Ideas for Monthly Bill Organization
March 23, 2009 by Nikki · Leave a Comment
Have you ever lost a bill? Or realized after your next statement there is a late charge, because you did not pay last month? 23% of Americans receive late charges because they simply can not find their bills! Here are some easy steps in setting up a system, which allows you to always know where your bills are and have the supplies you need to pay them.
1. When you get your mail, make sure to place your bills separate from the rest of the mail. Put them in the same place all the time. It can be a basket or a file with a label that says Bills to Pay, it doesn’t matter what it looks like, it just has to work for you.
2. You want to set up some kind of box, bin, maybe the same basket you are putting your bills into, that has all of the supplies you need to pay your bills. These items include: stamps, envelopes, pens, calculators, monthly budget, etc. The idea is to have all of your supplies in one place, so you do not have go searching for a pen that works.
3. It helps some people to set a schedule when paying for bills. It prevents paper pileup, and you will know if you miss anything. If you get paid twice a month, know what bills are due during those time periods. Also account for any bills that come up that are not monthly, for example- car insurance or property taxes.
4. I recently had a speaking presentation with the employees of a non-profit group in Eugene, Oregon, and one of the attendees had a great solution on filing your bills. She said instead of having separate categories for each bill, for example; utility, cable, phone, etc. They have one filing category for the month of January, February, and so on. So every bill that comes in for the month of March, goes into the March folder. I think this is a fantastic solution for those of you that may be looking for ways to eliminate steps in your filing!
5. Consider Online Bill Paying. Many Banks, Credit Unions, and other companies offer this to their customers. It saves you paper, stamps, and your time!
10 steps to Organize your Desk
March 20, 2009 by Nikki · Leave a Comment
Pile up
Is this a familiar picture? All of this work piled up on your desk? It can be a little overwhelming and frustrating when you can’t find the phone number you need or the paper that needs to be sent TODAY! To get back in control of your space and time, follow these 10 steps, they will provide you with a more organized system and some relief!
1. Take everything off of your desk, and clean it. It’s simple, you want to start with a clean slate! Clean your keyboard, phones, dust your shelves, vacuum if you need too.
2. Sort your belongings into piles. Decide what to keep, what to recycle, and what is trash. Check your pens and make sure they still work! 80% of what we file, we never look at again, check for duplicate information.
3. Prioritize- what is most important? And decide where it should go in your desk. Most important files in the front. Are there items you do not use frequently that could be place elsewhere in the office?
4. Set up a filing system that is easy to maintain and makes sense to you. Every piece of paper you have should have a home.
5. Set up a system for active files- Manila folders that are labeled: to do, waiting for an answer, current project, to read, to file, etc. This allows paper a place to go to temporarily.
6. Resist the urge to pile up, “touch it once” and make a decision where it should go.
7. Keep office supplies in one drawer.
8. Keep a spiral notebook by the phone for messages and phone numbers, this is only place you will have phone numbers, no more looking for the sticky notes!
9. Keep your work surface clear – only with your current project. Limit your pictures and personal belongings. A clear desk will look less cluttered.
10. Take 10 minutes at the end of the day to organize- look at your schedule for the next day, write your top 3 to do’s. This will allow to stay on top on your organizing system and but will allow you to feel more in control of your schedule. Rather than you schedule being in control of you!
How to Organize your Grocery List!
March 16, 2009 by Nikki · 1 Comment
This great Time-Saver tip comes from the book, ” Organizing Plain & Simple”, by Donna Smallin. I thought it was such a great idea, I wanted to share…
Develop a grocery list form that includes the items you buy on a regular basis (for example, milk, cheese, bread, eggs, butter, etc), plus blank lines for other items. Organize your shopping list by categories, such as dairy, produce, and frozen foods. Make 10 copies of the form and hang on your refrigerator with a large magnetic clip. Reprint as needed. When you are running low or use up an item, circle it on your list or fill in one of the blanks.
On a side note from me to save money- Plan your meals for the week, and only purchase the items you will be using for those meals. It is such a simple concept, and yes it is time consuming, but it is worth it and you will save money! We wouldn’t just throw away dollar bills into the trash can, but how many times have you thrown away an expired sour cream, or asparagus that never got cooked? Think about it in terms of cash and your perception changes very quickly!
How to Organize Your Shoes!
March 13, 2009 by Nikki · Leave a Comment
The average women has 40 pairs of shoes, the average man has 10! Have you looked at your shoes lately? How many of them do you still wear? Here is how to take an inventory of your shoes and give you some tips on how to best organize them!
1. Pull out the shoes you no longer wear and donate them! Someone, somewhere could really use them.
2. Separate shoes into regular wear and occasional wear. Keep those you wear all the time, visible and on a shoe rack. If you have shelves rather than a rack, store your shoes in clear plastic shoe bins on top of one another.
3. Store special-occasion shoes on upper shelves, in a corner, or against the back wall.
4. If you have the space, try to keep your shoes off of the floor and only on racks and shelves, it will make the closet look less cluttered.
5. Organizing rule of thumb- when you buy one new pair of shoes, donate a old pair!
Spring Organizing – Where to start?
March 8, 2009 by Nikki · Leave a Comment
Spring is coming, the clocks have moved forward, and now it’s just a matter of time for the sunshine to arrive! But why wait? Start your Spring Organizing now! Here are some simple steps on getting you started. During the next few months, I will offer more Spring Organizing tips! Make sure to follow by signing up via email and get the updates as soon as they come! Sign up Today!
Where to Start? Sometimes it can be overwhelming, however if you take simple steps you will see your progress in no time!
1. Have a plan- Decide what areas in your home frustrate you the most? Or the other way to look at it, what are you always losing? Are you always misplacing your keys? Your first project will be is to set up a system to always put your keys in the same place all of the time. Eliminates that challenge right away. You’re already one step closer to being more organized!
2. Be committed – Which means you have to devote some time to these projects. Even if it is only 15 minutes a day. Commit and be consistent. Start with one drawer, one shelf, one closet. Eventually you will see the progress.
3. Work when you are at your best- for example- if you are a morning person, then set aside an hour in the morning to work on your project. You will be more efficient and get more done.
4. Start one project at a time, complete the project before moving on to another- According to NAPO, people who multitask are less efficient than those who focus on one project at a time. Time lost switching among tasks increase with the complexity of the tasks.
5. Set a deadline – If you work well under pressure, set a deadline, you will have your garage cleaned and organized by June 2009.
6. Organizing is the first step, then you must be consistent and follow up…. After you are completed with your project, evaluate it, is it working or are you still losing your keys? Make changes if need be, there is no exact way to organize, you have to do what works for you and your family!
Closet Tip!
March 4, 2009 by Nikki · Leave a Comment
I wanted to share a tip that I used for a client, who has two teenage boys. These boys did not like hanging up their clothes. So when I organized their closets, I suggested we use a hook in the back wall. This would make it very easy to just hang sweatshirts, coats, oversized shirts etc. It eliminates the step of the hanger all together. The boys can maintain the organization and mom loves the fact the sweatshirts are no longer on the floor!
Time for a Make Over?
March 2, 2009 by Nikki · Leave a Comment
