Blog Posts Archives • Page 15 of 20 • Helpful Organizer

Preventing Paper Clutter

March 6, 2015/0 Comments/in Blog Posts/by Janine Cavanaugh, CPO®

Even the most organized people have some amount of paper clutter. It’s difficult not to, because paper comes into our space on a steady, regular basis. Practically every time we walk into our home, we bring more paper into it, either intentionally or unintentionally. So, how can we prevent that paper from taking over and prevent those piles from happening?

The simplest way to reduce paper clutter is to stop paper from coming into our space in the first place. One way to accomplish this is to go paperless with bank and credit card statements, and don’t print them out. Another suggestion is to not print emails, recipes, or other information from your computer, instead store and organize the information on your computer. A few other suggestions are to remove you name from as many mailing lists as you can, stop mail on all magazines and catalogs you don’t read, read the newspaper on-line, use your phone or another device for coupons and tickets instead of printing them, and have a paper recycle bin in the garage and toss as much paper as you can before entering the house.

Another way to reduce paper clutter is to allow each piece of paper to be in your home for the shortest possible time-frame. One way to accomplish this is to immediately recycle or shred junk mail. Another suggestion is to recycle boxes, wrapping paper, envelopes, and other paper items that we intend to reuse but never do. A few other suggestions are to shred ATM slips after you’ve reconciled your bank account, jot down event details on your calendar and toss the invitation, send the greeting cards that you have on hand, and recycle catalogs and magazines after you receive the next issue.

One more way to reduce paper clutter is to have an exit strategy for paper files and stored information. An exit strategy is a predetermined guideline that you’ve established for particular papers, files or information. One exit strategy may be to recycle or shred your utility bills after you view the confirmed payment on the next bill. Another exit strategy may be to shred pay stubs after you receive your W2. Please keep in mind that the guidelines need to fall within your own personal comfort zone. If you have questions on how long to keep particular papers, files or information, please consult a Certified Public Account or an attorney.

Proud member of NAPO

6 Lists Everyone Should Use

February 3, 2015/0 Comments/in Blog Posts/by Janine Cavanaugh, CPO®

Are you a list maker? I am. I make lists for a large variety of things, because they help me stay organized. Besides being a great way to document the information that collects in my head, lists are helpful in prioritizing information and providing visual queues for what needs to be done. Below are 6 of my most used lists.

1. To Do List
Creating a master To Do List that contains all the things I want to get done, need to accomplish, and have to address, provides me with peace of mind. By writing all these things down, I release myself from worrying that I will forget something. By having the list to check and work from, it’s easier to organize and prioritize what I do, and when I do it.

2. Daily Tasks List
Working from my master To Do List, I write 3-5 Daily Task items on each day of my calendar. It’s important to prioritize my Daily Tasks and to make sure I have enough time during that particular day to get the item done. If I don’t complete a Daily Task item, I indicate it with a colored tab, but only if I think I can get to it within the week. If not, I cross it out and write it on another day in the future. It’s very rewarding to check off the items, and see what was accomplished in the day and the week.

3. Shopping List
A magnetic note pad and pencil on my fridge are what I use to create my shopping list. My husband and I write down what we need to pick up at the grocery store whenever we think of an item, or whenever we run out of something while preparing meals. The placement of this list needs to be easy and convenient in order to encourage everyone in the household to write items on the list. A basket on top the fridge holds all of our coupons, discount cards, and any gift cards marking the fridge as our shopping ‘center’.

4. To Bring on Vacation List
Creating a list of what I want and need to bring on vacation provides me with time to organize my thoughts an plan ahead. This prevents me from forgetting important and necessary items. Creating one location where I can collect the items on my list, until it’s time to pack them in suitcases, is also a helpful component to this vacation list. I use my dinning room table as my collect location.

5. List of Important Dates
Having a master list of important dates, that I transfer into a new calendar at the beginning of each year helps me stay on top of important dates and time lines. I keep a birthday and anniversary list by month, a taxes and bill payment schedule by month, and a membership and license renewal list by month. For large bills and membership renewals, I note on my calendar two weeks in advance to payment and one week in advance to payment. Referencing these lists when setting up my yearly calendar is very helpful.

6. Honey Do List
My Honey Do List is a list of items that my husband needs to address or that we need to discuss. This list is kept by the kitchen phone (or is waved in front of his face while he’s watching TV). Any action items that need to be planned for a specific date are put on the calendar.

Proud member of NAPO

Organizing Decorations

January 6, 2015/0 Comments/in Blog Posts/by Janine Cavanaugh, CPO®

If you’re like me, you like decorating for the holidays. It gets me in the holiday spirit, and I enjoy adding sparkle and cheer to my home. However, taking those decorations down, packing them up, and storing them until next year is an entirely different story. That part of the process always seems like such an unwelcoming chore. So, I’ve done my best to simplify the process and make it as painless as possible.

The first suggestion is to have a designated location in your basement, attic, garage, or other storage area, for the holiday decorations to live undisturbed until next year. This prevents them from just being shoved anywhere, everywhere, or wherever they’ll fit. My designated location is on plastic storage shelves in my basement.

