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Sunday Savings::7 Ways Organizing Saves

by Filed Under: Organize, Organizing Projects, Paper management, Systems & Techniques, Tips & Resources

I’m shifting gears this week to share 7 Ways Organizing Saves you big $$!

I’ve often had clients comment to me that they are ashamed of spending so much money to hire an organizer and they wonder if something is wrong with them.  No way!  Anyone who cares enough to invest their time and money will potentially be saving hundreds if not thousands of dollars.  Really…I’ll share some statistics and examples.

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7 Ways you can Save by getting more organized:

  • Money-both cash and checks.  I have found either cash or checks with almost all of my clients when we dig in and start sorting.  Sometimes it’s just a few dollars and sometimes I’ve found hundreds!  I know other organizers who have found thousands if not HUNDREDS of thousands with clients!
  • Space-by clearing out old clutter and not PAYING to store it in storage bins or rooms in your house!  EX…do you store your junk in your garage and your second most valuable asset-your car-out in the elements?  If you have storage bin or room in your house you are throwing hundreds out the window every month.  According to the storage industry 10% of Americana households have storage!!  Why would you pay to store stuff you don’t need or use?  Short term storage can have a purpose if you are moving but otherwise it’s probably a waste.
  • Calories!  Yes by saving time and being more productive you can prepare healthier meals for yourself and family.  Not to mention the act of organizing can be quite physical and you will burn calories while your at it.
  • Relationships…many relationships are put under tremendous stress when one partner is utterly unorganized.  The conflicts that can arise from one partners responsibilities not being met again and again can lead to devastating consequences!
  • Taxes-found receipts, deductibles and preventing expensive audits or late fees.
  • Time-when you know where to find what you need you will save time on a daily basis. [time=productivity=money]
  • Fees-you can eliminate late fees on bills and credit cards if you have an organized system for bill paying in place.

Rather than asking yourself if you can afford to hire an organizer or spend the time working through it on your own shouldn’t you ask yourself how you can afford NOT to be organized?

What value do you think being organized has in your life?

Where can you find ways to save?

 

Wednesday’s Word::Tenacious

by Filed Under: Inspiration & Education, Tips & Resources

Tenacious is a great word.  One we don’t hear people using much in today’s everyday language but it’s tenacity that usually helps us to hold our course.

Definition of TENACIOUS

(courtesy of Merriam-webster)

1
a : not easily pulled apart : cohesive <a tenacious metal>

b : tending to adhere or cling especially to another substance <tenacious burs>

2

a : persistent in maintaining, adhering to, or seeking something valued or desired <a tenacious advocate of civil rights> <tenacious negotiators>

We all find at times we may need to cultivate tenacity, especially when we  feel uncertain, discouraged or otherwise like we want to give up because something is  sooo HARD!   Some people can naturally be described as tenacious and others may find that Tenacity is a skill that they need to cultivate.  There are naysayers out there that say Tenacity can not be taught and although it’s not easy or a “traditional” subject to try to teach I’d bet every parent has tried to varying degrees to teach their children tenacity.  I think it’s also important to be selective about being tenacious.  No one wants to be constantly pushing towards goals or ideas that no longer serve them so most importantly, evaluate when to let go of things that are not appropriate and cultivate tenacity in more selective terms.

5 Ways to cultivate tenacity:

  • Listen to your gut (intuition, instinct or whatever you want to call it)/Ignore your Ego (that naysayer, little devil on your shoulder etc).  If it’s making you miserable, it’s time to re-consider it.
  • Try it a different way; often times if we’ve tried and given up there may be a different system or solution that might just click!  Keep trying until you Succeed and keep track of what works!
  • Embrace the Process; not the outcome.  There’s no denying we are a result driven society but by being more process centered we can appreciate and congratulate ourselves along the way (to the bigger goals)
  • Surround yourself with tenacious people.  When we see others emulate qualities we want to cultivate we will be much more likely to succeed.
  • Hold yourself accountable but let got of the guilt!  Maybe you need an accountability partner (one of those other inspiring tenacious people in your life).  Putting it out there in front of others helps hold you to your word.

 

GO Monday::You & Your Desk Assignment

by Filed Under: Organize, Organizing Projects, Paper management, Productivity, Systems & Techniques, Tips & Resources

Since it’s GO Month, I’m doing my best to bring you GO-Monday organizing tips.  Today, here’s your Desk assignment if you choose to tackle it!

Spend the last hour of your day at work keeping your desk organized for a more productive week, month & year!
Desk Assignment

But Really!  If you will just spend 30-60 min’s today and clean up your desk, I PROMISE it will make you feel so much better, more productive, more effective and less stressed when you sit down to do anything.

Here’s a quick breakdown with a few tips to keep in mind as you are tackling this little (or maybe not so little?) task:

  • If you already have a good filing system in place–sort items & file or toss/shred the rest…IF NOT…
  • Decide if you are A). a filer or B). a piler (using this quiz). If you are a ‘filer’ proceed to the next step using a vertical file sorter, If you are a ‘piler’ then proceed but modify this system using a horizontal filing “baskets”
  • Create a “Tickler or Action file system” for the items that need to remain nearby.  There are several types like 43 Folders or a more Action based system.  Then sort items & file or toss/shred the rest
  • Clear the supplies off, put them in drawers or bins/boxes/baskets-Labeled as needed.  Keep only what you actually use regularly on the desk (like 1 pen or pencil and one notepad and the electronic “paraphernalia”)
  • Utilize vertical space, hang a cork, whiteboard, calendar, action file sorter (this is not where things should live permanently!) or anything else that you can remove from your desk to better use vertical space.
  • Remove anything unrelated to work or home office (toys, mail that hasn’t been sorted, tools, knicknacks etc)
  • Optimize your workspace ergonomics; check the height of your chair, monitor, and desk.  Add good lighting and consider using or adjusting arm rests, using a riser for your monitor, a wedge for your wrists etc.
  • Include something beautiful (not a bunch of things!), one or two beautiful objects like a plant, a crystal, a photo, candle etc that give you a place for you to rest your eyes (when you are taking those recommended 3-min breaks from your monitor).

