Taxes and Paper Piles

It's the end of January and everyone has been swamped with paperwork. All relating to taxes. I know that it's overwhelming. Papers everywhere. Piles everywhere. Come on. I know about the piles. But for tax purposes i'll let it slide.

You can start out with one big "tax" pile or you can separate your piles into piles such as personal, medical, business related, house expenses.... Anything that makes sense to you, depending on how you do your taxes.

By grouping your papers into more manageable piles you will make it easier on your accountant and yourself. And you will be able to tell, at a glance, what papers you might be missing.

Once you have all of your papers in organized groups you can turn it over to your accountant and let him do the hard part.

But don't let this be the end of your paper organizing. Let this be the start. By creating your "organized piles" you have also created your very own file system. Use these piles to make new folders for the upcoming year. When you get any papers that might be related to taxes put them into their proper files and make your next tax year even easier.

By having a system in place you will make your life (and home) a lot less cluttered and a lot less stressful. You will be able to find things easier.

But remember, make a system that works for you. Don't over thing it. Don't make it complicated. Make it "your" system. It doesn't have to be fancy. It just has to work for "you".

Now get going....and get your system in place.

Have a great day !


Less Clutter = Less Stress ^SM in your home, your business and your life

Organizational Consulting Services

www.organizationalconsultingservices.com

Just Do It !

Even the most organized person doesn't always feel like organizing and putting things away in their place on some days. Believe it or not!

Some days you just want to do ..... nothing!

So go ahead....do nothing....for an hour or two. But don't let things get away from you. Because if you let things go, it's sometimes hard to get motivated again. And then you'll end up with a big mess and you really won't want to get started on putting things back together.

It's easy to let things pile up. It's hard to get things back into place once that happens.

Being organized is a commitment. It takes work. But you have to make it a part of your daily routine, just like brushing your teeth.

You brush your teeth everyday. Don't you ????

So even though you might want to let things pile up....don't. Or you will end up with a big mess that you really won't want to tackle.

Just pick up all of those things that are laying around where they shouldn't be. Get those dishes out of the living room. File those bills in your "bills to pay" slot instead of just letting them sit on the counter.

Just do it !!!! It only takes a few minutes.

Your house and office will be much more inviting and you can stop feeling guilty about letting things get out of control.

You probably spend more time trying to convince yourself to start doing things than the project actually takes.

So..... Just do it !!!

And spend the rest of your time relaxing.....knowing that you accomplished something today.

Happy Organizing !

Organizational Consulting Services

www.organizationalconsultingservices.com

Where to Start ?

You have decided that you want to get organized. You have taken that first step. Now what ?

Everyone has good intentions at the beginning of each year. They promise to do a variety of things. Then they immediately come to a standstill. Now what ? Where do you start ?

Most people make things too complicated. There is no right or wrong answer. You start anywhere that you want. You start at the place that bothers you the most. The kitchen. Your bedroom closet. The family room. The basement. The garage.

It doesn't really matter. Don't over think it.

Just the fact that you are ready and willing to do something is a great first step. Now answer the question "what bothers you the most ?". And that's the place to start.

If it's the bedroom closet then you really need to be honest with yourself as you take everything out of the closet. Yes, take everything out. Be honest with yourself and if you have not worn it get rid of it.

If the kitchen bothers you the most then you take one cabinet at a time and take everything out and if it's expired...throw it out! If you don't have matching lids to your tupperware containers...get rid of them.

If the basement bothers you the most you might have to be even more honest and admit that all of those "projects" that you started are never going to get done....so get rid of them.

Start anywhere....but start somewhere.

Be honest and get rid of things that you never use (that means donate or recycle....).

Take one small step at a time....one cabinet at a time...one drawer at a time...

Just pick a place..... and start.

I would love to get some feedback on "what room / disorganized space bothers you the most...and why". Send an email to kefconsulting@gmail.com with the heading "disorganized space".

Now go and pick a spot....and start organizing !

Organizational Consulting Services

www.organizationalconsultingservices.com

JANUARY is GO MONTH - GET ORGANIZED !

January is GO MONTH. NAPO (National Association of Professional Organizers) has made this month the month for Professional Organizers to turn up the volume and get noticed. It's the month where we give back to the community and teach everyone that being organized can make a huge difference in our lives.

Being organized allows us to function better and more effectively. It helps us save time and money. It decreases stress.

And let's face it..... It makes our homes and offices look better!

For business, a professional image, even if you are a home based business, can make a huge difference. By having an organized office you are showing your clients that you care and presenting the image of success. First impressions make lasting impressions. If they see a messy and disorganized office they probably will think twice about doing business with you.

I've had many residential clients say that they don't invite people over to their house because they are embarrassed by the clutter. So their social life suffers.

Take charge of your life and your surroundings and start the new year off on the right foot by making a commitment to GET ORGANIZED !

Learn more about getting organized by calling a Professional Organizer and seeing how they can help you.

For January GO MONTH check out our SPECIAL DISCOUNTS and FREE LECTURES for NON-PROFITS. (see website for contact info).

Remember ....

Less Clutter = Less Stress ^SM in your home, your business and your life

Organizational Consulting Services

www.organizationalconsultingservices.com

New Year - New Goals

Wishing all of you a very Happy New Year !

As in every new year everyone seems to make a lot of "promises" on how they are going to change their behavior. And as most of you know....it never works. Not for more than a few weeks at least.

In the upcoming new year what you can do is reflect on what you didn't like about your life last year and come up with a list of reasons why you want to make this a better year. Without reasons to change you won't actually make the changes. Be honest with yourself and let yourself know that (insert what you want to change) bothered you because (insert reason) and you want to feel better this year by changing it.

Make the resolutions very narrow. If they are too big then you will never follow through.

Don't say "I will be more organized this year".

Say "I will organize my kitchen" or "I will organize my office" or "I will organize my garage".

Pick one thing. Don't say "I will organize my entire house". That goal is too big and once you start you will get tired and give up on the entire goal.

Pick one small area to organize.

Be realistic on how long the project will take.

Pick an "end date" of when you want to have the project done.

Be realistic on how much time you have to spend on the project each week. Then further break it down into each day.

Make a list of what tools and accessories you will need for the project. Then make a time table of when you will go out and get the needed things for the project.

If the project is something like "organize the kitchen" get everyone involved. If there are multiple people using the space you are going to organize they will need to know where you moved things to and why.

Knowing the "why" is very important. By explaining your new "system" to everyone you will have a better chance of getting them aboard with the changes and have better luck in keeping your new organized space.... organized.

Once you have established a list of goals and a time table you need to take some time to sit back and make sure they are realistic for you and for your busy schedule. If they really aren't then you won't ever be successful. Be honest with yourself. Just because you want a new organized space and you have a plan, doesn't mean that will follow through. Only you can know that.

Sometimes we need help and someone to push us to follow through with our goals. There is nothing wrong with that. Knowing that upfront will save you a lot of time and frustration.

The year has barely started. Take this week to think about your goals and what you really can accomplish. If you know that you will need help to accomplish those goals....ask. Only then will you be successful.

There are so many ads out there now for people trying to lost weight and all of the support systems out there..... so don't think that by asking for organizing help you are any worse off than all of the other people that need a coach to push them to their ultimate goal.

And yours for this year is to "GET ORGANIZED .... one step at a time " !

HAPPY NEW YEAR !!!!

Organizational Consulting Services

www.organizationalconsultingservices.com