Clutter Be Gone - Get in Your Year End Donations

 As we get closer to the end of the year - you should start to think about "clearing your clutter" and "donating" your "stuff"!

We all know that you probably received a lot of presents over the holidays. Where are you going to put all of the "suff"? 

If you have kids - start clearing out their old toys (that they have outgrown). But - let them make the choices. Get the kids involved when they are young. Explain to them that they have outgrown some of their toys and how great it would be if other children could get the same joy out of playing with them. It gives them a sense of purpose. Letting them be in control will make them feel more grown up and you will have accomplished your goal of making room for other things.

Now - do the same thing with your stuff! Go through your closets and be honest with yourself. If you haven't used something in the last year, if you don't like it anymore, if you have lost interest in some of your crafts, if your clothes don't fit or your are tired of them - let them make someone else happy! Let them go to a good home!

And don't forget to get your donation receipt for your taxes!

Go through one room a day or one closet a day. Don't try to do it all at once and stress yourself out. It's still the holiday season and you should also take time for self-care.

You want to start the new year with an uncluttered home - where your new items have a place to belong.

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

Organizational Consulting Services

http://www.organizationalconsultingservices.com
.

Visit our Life & Business Coaching website:  North By Northwest

*** check out the Products tab for self-paced workshops, planners and more.... 

 

End 2016 By Clearing Your Clutter - Now Is The Time To Donate

2016 is coming to a fast close.  The New Year will soon be here. Before the year ends take a realistic look at all of the new things that you acquired over the holidays. I'm sure that you probably have duplicates of things that you already have. Newer, of course - but duplicates.

Before year end - go through some of your gifts and decide if it's not time to "release" your old things.

If you received some new clothes - go through your closet and decide what you can get rid of.  Anything that is too small, doesn't fit properly, you never actually wore, anything that you never liked to begin with.... 

Be realistic - unless you have tons of extra closet space that you have never filled up - something has to give!

Get rid of your old sweaters or shirts that you rarely ever wear or are out of date.

Get rid of books and movies that you have finished.

Get rid of old magazines that are still laying around.

Get rid of any kitchen gadgets that you have never or rarely ever used.

Get rid of anything that you have not used in the last six months. Be honest with yourself. If you haven't used it in the last six months - chances are that you won't use it in the next six months.

Someone out there can probably use it - so - donate it!

By making more room in your closet  you are actually taking better care of your clothes. They are not so cramped. They will hang better and you will actually be able to see them - thus - you might actually wear them.

Start 2017 off by being ORGANIZED!

One small step at a time....



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

Organizational Consulting Services

http://www.organizationalconsultingservices.com/

End of the Year - DeClutter for 2016

2015 is coming to a fast close.  The New Year will soon be here. Before the year ends take a realistic look at all of the new things that you acquired over the holidays. I'm sure that you probably have duplicates of things that you already have. Newer, of course - but duplicates.

Before year end - go through some of your gifts and decide if it's not time to "release" your old things. 

If you received some new clothes - go through your closet and decide what you can get rid of.  Anything that is too small, doesn't fit properly, you never actually wore....  

Be realistic - unless you have tons of extra closet space that you have never filled up - something has to give!

Get rid of your old sweaters or shirts that you rarely ever wear.

Get rid of books and movies that you have finished.

Get rid of anything that you have not used in the last six months.

Someone out there can probably use it - so - donate it!

By making more room in your closet  you are actually taking better care of your clothes. They are not so cramped. They will hang better and you will actually be able to see them - thus - you might actually wear them.

Start 2016 off by being ORGANIZED!

One small step at a time....



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

Organizational Consulting Services

http://www.organizationalconsultingservices.com/

Start the Holiday Season - by Decluttering Now

This year has gone unbelievably fast! The holidays will soon be here - and that means more "stuff" everywhere, the stress of deciding what to buy everyone and also deciding where to fit everything.

So - take a step back - breathe - and start making room now.  That means decluttering your closet and house of things that you really don't want anymore. Things that you have grown tired of.  Things that no longer fit into your decor ....or mood.

Let's be honest - you know that you will get more "stuff" for the holidays.  So start making room now.

Go through your closet and pull out anything that does not fit anymore (be honest with yourself). Pull out anything that is out of style or worn out.

Do the same with the kids and each person in your house.

Then start on the kids toys. I'm sure that since last Christmas they have outgrown a few toys!  Pack them up and donate them to someone that can really enjoy them. Be sure to make your kids a part of the process.  It's never to early to teach them about donating and sharing their things with people that can really use them. A great lesson to learn early in life!

Now step back and take a look at your living room. Are there any decorations, nick-nacks - that you no longer enjoy?  Then pack them up.  Your home should be "your" home - not someone else's. If you don't like something - pack it up. 

Start decluttering now - before the mad rush of the holiday season really kicks in. By doing so you will save yourself a lot of stress and you will have accomplished something.

As the holiday season gets closer - please remember that everyone has their own tastes.  Don't buy gifts because you like them - but rather because you know the other person will really enjoy (or need) it.

By starting now - and doing a little bit at a time - you can avoid (or lessen) the stress that accompanies the holiday season.




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

Organizational Consulting Services

http://www.organizationalconsultingservices.com/

Filing Your Taxes - Are You Prepared ?

It happens every year. Taxes are due. People everywhere are eagerly awaiting their W2's so they can file their tax returns. Right?

Maybe not - there are a lot of people that put off getting all of the needed paperwork together until the very last minute. Why?  Because they aren't organized. They can't find the information they need. It's not in a convenient location or in a convenient format.

Receipts have been misplaced or are non-existent. Stress builds up and all thoughts of taxes are pushed out of their thoughts. Until April. And then the panic sets in. Again.

