Address the Mess at University of Houston Small Business Development Center. January 19.

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Join us for Address the Mess! 

Join the UH SBDC as they team up with the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO) to bring you an exciting and informative session on the latest ideas and solutions for organizing your business.  NAPO is a group of over 4,000 professional organizers dedicated to helping individuals and businesses bring order and efficiency to their lives. January is national GO – Get Organized month so make plans now to attend.  You will receive strategies for email productivity, must-have guidelines for organizing your business finances, and secrets for organizing and preparing your desk and workspace for immediate impact.

NAPO speakers include:

Holly Uverity, CPO®, Office Organizers – The Entrepreneur’s Organizer™

Ellen R. Delap, CPO®, Professional-Organizer.com

Gayle Goddard, The Clutter Fairy

Breakfast included.

ADHD and Paper

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ADHD and Paper

 

It’s a love/hate relationship with paper!  What do we keep? How long do we keep it? Or are you just overwhelmed by it and can’t even get started!   What’s a person to do?

Working with paper if you are ADD/ADHD, hone in on your strengths and personalize your systems and routines.  Start by facing the fear, overwhelm and hatred (yes, a powerful emotion) about paper.   It is an evil monster, an anchor, and the enemy. But  now that we have vented, we are ready.   Paper may never be easy, but something we can work through.

Be brutal about what to keep and what to toss.  Often we are keeping way to much!  Using these resources, as well as asking your accountant,  you will keep less and work with less paper.

http://www.oprah.com/home/The-ABCs-of-Important-Papers

http://www.realsimple.com/home-organizing/5-steps-to-simpler-record-keeping-10000000688976/index.html

Keep paper from even coming in your home. Drop paper at the gas station when you are filling up. Shred paper by having a baby shredder in the kitchen.  Say no to receipts for gas.

It is very important to create “slots” to drop your paper.

  • Everyone needs a command center with easy access.   Here is where papers that need action start.  If you need to have a basket just to hold paper until “processed,” it can sit where you normally drop the paper.  In the command center are the actions you need to do.  Label the slots with what you call these items. Action, Pay, File are all required here.  But in addition you might have Pending, one for each of your kids and your partner, Receipts, and Contacts.
  • Next step is to create your files, which are the papers you will reference in the next year.  First decide what to keep and how long.  Don’t get overwhelmed, thinking about how much you have back logged on paper here.  Just work in 15 minute segments with a timer.  Everyone can do this for 15 minutes!  Start with general categories, like Auto/Home, Finance and Personal.  Keeping categories general makes it simple to file and simpler filing means more filing!
  • Add an archive section for required papers. This includes your taxes, legal documents, and other long term papers. You may need to add a section for investments that are getting to be a very large volume.
  • Keep your important documents like birth certificates, marriage certificates, divorce decrees, wills and related papers in a safe or safe deposit box.  You will always know where these are.

Sounds like a big project? Get help each step of the way with a professional organizer, trusted friend or reliable assistant in turning your paper  into a workable system. It is worth the work to create what works for you!

 

Image courtesy of the Container Store.

Be the first to organize with Rubbermaid’s New Bento Boxes

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Searching for a new way to organize, with not only function but also beauty and style?  As a member of NAPO I am fortunate to preview Rubbermaid’s New Bento Boxes!  This new concept for stylish organizing makes a difference in lots of spaces.

  • Bento’s Flex Dividers allow users to customize the inside of the box, creating organization solutions that are perfect for a variety of needs. Flex Dividers pop open when needed, and simply pop back when not. Each Flex Divider can be opened or closed separately of the others to create a permanent home for belongings.
  • Bento Toppers™ can be used in two distinctive ways. One way is that it can be a tray to display and contain items. By using Bento Toppers this way, you can create boundaries for items that can often take over a counter space such as magazines or mail. Use the Bento Topper on its own, or resting as a tray on top of a Bento Box to contain items like remotes while cov-ering the contents in the box below. The second way to use Bento Toppers is as a lid for the Bento Box by simply flipping over the Topper. This way you can hide things (such as personal bathroom items) that you do not want everyone to see but are needed for easy access. 
  • Bento Boxes and Toppers come in variety of fabric designs and colors to compliment any home décor. The boxes were designed to hold common household items such as DVD & Video Games, File Folders, Mail, Toys, Hair Care Accessories, Audio & Video Accessories, Magazines, Board Games, Crafting Supplies and Office Supplies. Bento Boxes are stackable to make the most out of your space. Covered with polyester, the boxes are durable, yet easy to clean with a damp cloth.

Bento boxes are available at Rubbermaid.com, Fred Meyer and Macys.com. They range from $8.99 to $27.99 in price. This makes them an affordable stylish product!

