What's in Your File Cabinet?

 

People often tell me that they accumulate piles of paper because their file cabinets are full. In honor of National Archive Your Files Month, take a look at what you’re keeping where.

• Active files are those that you use regularly, for work in progress
• Reference files are those you use less often, to refer back to when you need information
• Archives are for things you probably never look at but need to keep, like old tax files or documents related to the purchase of your house

If your file cabinet can’t take another piece of paper, chances are good that you’re holding on to stuff you don’t need or keeping it in the wrong place.

While you’re sorting tax paperwork, weed through your papers and let go of the ones that have lost their meaning.

Talk to your tax preparer about the documents you need to keep to back up your taxes, as well as how long to keep them. Tax files don’t need to be kept with your daily files. You can box up tax files and put them in a less accessible place like a closet or under a bed.

I recommend a fire- and water-resistant safe for archive files like birth certificates, passports, car titles and home deeds. Rather than having those documents in a safe deposit box at the bank, you can access them more quickly when they’re in your home.

Do you keep your archive files in a separate place from your working files?

 

Organized by Marcie^TM: Save time and money by letting go of what you don't need and finding room for what you value
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What's in Your File Cabinet?

 

People often tell me that they accumulate piles of paper because their file cabinets are full. In honor of National Archive Your Files Month, take a look at what you’re keeping where.

• Active files are those that you use regularly, for work in progress
• Reference files are those you use less often, to refer back to when you need information
• Archives are for things you probably never look at but need to keep, like old tax files or documents related to the purchase of your house

If your file cabinet can’t take another piece of paper, chances are good that you’re holding on to stuff you don’t need or keeping it in the wrong place.

While you’re sorting tax paperwork, weed through your papers and let go of the ones that have lost their meaning.

Talk to your tax preparer about the documents you need to keep to back up your taxes, as well as how long to keep them. Tax files don’t need to be kept with your daily files. You can box up tax files and put them in a less accessible place like a closet or under a bed.

I recommend a fire- and water-resistant safe for archive files like birth certificates, passports, car titles and home deeds. Rather than having those documents in a safe deposit box at the bank, you can access them more quickly when they’re in your home.

Do you keep your archive files in a separate place from your working files?

 

Organized by Marcie^TM: Save time and money by letting go of what you don't need and finding room for what you value
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And if you like what you've read, share it using the links below!

 

 

 

 

Clutter Affects Your Mental Health

May is National Mental Health Month.

Are you aware that clutter contributes to stress, which negatively impacts mental health? Living in clutter also intensifies feelings of depression and anxiety for many people.

Trying to fit too much work into too little time can affect your mental health, as well.

Here are some things you can do to reduce stress and improve your outlook:

 

• Write things down so you don't have to keep everything in your head. Use one notebook and one calendar so you know where all the information is. 

• Spend five minutes putting things away at the end of the day so you can start with a clear head the following day. This works at home and at work. 

• Commit to letting of something every day. Newspapers, junk mail and clothes that don't fit are a great place to start.

Your overall health depends on the strength of your mental health. Do what you can to keep it resilient.

Organized by Marcie^TM: Save time and money by letting go of what you don't need and finding room for what you value
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Clutter Affects Your Mental Health

May is National Mental Health Month.

Are you aware that clutter contributes to stress, which negatively impacts mental health? Living in clutter also intensifies feelings of depression and anxiety for many people.

Trying to fit too much work into too little time can affect your mental health, as well.

Here are some things you can do to reduce stress and improve your outlook:

 

• Write things down so you don't have to keep everything in your head. Use one notebook and one calendar so you know where all the information is. 

• Spend five minutes putting things away at the end of the day so you can start with a clear head the following day. This works at home and at work. 

• Commit to letting of something every day. Newspapers, junk mail and clothes that don't fit are a great place to start.

Your overall health depends on the strength of your mental health. Do what you can to keep it resilient.

Organized by Marcie^TM: Save time and money by letting go of what you don't need and finding room for what you value
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Earth Day and Decluttering

Decluttering and downsizing can create a lot of waste if your discards end up in the trash. Wednesday is Earth Day, which is a good time to think about what you’re contributing to the waste stream. You might not realize that there are ways to recycle lots more than glass, plastic, metal and paper.

Because people replace gadgets so quickly, electronic waste is a huge problem. Consider donating or selling those that still work. For outdated technology and broken items, some manufacturers offer free returns. Otherwise, you might be able to take them to a nearby drop-off center.

Call2Recycle can help you find places to recycle batteries and cellphones. Check with your local department of waste services for policies on disposing of electronic waste in your jurisdiction. You can help keep toxins out of the air and water by diverting your electronic waste.

