Organzing Tips for 2010

January- My favorite filing system is Freedom Filer. Set your files
up once and it is self cleaning. This system works well because it is
so easy to customize to suit your personal needs. Color coded tabs
help you find files at a glance. Tabs even help you know how long to
retain papers in that file. It is ideal for personal and home business
filing needs. Click on the logo to order the Freedom filer now.

February- Great resource for clearing your book shelves and
selling the books online. Half.com couldn't be easier. Create an
account. Since it is a division of ebay, your ebay account, if you have
one, will work. List each book by entering the ISBN number on the
cover. A photo of the book will appear. You then select your price
based on the current price range. When a buyer selects your book,
you will get an email instructing you to ship your book. Buyer pays
postage and every two weeks, you get paid. Great for current
textbooks too. www.half.ebay.com

March- If you once owned a video camera so big, you looked like you
worked for the local TV news- this is for you. If you have VCR tapes of
your children or your wedding-now is the time to bring your
collection up to date. Slides and 8mm of your childhood can be
enjoyed again. Scan Digital will take your collection and transfer it to
digital format. Click on the logo for more information on how to get
started.

April- Using a wallet that is both brightly colored and textured makes
it easy to find by looking or just feeling in the bag. Ditto for my bright
red suede passport cover.

May- For those end of the year gifts: Buy teachers a gift certificate to
The Container Store. Let the teacher know that the store now offers
a discount to teachers and they need only apply online at the link
below to get 15% savings! http://www.containerstore.com/teachers/

June/July- Vacation time: Seriously look at the piles of luggage,
cosmetic bags, backpacks, duffles and totes in your closets or
basement. Toss/Donate the luggage without wheels- it is not (never)
your best option. Why did it take so long for us to invent the
wheeled bags? Ditto for the ones missing handles and roughly
handled by zealous luggage handlers at the airport. Be realistic
about the number of suitcases you need. One large for a week or
more and one small carryon size for weekends times the number of
people traveling. Make sure all bags have luggage tags or contact
information on them somewhere. Bon Voyage!

August- School supplies are on sale now. While it is great to take
advantage of sale prices, if you don't need it, it isn't a bargain at any
price. BUT if you have kids in school, picking up a few extra
notebooks, colored pencils, glue or filler paper is great for a
homework station, or when the new stuff you send in now is
depleted. Extra poster board will come in handy when the projects
are due six weeks from now when your child will mention at 10 pm
that a project is due tomorrow. Store it behind a dresser or bookcase
to keep it flat.

September - It's Emergency Preparedness month. I'm not one to
worry that the sky is falling but a few years ago, Central Ohio
experienced a hurricane that left thousands without power. We also
get our share of tornados, blizzards, and ice storms. I like to be ready
with basics like water, canned goods, and battery operated radio.
The government webpage with suggestions is
http://www.ready.gov/america/getakit/
Occasionally, I help a client clear a basement and we find the oldY2K
emergency pile, so it is important to keep your emergency kit current

October- In the midwest, it's time to switch from your warm wardrobe
to cool weather clothes. I call this the Tanktop-Turtleneck Flop. Each
time you do this, in April and October, a natural purge should occur.
If you didn't wear or you wore it out, donate or discard. Don't forget
to do this with shoes. Several pairs of sandals can fit in a plastic
shoebox.

November/December- It's a busy time of the year. It becomes
necessary to choose what takes you time. Prioritze- write down all
the things you hope to accomplish in the next few weeks. Puts A's by
the MUST dos, B's by the WANT to dos, and C's by the ones that
would be nice to get done but the world will keep going. Add the A's
to your planner giving them a specific appointment time, for example,
make 4 dozen cookies Tuesday evening, buy greeting cards
Wednesday at lunch. If you are doing well with this add the B's tasks
to the planner. Ands those C's... well, maybe next year.

Melanie Dennis, CPO®
614-975-8655
melanie@neatstreak.com

Organizing
Tips
for
2010

FOR 2009 TIP LIST