I recently read Lessons in Letting Go, Confessions of a Hoarder, by Corinne Grant. It was a light, easy and entertaining read, written by one of Australia’s leading comic talents, who is ready for change.

This delightful memoir is about hoarding and about how the things we hold on to can end up dictating our lives. Warm, funny, candid and insightful, Lessons in Letting Go is about the pain ~ but also the necessity and the joy ~ in learning to let go.

Lessons in Letting Go

Her 22 Lessons in Letting Go………..

1. You don’t need to travel to the Middle East, lose your best friend or discover an old man has died to find the motivation to start de-hoarding
2. Don’t tackle the really painful stuff 1st
3. This is not going to take a day or 2 like it does on TV
4. Once you’ve made the decision to throw something out, throwing out similar things will be easy
5. Brace yourself for this one: like an alcoholic, you will always be a hoarder
6. If it’s really going to hurt to throw it out, then don’t
7. Pack away like with like
8. If, despite your best intentions, you come across something that really hurts, and conjures up a big painful memory that slams you in the side of the head, stop ~ Just stop
9. Don’t throw out things in anger; you can’t punish someone else by punishing yourself
10. That said, if you break up with someone, get rid of the bed linen immediately
11. You’re going to find you have more money
12. If you can’t get going on your own, get some friends to come around
13. Don’t get discouraged
14. Get a personal organizer when you’re at your lowest, not when you’re at your most motivated
15. Tell people you’re clearing out your stuff
16. Reward yourself with just one thing
17.  ~ just one thing ~
18. Every time you buy a new something, throw out an old equivalent
19. Make sure you put on a party CD
20. You don’t have to throw out everything you’ve ever owned
21. Don’t let others bully you into tidying up their way
22. It’s useful to find something that will remind you of where your hoarding started and display it as a reminder

Can you relate? Want the whole story? You may want to pick up a copy.

There is a bit of language and it’s a bit off colored. But it’s also honest, real, funny, and worth the read.

Enjoy.

Cheryl

Cowboy Style for Your Office

I LOVED their clever solution to organizing their desk. Kids cowboy boots put to use to round up their office supplies.

Boots, chaps and cowboy hats… nothin’ else matters.
Cowboy Proverb

Go, ahead. Get Organized. In Style!

Happy (and organized) days!

Cheryl

If you have been following my Paper Management Series this month, you have your files in order.  They don’t have to look boring and sterile. Add a little style to those files.

Remember, your Quick Access Files should be in the hub of your home………… where you will quickly access them often! So, they better look good……………

Pick Your Favorite Color! by See Jane Work

A Clear View by The Container Store

Pretty in Brocade by The Container Store

Neat and Tidy, by The Container Store

Fun Files on the Run! by Sorting with Style

Classic and Inexpensive by Get Organized

It's a snap! by Snap n Store

Happy Filing!

Check out all 6 articles in the Paper Management Series: Part 1: Help! My Kitchen is My Filing Cabinet!, Part 2 Quick Access Files, Don’t Live an Organized Life Without Them!, Part 3: Junk All That Junk Mail!, Part 4:Developing a Simple and Effective Household Filing System  and Part 5: File Tips and Tricks .

Cheryl

As I recommended in Part 4, Developing a Simple and Effective Household Filing System:

1. Make your system as simple as possible. You are much more likely to keep up with it.
2. Start from scratch. You will find it is much easier than trying to revamp your previous system. I don’t recommend purchasing a pre-designed filing system. It WON’T be simple. At least not for you. You will have to spend time fitting your categories into their categories. It is much easier to create your own categories, with titles that make sense to you.
3. Opt for a system based on subjects rather than filling alphabetically.  Filing alphabetically is way too much to remember. Is my VW Bug filed under V for Volkswagon, B for Bug, A for Auto or C for Car? It’s way too much for this pee brain to remember! If on the other hand, my filing system is separated into the 3 main subjects of Family, Personal, and Possessions and Finances, my car will be very easy to locate. Within the subject section Possessions, I will have a hanging file titled Automobiles. Within this hanging file I will have a manila folder for each of my Automobiles. Simple and easy to find!
4. Locate your filing system in a place that is both convenient to use and located away from the hub of the home.
5. Color–coding of your broad categories can reduce miss filing and stimulate your thinking. Again choose categories and colors that make sense to you!
6. Straight-line filing, with the tabs one behind the other, is not only easier on the eye, but also simpler to maintain than alternating tab positions.
7. After you complete your new filing system, make an outline or list of your system and use it until you are comfortable with it.