Organized by Marcie^TM: Save time and money by letting go of what you don't need and finding room for what you value
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Earth Day and Decluttering

Decluttering and downsizing can create a lot of waste if your discards end up in the trash. Wednesday is Earth Day, which is a good time to think about what you’re contributing to the waste stream. You might not realize that there are ways to recycle lots more than glass, plastic, metal and paper.

Because people replace gadgets so quickly, electronic waste is a huge problem. Consider donating or selling those that still work. For outdated technology and broken items, some manufacturers offer free returns. Otherwise, you might be able to take them to a nearby drop-off center.

Call2Recycle can help you find places to recycle batteries and cellphones. Check with your local department of waste services for policies on disposing of electronic waste in your jurisdiction. You can help keep toxins out of the air and water by diverting your electronic waste.

Organized by Marcie^TM: Save time and money by letting go of what you don't need and finding room for what you value
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Reader question – Organizing Craft Supplies

March is National Craft Month and it’s a great time to assess all your supplies. Last week I decided that it was time to downsize the yarn collection. I just don’t knit and crochet as much as I used to and I know that there are places like Project Knitwell that can make good use of my extra yarn.

 

Coincidentally, a reader recently asked how to organize all her craft supplies.

 

The first thing to consider is whether there are some projects you’d like to let go. There’s no point organizing stuff you’re not going to use.

 

Next, group supplies by type: paper crafting, needlework, sewing, etc. Don’t buy any containers until you see what you have and decide where you’re going to keep it.

 

If you already have a dedicated crafts space, look at your existing setup. If you have shelves to put things on, measure them and see if you have containers that would fit. Use larger bins for bulky items and projects in progress. Smaller supplies might fit well in shoe boxes or glass jars.

 

If you are trying to fit your crafting into a closet or corner of a room, use the same guidelines. Consider repurposing something you already have, like file cabinets or suitcases, to house your supplies. Take a look at pinterest for ideas to store craft supplies in a small space.

 

Do you enjoy crafting? What kinds of projects are you working on?

Organized by Marcie^TM: Save time and money by letting go of what you don't need and finding room for what you value
Follow me on twitter, facebook and pinterest

And if you like what you've read, share it using the links below!

Reader question – Organizing Craft Supplies

March is National Craft Month and it’s a great time to assess all your supplies. Last week I decided that it was time to downsize the yarn collection. I just don’t knit and crochet as much as I used to and I know that there are places like Project Knitwell that can make good use of my extra yarn.

 

Coincidentally, a reader recently asked how to organize all her craft supplies.

 

The first thing to consider is whether there are some projects you’d like to let go. There’s no point organizing stuff you’re not going to use.

 

Next, group supplies by type: paper crafting, needlework, sewing, etc. Don’t buy any containers until you see what you have and decide where you’re going to keep it.

 

If you already have a dedicated crafts space, look at your existing setup. If you have shelves to put things on, measure them and see if you have containers that would fit. Use larger bins for bulky items and projects in progress. Smaller supplies might fit well in shoe boxes or glass jars.

 

If you are trying to fit your crafting into a closet or corner of a room, use the same guidelines. Consider repurposing something you already have, like file cabinets or suitcases, to house your supplies. Take a look at pinterest for ideas to store craft supplies in a small space.

 

Do you enjoy crafting? What kinds of projects are you working on?

Organized by Marcie^TM: Save time and money by letting go of what you don't need and finding room for what you value
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And if you like what you've read, share it using the links below!

What's in Your Linen Closet?

March 16-22 is Clean Out Your Closet Week. The linen closet usually is a small project that can be finished in a short time, so it’s a good place to start.

 

My linen closet was functional and I knew where everything was, but I didn’t like the aesthetics. Is it important to have a beautiful linen closet? Not really, but I was ready to trade up the plastic bins I had been using for over 10 years and do something to perk up the tiny, awkward space.

I was inspired by these two linen closets to do some freshening up.
 

The floral boxes are fabric-covered cardboard and cost more, but the striped ones are photo boxes from the craft store and cost about $1.50 each. For less than $30, my linen closet looks better and I enjoy opening the door and not seeing toilet paper rolls and medicine bottles. *

 

Do you have a closet that needs some attention? Take an hour to clear off one shelf in your linen closet or entryway closet. Put back only what is useful in that space. Use labeled containers to group items and, if you want to take it from utilitarian to lovely, choose boxes or bins that delight you.

*You'll have to take my word for it. The space is so small that I haven't been able to shoot a decent photo of it!

Organized by Marcie^TM: Save time and money by letting go of what you don't need and finding room for what you value
Follow me on twitter, facebook and pinterest
And if you like what you've read, share it using the links below!

 

What's in Your Linen Closet?

