. Do you know what I used for YEARS to hold my pens and pencils? An empty tin can. Not very attractive you might say, but as I gathered 100+ colorful rubber bands around the outside, it made for a nice conversation piece and was functional. Do you know how much I paid for it? Nothing. Nada. Zip. Well, if you figure the fact that I paid 99 cents for the Spaghetti-os that were inside, it was a great deal because not only did I get lunch, I also received a brand new pencil holder!

Here is a nice quote of the day about Los Angeles: The only town in the world where you can wake up in the morning and listen to the birds coughing in the trees. ~Joe Frisco

Have a great weekend!

Filing Systems 101

In my experience of organizing offices, one basic thing is sometimes overlooked: creating a file system that works for you, not one you have to keep working for. Take a few minutes to decide how you want your files set up. What words will you use to find your car repair receipts? Auto? Mechanic? Toyota? And for gosh-and-golly sakes, share your thinking with anyone else who will need to access those files. When everyone is on the same page (literally!), filing papers and retrieving them will become MUCH easier. Did you know that the average executive loses six weeks every year just searching for misplaced files? Six weeks!!! Wouldn't that time be better spent lounging around the pool with a cabana boy at your beck and call? Six weeks!!! That statistic really blew my mind -- obviously.

As for your desktop files, same approach. If none of this makes much sense, call or email me. I'll put on my cape and fly to your rescue...

File Retention or WHEN CAN I RECYCLE THIS STUFF!!!

People ask me all the time about what papers do they have to keep and for how long. I have my own personal guidelines that I go by based upon many conversations with my accountant and what I feel comfortable with. One thing I found out (that I thought was pretty interesting) is if I have the software and can recreate things like customer invoices, I can recycle all the copies of the invoices I currently have. I have been shredding them like crazy and it has really given me a sense of cleanliness. Who would have thought? I can feel the paper chains being released from my ankles as I write...

I found a great on-line document storage place called www.filesanywhere.com where you can place documents and keep them off of your computer. The smaller storage size is free and it can really give you a piece of mind. Contact your utility companies, credit card companies, any company that offers paperless statements. When you download your statement, reconcile it, pay it, do whatever you do with it, and then send it to www.filesanywhere.com. Set yourself free!!!

Errands on Two Wheels

In order to keep myself green and lean, I am bicycling to all of my daily errand spots: post office, store (if needed), second post office, library, banks, and then back home. I can hit all of these in about an hour, and, depending upon how many stops I make, I travel about 10 to 12 miles each time. What a great way to not use gas, exercise, and enjoy the fresh air. Of course, it would be MUCH better if all these places were not located on busy streets. I would love it if the post office were located at the end of a meandering road that passed alongside a river and pastures. I could then turn at the red barn, ride past the field of clover and pull into the bank. After my banking, I could mosey on back home while dodging little chipmunks and waving at the occasional cyclist I would pass...sigh.... In reality, I ride over broken glass (actually, I am pretty good at dodging it now), try not to bite it as I cross a double set of railroad tracks TWICE and weave my way through cars and trucks to get my position at the stoplight. After turning onto the HIGHWAY I hum a happy song while maniacs try to cut me off, honk to see if they can scare me, and Ricky Racers who see if they can make the right hand turn before I do. It certainly keeps me on my toes...

What does this have to do with organizing? You would be surprised at what an unorganized backpack can do to your errand running. Take a moment before you head out the door to really think about all the things you have to do and all the places you have to go. Taking that extra moment to itemize everything will save you many headaches and an extra trip back home. Happy cycling!

The Green Office Goes Home

I have been thinking that my green way of working could easily be carried over into home organizing. Why not? I am always looking for more ways to help my clients reuse, recycle, and work greener. I do it at home so I'm thinking I could help others do a little bit more than they are doing now. I also have some great home organizing tips I'll be sharing through this blog so be sure to check back. Today's home organizing tip is about toys. I know that YOU know that bins are a great way to keep all the toys sorted and put away but I have another great use for those toy bins. Whenever we go on a road trip, I grab one small bin per child and they have their favorite toy of the week ready to go. They can play with them in the car and transport them easily into a relative's home or hotel room -- wherever we happen to be going.

Here is a great quote for the day: “Organizing is what you do before you do something, so that when you do it, it is not all mixed up.” ~A. A. Milne (English Humorist, creator of Winnie-the-Pooh, 1882-1956)

Now, go forth and organize those toys!

The Power of One

This is an amazing video. Watch it. 'Nuff said.

http://www.karmatube.org/videos.php?id=14