Thanks to Rubbermaid, I received a set of Bento boxes in red.  These are already storing art supplies and toys in my home!

Want to win a Bento Box? Leave your comment on how you will use this fabulous new product in your home! Contest ends on October 20!

I did a random drawing, entering all the names and the winner of this fabulous set of boxes is Kitty!  Thanks to everyone for sharing their ideas!

 



Organized On The Go: Organizing Your Car

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car organizing

 

Our cars need organizing too!  It’s scary when we need to give someone a ride and they might see the inside of our car.  In the fall we start back on our regular routines of school and work.  In the summer you are traveling and spending time with your kids in the car. Your car is your office on the go and your home away from home! Whether you are a professional going to work or a busy mom or dad carpooling, having an organized vehicle can make the difference in your travels.  Organizing your car takes a few extra minutes that are well spent!

Think about what items you will need as you travel. We all need tissues, first aid kit, car insurance, and a flashlight just in case. What is needed for other travelers? Busy families may need books or toys. Travel for work may require business products and files. Take a few minutes to plan and write a list of needs for you and your family.

If you car is your mobile office, organize for stocking, storing and traveling with business tools.

  • Carry some basic desk items such as business cards, calculator, stapler, scissors and tape in a zipper case or small tackle box.
  • Store files in a hanging file case with a cover.

For kids on the go, being organized makes every trip more fun.

  • Place an organizer in the back seat or over the seat with a place for a water bottles, electronic games and books.
  • For movies and technology, add a CD holder on the visor.
  • Place a basket with small fun “just in the car” games and puzzles to keep them entertained.

Every day items require storage too.

  • The leak proof trunk organizer keeps all sorts of items from milk to soccer balls from rolling around your trunk.
  • For tools, purchase a durable canvas bag to contain all the tools including jumper cables.
  • A pop up trash can made of durable mesh can fit by the driver’s seat.

What about paper?

  • The glove compartment or center console is a great spot for this!
  • Use a check organizer and group the papers by category, such as maps and directions, insurance, warranty/instructions and emergency phone numbers.
  • Be sure to label each pocket for easy retrieval.

Finally, keeping your car organized requires maintenance routines.

  • Each time you stop for gas, empty the trash.
  • Restock the items for your business on a weekly basis.
  • Assign the responsibility of vacuuming your car regularly to one of your children or have your car cleaned monthly at the big car wash.
  • Be vigilant about your registration sticker and use a reminder on your paper or tech calendar. You can also use this to remember when to change your oil or rotate tires.

Learn more about organizing and productivity at www.professional-organizer.com, Facebook Professional-Organizer.com, twitter @TexasOrganizer or Pinterest Ellen Delap

Organize Your Office to Boost Your Productivity

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Get a boost in your effectiveness and efficiency with these tips!  Thanks to Meridith Levinson of www.cio.com for capturing this and creating an awesome article and slideshow.

http://www.cio.com/article/689818/How_to_Organize_Your_Office_and_Boost_Your_Productivity?page=1#slideshow

Free Smead SuperTab Folder

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Thank you for being a part of my community!  As a gift to you, I’d like to provide you with a Free Smead SuperTab Folder for organizing your paperwork.  SuperTab folders have nearly double the labeling area of standard folders so you can use larger text or more lines of description.  To get your free SuperTab folder, go to www.smead.com/SuperTabSample now.  Hurry, these won’t last long!  Thanks again for following me and I look forward to continuing to provide you with great content!

Emergency Preparedness: Organizing Your Important Documents

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emergency preparedness organizing your important documents

 

For the past few weeks, our news has been filled with weather related emergencies, family’s homes being devastated, and natural disasters.  On any given day, we could be faced with the unexpected in a significant way.  In case of emergency, we want to have access to the very important papers we need to assist those we love. To be prepared, here is a list of documents and storage options for security and access.

Personal records such as birth certificates, adoption papers, citizenship records, marriage certificates, divorce documents, military service records, passports and social security cards should be stored in a safe or safe deposit box. If you will need to refer to these items, make a copy and store them in your filing cabinet, listing the specific name of the item on a file folder in your “Personal” file drawer.

Tax returns are required by law to be retained permanently. The supporting tax information must be retained for 7 years. (Although the IRS can only audit returns for the previous three years, many exceptions can extend the deadline.) Keep tax returns separately from your supporting documents.  These can be kept in an attic or the bottom drawer of your file cabinet.

For life insurance policies, you must retain the initial policy as well as any addendums. Keep these originals together, each in a file labeled with the name of the insurance company on the file folder, in a safe in your home. Keep a list of the policy numbers and insurance companies in a file in your “Financial” file drawer, labeling the file “Insurance – Life”.  Any payments for these policies can also be kept in the “Financial” drawer.