March 16-22 is Clean Out Your Closet Week. The linen closet usually is a small project that can be finished in a short time, so it’s a good place to start.

 

My linen closet was functional and I knew where everything was, but I didn’t like the aesthetics. Is it important to have a beautiful linen closet? Not really, but I was ready to trade up the plastic bins I had been using for over 10 years and do something to perk up the tiny, awkward space.

I was inspired by these two linen closets to do some freshening up.
 

The floral boxes are fabric-covered cardboard and cost more, but the striped ones are photo boxes from the craft store and cost about $1.50 each. For less than $30, my linen closet looks better and I enjoy opening the door and not seeing toilet paper rolls and medicine bottles. *

 

Do you have a closet that needs some attention? Take an hour to clear off one shelf in your linen closet or entryway closet. Put back only what is useful in that space. Use labeled containers to group items and, if you want to take it from utilitarian to lovely, choose boxes or bins that delight you.

*You'll have to take my word for it. The space is so small that I haven't been able to shoot a decent photo of it!

Organized by Marcie^TM: Save time and money by letting go of what you don't need and finding room for what you value
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And if you like what you've read, share it using the links below!

 

Quote – Making the Most of Your Time

February is National Time Management Month. Although you can’t manage time, you can manage how you spend it and designate time for activities you enjoy.

 

How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives. - Annie Dillard

It’s possible to accomplish anything you want to do, as long as you prioritize the time for it.

After all, you don’t want to look back one day and regret how you’ve spent your time, do you?

Organized by Marcie^TM: Save time and money by letting go of what you don't need and finding room for what you value
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Quote – Making the Most of Your Time

February is National Time Management Month. Although you can’t manage time, you can manage how you spend it and designate time for activities you enjoy.

 

How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives. - Annie Dillard

It’s possible to accomplish anything you want to do, as long as you prioritize the time for it.

After all, you don’t want to look back one day and regret how you’ve spent your time, do you?

Organized by Marcie^TM: Save time and money by letting go of what you don't need and finding room for what you value
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Clean Out Your Computer Day

The second Monday in February is Clean Out Your Computer Day.

 

Why bother? Because digital clutter can build up as quickly as physical clutter, which leads to confusion, poor use of time and related stress.

 

Think of your computer as a virtual file cabinet. Your documents are inside file folders, which are inside “drawers,” which are your major file categories.

Matching your digital files to your paper files makes a lot of sense. You might have paper files related to your car, your health, your home and your finances. Start out with those same categories for your digital files. If you would like to eliminate excess paper, you can scan documents and “file” them digitally into the appropriate folders.

 

While you may feel you have unlimited disk space, it’s not necessary to keep everything – similar to weeding out documents from your paper files. The less you have, the easier it is to find what you need, when you need it.

 

Start by consolidating similar documents in folders and dumping duplicates. If you can’t figure out which is the correct version, you can name each document the same thing, along with the date it was last updated.

 

Get in the habit of saving only one copy of each document, with a name that has meaning to you, unless your job depends on your being able to produce earlier versions. In that case, you can attach the date to the title each time you update it.

 

Finally, remember to back up your files so you don’t lose valuable information.

 

What would you gain by making your computer files easier to access?

Organized by Marcie^TM: Save time and money by letting go of what you don't need and finding room for what you value
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And if you like what you've read, share it using the links below!

 

Clean Out Your Computer Day

The second Monday in February is Clean Out Your Computer Day.

 

Why bother? Because digital clutter can build up as quickly as physical clutter, which leads to confusion, poor use of time and related stress.

 

Think of your computer as a virtual file cabinet. Your documents are inside file folders, which are inside “drawers,” which are your major file categories.

Matching your digital files to your paper files makes a lot of sense. You might have paper files related to your car, your health, your home and your finances. Start out with those same categories for your digital files. If you would like to eliminate excess paper, you can scan documents and “file” them digitally into the appropriate folders.

 

While you may feel you have unlimited disk space, it’s not necessary to keep everything – similar to weeding out documents from your paper files. The less you have, the easier it is to find what you need, when you need it.

 

Start by consolidating similar documents in folders and dumping duplicates. If you can’t figure out which is the correct version, you can name each document the same thing, along with the date it was last updated.

 

Get in the habit of saving only one copy of each document, with a name that has meaning to you, unless your job depends on your being able to produce earlier versions. In that case, you can attach the date to the title each time you update it.

 

Finally, remember to back up your files so you don’t lose valuable information.

 

What would you gain by making your computer files easier to access?

Organized by Marcie^TM: Save time and money by letting go of what you don't need and finding room for what you value
Follow me on twitter , facebook and pinterest

And if you like what you've read, share it using the links below!