The second suggestion is to use clear bins and large easy to read labels. This allows you to easily spot what is stored inside and where it belongs. I print large color coded labels, and tape them to the inside of the clear bin. This allows me to easily read the label because of the large size, and to easily recognize the holiday because of the label color. It also prevents the label from falling off, fading, curling, or becoming illegible. I place two labels in the bin on opposite sides, so that no matter how the bin is placed on the shelf, I can view the label.

The third suggestion is to store holiday decorations in layers with bubble wrap in between each layer. This is much faster than wrapping each individual decoration. It works best if you put decorations that are similar in width in the same layer. Also, place plush and soft decorations in between wooden and breakable decorations, and only store fragile or collectible decorations in their original boxes.

The fourth suggestion is to store holiday decorations based on where they are placed inside or outside the house. For example I have bins of Christmas decorations for each room in my house. This way I can easily decorate one room at a time, and pack up one room at a time. It helps me streamline the processes.

The fifth suggestion is to keep all decoration accessories in the perspective holiday bins. I keep the extension cord, the light timer, extra light bulbs, tree ornament hooks, and the tree skirt in the same bin as the tree ornaments. This way I’m not searching for these items when it’s time to decorate each year.

I understand that putting away holiday decorations can be a drag, but I hope these suggestions will help prevent procrastination.

Proud member of NAPO

Clutter Free Gift Ideas

December 16, 2014/0 Comments/in Blog Posts/by Janine Cavanaugh, CPO®

Do you like giving and receiving gifts? It can be fun, meaningful, and heartwarming. Unfortunately, it can also make our home feel like it’s bursting at the seams with toys, clothes, and electronics. After the gift giving season is over do you dread having to make room for all that stuff? Do you detest having to shift things around, box things up, move things to the basement, or get rid of things, just to fit comfortably in your home once again? Would it be nice if you could avoid all that? I have 25 organizer friendly gift ideas that concentrate on giving and receiving consumables and experiences, not stuff. Therefore, you won’t have to struggle with all that stuff, you can just make plans with family and friends and enjoy.

25 Organizer Friendly, Clutter Free Gift Ideas

A cultural experience to a play, performance, or theater
An adventure or fun family outing
Activities, clubs, classes, or lessons
A day pass, membership or special program at a zoo or aquarium
A useful automobile related gift like car washing or detailing
A helpful housework booster
Tickets to a sporting event
Movie passes or movie night
Salon treatment or spa day
Gifts of time or a financial contribution
Food in one form or another
Donation to charity in recipient’s name
Fitness Membership or classes
Books or music for electronic devices
Tickets to a concert or musical performance
Involvement in nature clubs, groups or organizations
Shopping for charity
Membership or passes to a museum
Gifts of your time and memories
Small acts of kindness
Volunteering at a local food bank, homeless shelter, hospital, etc.
A small dose of nature like cut flowers, floral arrangements, or live wreath
Assistance for necessities to homeless, seniors, or anyone in need
Count your blessings and share them with friends and family
Gift certificate for my services

If you have other clutter free gift ideas please share them with me.

Proud member of NAPO

Happy Holidays from the Helpful Organizer, Janine Cavanaugh, CPO®

Organizing Medical Papers

December 9, 2014/0 Comments/in Blog Posts/by Janine Cavanaugh, CPO®

In preparation for visiting a new doctor last week, I realized that my medical papers were not organized in a manner that was suitable to my needs. They were mostly organized in chronological order of doctor visits, and I wanted them organized by subject, and then, in chronological order of doctor visits. So, I gave myself the project of organizing my medical papers.

The tools I used were a hanging file, a file folder, 8 sheets of paper, 8 tabs, a highlighter, and a black marker. I first sorted all my medical papers into subject categories. I choose 8 different categories that made sense to me as I was sorting my papers. The 8 subject categories I used were general information, yearly physicals, mammograms, doctor visits, eyes, and 3 categories for specific ailments I have. Your medical categories may be slightly or completely different. That is understandable. Personalization is encouraged.

Here is a list of the types of papers I have in each subject category:
General information – primary care doctor contact information, office hours and locations, medical insurance documents
Yearly physicals – medical history records, physical exam results, lab results, appointment reminders
Mammograms – test results, appointment reminders, literature on subject
Doctor visits – test results, appointment receipts, insurance explanation of benefits
Eyes – appointment receipts, exam results, prescriptions, eye glass receipts
Specific ailments – test results, appointment receipts, diagnoses, prescriptions, literature on subject

I used the highlighter to mark the date and subject on specific papers. I used the tabs and paper to create dividers for each of my 8 subjects. I used the marker to write the subjects on the tabs. I placed all the tabs on the upper left hand side of the paper (horizontal) so they would fit into the file folder and be easier to read. It’s much easier to scan one area for the subject tab, then have to scan staggered tabs, especially since we read from left to right. I reduced as many papers as I could before reassembling my medical file. I shreded 56 papers that I felt comfortable discarding.

The project took me about an hour to complete. Since all of my papers were in one file folder and in a semi organized state, I was able to complete the project in a relativity short amount of time, but if you’re going to organize your medial papers and they’re in disarray you will need to give yourself more time to complete your project. You will also realize as you sort your medical papers that your subject categories will be specific to you. That is ideal. Each and everyone of us needs to find a way of organizing that is personally suitable to our individual needs.

Proud member of NAPO

ORGANIZING

Follow Me