Legal documents, such as power of attorney and wills, should be kept in a safe in your home and at your attorneys. Give a copy of the document to the executor and family members. Do not keep these in a safe deposit box, as this may be sealed when the box owner dies.

Property information for your home and auto, such as the deed to your home, mortgage, or car title, should be kept in a safe or safe deposit box. For home repair and maintenance bills, keep these in a filing cabinet labeled “Home Repair” in the “Home/Auto” file drawer. For auto repair and maintenance, label these “Auto-(name of car)”, and also keep these in the “Home/Auto” file drawer.

A household inventory is important in the event of a home catastrophe. Your insurance provider will need proof of loss in the event of a fire, flood, or robbery. Videotape or photograph your possessions. Place the photos in a notebook with receipts and appraisals for expensive items. In the video or notebook, categorize the items in your home by room. Keep the video or notebook in a safe or safe deposit box.

If your wallet is lost or stolen, it is important to keep a copy of the contents. Using a copy machine, photocopy the front and back of your credit cards, driver’s license, insurance cards and all else in your wallet. Store the copies in a file folder labeled “Wallet- (your name)” in your “Personal” file drawer.

September is National Preparedness Month.  By organizing your documents in case of a family emergency, you will feel peace of mind and security. Your family will appreciate your efforts on their behalf!

Getting Your New Business Organized

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I am honored to post again on D. Allison Lee’s blog, Organize to Revitalize.

If you have just started your new business, getting organized is vital to long term success! Check out this post to learn the critical organizing success factors!

http://dallisonlee.com/blog/2011/07/14/get-your-new-business-started-right-get-organized/

ADD and Productivity

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ADD and Productivity

 

Slow to start, hard to complete, lose interest, can’t get it perfect? These are some of the stresses of productivity and ADD.  Having some tools to work through these challenges can help.

  • Know your strengths and work from your strengths.  Have the best possible match for your work.  Creativity, being in the moment, and being a people person are often strengths for people with ADD.  Also an intense curiosity and love of information are common. Tedious, every day tasks are usually not.  Whatever your strengths, capitalize on them in your work.
  • Create partnerships that work for you.  It can include an administrative assistant, a colleague, or technology.   The interaction with your partner will help you get started and the accountability will help you finish.  Be sure to ask for help in addition if you need this from a professional organizer, an ADD coach or a productivity consultant.
  • Set a timeline that is compelling. Your brain clicks, clicks, clicks with a deadline.  Set a series of baby steps with faux deadlines to get projects completed on time.
  • Use a planner that works for you.  For technology your smart phone is always with you and can remind you.  For paper think about the planner pad with its lists, week at a glance and month at a glance features.  Focus on using the week at a glance features to help you “see” what you are doing each day.
  • Capture tasks on paper or with technology.  Always have a way to have a brain dump, then prioritize your 3 Most Important Tasks (MITs) for the day.   You can’t get it all done, but you can get the most important done!
  • Establish routines in your day and your week.  Have a power period each morning and afternoon, with interruption and distraction free times.  Assign certain tasks to certain days, such a Money Monday or Financial Friday.  Routines ensure that you are on top of the most important tasks.
  • Delegate what you don’t do well.  Continuing to struggle can be demoralizing and distracting.
  • Know what good enough is.  Perfectionism can strangle your work.  Reflect on what a minimum standard and a good enough standard are and come to a compromise.

What is your best go to idea for struggling with productivity?

Sync or Swim: 201 Organizing Tips You Need to Survive the Currents of Change

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Sync or Swim: 201 Organizing Tips You Need to Survive the Currents of Change are the next-generation organizing tips for getting things done and controlling clutter without falling into a sea of complexity. Seventy organizing and productivity specialists share 201 of their best tips and 100 most valuable resources in home management, information organization, and organizing every basic area of life. It is a 93-page ebook written by award-winning professional organizer, Judith Kolberg, and certified professional organizer, Allison Carter.  I am one of the contributors!

Featuring:

“New Organizing Tasks”: 20 years ago we didn’t have to deal with syncing calendars, avoiding spam, scanning, defragging, or managing the overload of information that comes our way every day. Our tips help you to survive the day to day chores of this generation.

“Tech Lite” Resources: This ebook contains 140 unique resources for syncing, reminding, tracking, reducing, organizing, scheduling, balancing, and so much more! But it’s not scary high tech. It’s easy to access organizingtools you can use today.

“New School” Tips: New ways to do old tasks: Filing, cleaning up, setting reminders, viewing photos, even changing the oil.

Purchase your copy at

http://www.squallpress.net/index.php?target=banners&bid=70&sl=EN&aff_id=78