Wednesday, April 09, 2008

How to Set up an Effective Paper Filing System

First…make sure you have a good quality, full suspension file cabinet, with enough space to hold all of your files.

To Begin
Use separate filing drawers for business and personal files.
Use 5-tab, letter size hanging file folders and 3-tab manila file folders to go inside.
Use headers and sub-headers to divide the files into categories.
Name the files the way you think of them.
Label the tabs well.
File alphabetically if that works for you, otherwise file by category.
To save space, open and unfold documents (bank statements, stock reports, etc).
Staple documents, do not paperclip them.

To Maintain
Regularly weed out old files.
Only current files should be in your file cabinet. Keep long term, archival files in a cardboard or plastic box and put away. Date and label the box.

For a complete list on managing your paperwork, please email us at organizingboston@yahoo.com

Tuesday, April 01, 2008

10 Traits that Make you Filthy Rich

This article appeared in the Wall Street Journal last week. The #3 trait on the list was "Organization".

The article states:
"Being organized can make you more productive and ensure that all the many issues pertaining to personal finances are addressed.
It means not paying late fees, not buying two of everything, knowing deadlines that can affect your finances and getting more done in less time. All these can greatly benefit your finances."

Think beyond your physical space. Are you paying late fees for overdue bills? Think of how much this is costing you. Getting organized will save you money!

Spring is here!

With a temperature of 60 degrees here in Boston today, I found myself pulling out my bins of summer clothes and trying things on for fit. (Sadly, not everything fit as we as last year). Now is a great time to asses your wardrobe and purge clothing.

Use these following guidelines:
1. If you haven’t worn it all winter, toss it! There is no sense in letting them waste valuable storage real estate for another year.
2. If it doesn’t fit, toss it! Be realistic about the clothes that you are keeping in hopes of fitting into them again. If you do lose weight, wouldn’t you rather treat yourself to a nice, new outfit?
3. The same rules apply to shoes. Those boots that were oh-so-cute last fall are still sitting in the box, unworn and the shoes that you wore every day are water-stained and completely worn out. Don’t worry, there will be plenty more cute boots next fall.

To help let things go with ease, just think of all the cute spring outfits you can buy to replace them!