This happens every year. So why not break the cycle?

Put together a list of all of the things that are needed to file your taxes. Then make folders and as these things come into your home - put them in the appropriate folder.

Make sure that you have a "donation" folder - for all of your donation receipts.

Have a folder for your investment information. A folder for your medical bills. A folder for childrens expenses. A folder for major purchases.

The system has to work for you. Each person is different and has different information that they need to capture.

Use this year - as you get ready to prepare for your taxes - as a learning tool for what kind of information you will need to capture for next year.

By being organized - by having all of the needed information in one place - your life will be much less stressed.

Tax time is not a fun time for anyone - except tax accountants.  So take the stress out of the equation by being more organized.

Keeping good records throughout the year will make year end and tax time a breeze.

So take a deep breath and get your paperwork in order and resolve to make next year a better one.





Organizational Consulting Services

www.organizationalconsultingservices.com

De-Clutter For the Holidays

It's getting close to the end of the year....that means TAX DONATIONS are coming to an end for the year !

In the midst of the Holiday buying craziness you should take a step back and clear out your closets.

There are many reason for this - and de-cluttering your closets and life is not the only one. With Christmas just around the corner I am sure (if you were good) that you will probably get some new clothes and the kids will get new toys.

Do you have room for them?  What about the things you no longer use or need? What about the things that your kids have outgrown?  Including toys.

Now is the time to clean our your closets and cupboards.  Have the kids clean out their toy box (let it be their decision on what toys to donate to other kids).

Not only are you de-cluttering your house - you are also taking advantage of the tax deduction that comes with donating things that you no longer need.

But hurry..... the year is coming to a close and so is your opportunity for last minute deductions.

By de-cluttering and donating you are not only helping others.... you are also helping yourself and hopefully teaching your kids a valuable lesson in giving.


Happy Holidays!

Organizational Consulting Services

www.organizationalconsultingservices.com

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

Planning Ahead for Year End

This is a really busy time of year. The holiday season has started and some of us are already thinking about Year End and taxes. Well, maybe you aren't but I know that some of my clients are already dreading the end of the year and the piles of receipts that they have waiting for them to sort through.

Now is the time to take a deep breath spend a few minutes thinking about where you dumped all of your receipts and tax related papers. Yes, I did say "dumped". Or was that shoved, as in shoved into a drawer never to be thought of again? It sounded like a good plan at the beginning of the year. "Deal with it at year end and get a whole year of not thinking about it".

Well, the end of the year is near. And now I hear by clients moaning about "the piles".

So take a deep breath and deal with it now.

* Make a list of the files that you need to create.
* Make a list of all of your documents that you will need to gather for the accountant.
* Separate your receipts into piles such as: house related expenses, business expenses, donations....
* Make an appointment with yourself to sit down for 30 minutes at least once a week to get some of your papers into order.

By taking some time now to think about the end of the year and what you will need to gather for taxes and your accountant, you will spread the "tax stress" out so that you are not hit with it all at once.

And also, think about how to create a better system for next year so that you don't have to go through the "year end tax stress" every year.

Happy Organizing !



Organizational Consulting Services

http://www.organizationalconsultingservices.com/

YEAR END ORGANIZING

Another year is coming to a close and a new year is looming ahead.

There are a number of things that you can do now to get ready for next year.

Donations:
Go through your closet and the rest of your home and get rid of anything that you have not used all year or anything that you have outgrown (clothes, toys….) or anything that you just don’t want anymore. Take your items to a donation center (such as Goodwill or your church…..) and be sure to get a donation slip so that you can deduct it off of your taxes. It’s a win-win situation. You give things that you no longer use to someone who can use it and you get a tax deduction.

Get Ready for Next Years Taxes:
As the year winds down start thinking about the year end process of cleaning out your files and establishing new files for next year. Make sure that you have the needed supplies (folders & envelopes….) to store the past years information.

Getting ready for taxes can be painless if you’ve kept track of things throughout the year. If not, now is the time to start making your lists and spreadsheets so that you can start fresh next year .

You don’t need to wait for January to start copying all of your spreadsheets and lists and anything else and labeling them with “2010”. If you have Excel spreadsheets for your expenses or donations it’s a simple process to copy them and then blank out the 2009 data. You will be one step closer to being organized for 2010.

Once you have paid your last bills for 2009 you can pull everything out of your files and put them into envelopes with the appropriate labels. For example: have an envelope labeled “Household Expenses – 2009” and include your gas, electric, water, phone, cable….bills. Have another envelope labeled “Bank & Credit Card Info – 2009” and include all of your bank statements, checks, credit card statements….

These are just some examples of ways to organize and store your information.

Have an envelope all ready for your accountant labeled “Tax Info for Accountant” and as you get your W2’s and your year end financial statements and anything else that you usually give to your accountant immediately put it into your envelope. That way you won’t need to search for it when you are ready to do your taxes.

By starting to at least think about this before year end and leaving yourself time to get things organized at a pace that’s comfortable for you ….you won’t be stressed out come tax time.

Calendar:
Now is the time to transfer all repetitive events to next year’s calendar. Birthdays, anniversaries, meetings, doctors appointments….

Keep one main calendar that has the entire families schedule on it so that you can see everything at a glance instead of having to go to each person’s calendar.

Make notations on your calendar for reminders, such as scheduling all of your yearly check-ups, dental appointments, kid’s physicals….. Depending on your doctors scheduling policy I usually put a reminder note at least 3 – 4 months in advance so that I can book my appointments early (and get them at a time that’s convenient for me).


By thinking ahead for next year you can avoid the New Year organizing rush.

Happy Organizing !


Organizational Consulting Services

http://www.organizationalconsultingservices.com/