IF this doesn’t seem like a task you can tackle in 30-60 min’s and you can’t do it all at once then tackle the tasks above that seem easy and check them off the list.  When it comes to the BIG piles, can you do a quick sort and keep only the things you really need on/near your desk in a desktop sorter of some type?  The rest can go into a box for you to label “SORT” and work on a little at at time (30 min’s a day) for the rest of the week or until it’s done.

Coming to work tomorrow will be that much more joyful with a neat an tidy desk!

Brought to you by National Clean off your desk day!  Who thinks of these things?  Hallmark?  Is there a card for it?

Now, I’m off to take my own medicine!  Happy Clean Desk Day!

Finding Electronic Files

by Filed Under: Digital Organizing, Organize, Paper management, Productivity, Systems & Techniques, Tips & Resources 1 Comment

In my previous life as a Designer and Project manager, I witnessed a lot of different filing systems both electronic and paper.  Some of these were quite effective but many were very cumbersome and way too complicated.  Below, my take away is a system that I created based upon the best of everything I learned. I use this system across the board for all my files (on my computer, on paper and in the cloud- design-business-personal).

Having one simplified filing system that applies to all categories makes it simple to locate what you need wherever you need it.

Inside Level 1:: Broad Hierarchy based categories

You can see I have less than 12 folders that are logically divided by category.  These live in my main documents folder (which is where everything goes).

Simplified Filing Structure

Inside Level-2:: Sub Categories-Business folder (similar sub folders for other categories)

…again not many folders and I’m keeping categories broad but specific to help me quickly locate files.

Simplified Filing Structure

Inside Level 3::Detailed Categories (Year- ‘Clients’ folder)

This is where all client folders are kept by year.  I happen to keep my client folders alphabetically by last name but a numbering or other type of system would work equally well.

Simplified Filing Structure

Inside Level 4:: Sub-folders or loose files

These are the specific files I need to keep for each category, they could be monthly accounting based or whatever I may need for working files.

I use a very similar Hierarchy system for my email files.

In this case I keep emails (when needed) in Outlook folders. Level 1-Broad, Level 2-Sub Categories, Level 3-Detailed categories

Simplified Filing Structure

I hope this filing system overview gives you a few ideas of how you can simplify or re-arrange your computer filing systems.

What kind of computer filing systems do you? Are they simple or more complex than this?  I’d love to hear about them.

 

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Living like Gypsies

by Filed Under: Organize, Organizing Projects, Systems & Techniques, Tips & Resources Leave a Comment

I haven’t said a whole lot about our move for several months now because we have been in a holding pattern.

We have been living like Gypsies, going from place to place…and were settled into a lovely furnished home temporarily for a couple more months.

We found it too difficult to search the real estate market and make the necessary new connections in a new city living an hour away so being in a temporary furnished place for a short period really allowed us to make the  get to know the city and get down to business.  Our time there came to an end yesterday and I will always have fond memories since it’s time spent really getting to know the city on foot and in person.

Living like Gypsies

Onward we move though and we packed it all up over the last few days for our final temporary stay before we settle into the new home we’ve found.  After looking for several months and at over 30 places (the rental market right now is extremely competitive!) we are VERY excited about this home, it has everything we are looking for and it’s in a fantastic location.  We are renting and we found a real estate agent who was super helpful but we also put the word out to anyone and everyone we know and scoured the papers and craigslist.  In the end, we found something through word of mouth. I’m now in the process of setting up all the utilities, TV, internet etc.  Next we will line up a truck for moving day and try to enlist whatever help we can get…it feels like we are down to the final stretch!

I have to admit that we have been lugging around so much (i.e. too much) stuff over the past 8 months living in various locations and taking trips back and forth to here and there…I have had my moments where I just wanted to toss it all out for a more simple life but I didn’t because as organized as I am, I love my stuff! 

After moving so much around for so long, I have learned to edit more quickly and more often.  I have many hobbies that require stuff like knitting, sewing, cooking, gardening, reading and more so I doubt I will ever be living like a superstar minimalist.

If you’ve ever lived somewhere temporarily with the majority of  your stuff in storage you probably know the feeling and you will have learned some valuable things about yourself before it’s all over.

  • I’ve learned how essential it is to keep things sorted and separated by category (in bags, boxes and bins).
  • I rely on keeping a somewhat regular routine and get good rest (because all this moving is exhausting).
  • I edit often and a bit more ruthlessly than I use to.
  • Most importantly I have learned to be flexible and make due with what I have where I am.
  • I also make a lot of lists and check and double check where I’ve put things, especially if its a very important item.
  • We travel with a portable file box and our fireproof safe box for certain important documents and valuables which gives me peace of mind (it’s really a scaled down version of my normal system).

Have you ever lived like a gypsy?  If so did you love it and what did you learn?

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