Purchase Basic Supplies

Invest in a sturdy filing cabinet.  Check out any office supply store.  The choices are limitless. Consider where you will be doing your filing.  Will you be in a home office where aesthetics are not an issue, or will your files be located in your family room for all to see? Will you need to roll it into a closet after use, or will it be a permanent fixture in your home?  You can purchase a mobile file unit that can rolled into a closet or a basic 2 drawer metal cabinet for as little as $50. Or, you can purchase a furniture grade cabinet for as much as $500. You can even purchase individual file boxes, which can be stored on open shelving. Ultimately you need to remember that if they are not easy to access, they won’t be, and your filing won’t get done.
Make sure you have plenty of uniform, sturdy hanging files and manila folders.

A Work In Progress.......

A Work in Progress

As you are developing a new system, use post-it notes as labels until you have your entire system complete. Use 2 different colors; one representing your hanging files and the second representing your manila folders. This enables you to quickly and easily change category titles, and subject titles as your system evolves.

When your filing system is complete, take the time to clearly and neatly label your files.

To label your hanging files, you can use the clear vinyl tabs included with them. I generally use 3 1/2 inch plastic tabs and label them with my brother label machine. This makes for easy to read and uniform labels. Alternatively, you can simply use a thin black marker to label your inserts.

To label manila folders, I generally use inkjet/laser file folder labels, and print them from my computer. Again, this makes for easy to read and uniform labels. Alternatively, you can simply use a thin black marker to write on your file folder labels and then stick them on the manila folder or you can write directly on the folder.

Remember, your filing system is dynamic and ever changing. Your interests, responsibilities and possessions will change, and so should your filing system. Don’t be afraid to drop and add categories as your needs change. Set aside time each week or month to actually do your filing. Then set aside time each year to purge and revamp your system. Don’t forget to use a Document Retention Guide, available online, and check with your attorney and/or accountant while purging.

A Job Well Done

Yes, setting up and maintaining a filing system takes a bit of work on the front end, but you will save yourself many hours of searching and much frustration in the long run. That, my friend, is priceless!

Happy Filing!

Check out all 6 articles in the Paper Management Series: Part 1: Help! My Kitchen is My Filing Cabinet!,Part 2 Quick Access Files, Don’t Live an Organized Life Without Them!, Part 3: Junk All That Junk Mail!, Part 4:Developing a Simple and Effective Household Filing System , and Part 6: File in Style

Cheryl

Oh yes, our children, organized!

Children. The very word can conjure up images of chaos and disorganization. Don’t get me wrong. I absolutely love children. I have 4 of them (who are all on their way to adulthood), and they have blessed my life beyond words. But, I also love order in my life. Can the two, children and order, dwell in the same home and life. You betcha!

You have an opportunity to learn how in Thursday’s upcoming workshop!

Your Children, Organized!

Is your home overwhelmed with the overflow of  your child’s belongings? Come learn how to clear the clutter, reign in and organize the present and cherish the past. Learn how to set up a childhood memory box, create a school and art archive for each child, and learn creative ways to displaying and storing art work. We will also cover tips on reigning in and organizing clothing and toys.

When: Thursday, February 9th, 7-8 PM

Where: Carroll County Public Library, Westminster Branch,  50 East Main Street, Westminster, MD In the Large Meeting Room

Hope to see you there!

Happy (and organized!) Days!

Cheryl

Managing the piles of paper and multitude of important documents in our “information age”  is a major home organization challenge for most people. It’s time to tackle that challenge and your Basic Household Filing System. It’s time to change your thinking a bit, get organized, and simplify. Does it sound like a daunting task? It doesn’t have to be!

You should be able to retrieve any paper or important document in less than one minute—if that’s not the case, it may be time to revamp that old system and start anew. Unless you already have a system that’s at least 75 percent effective, I recommend starting from scratch. Then incorporate your old files into your new system.

If you can retrieve any paper in less than a minute, you have an organized and effective filing system and you can stop reading. Congratulations!

The first step in developing an effective household filing system is to understand both what it is and what it is not. These files are different than your Quick Access Files, which hold information that you need to access often and quickly. Many times, quick access files are used for a season and then discarded or updated. Occasionally, if they contain documents or information that you will want to keep in your permanent files, they can be transferred to your basic household filing system. Some examples of information found in your Quick Access Files are invitations, schedules, announcements, appointment reminders, and take out menus. You need to access these files daily and quickly, and for that reason, they should be kept in the hub of the home. Check out part 2 of my Paper Management series,  “Quick Access Files: Don’t Live an Organized Life Without Them!”

Your Household Filing System, on the other hand, does not need to be accessed as often. These files are your basic household working files, which hold current, important documents and records used for routine activities like bill paying, tax and financial statement documentation, medical information, and home maintenance. They need to be accessible, but not located in the hub of the home. Generally, when you are writing bills or dealing with your household paperwork, you need a bit of quiet. For this reason, consider finding space in your home office, or even a quiet corner of your bedroom.

The secret to a good filing system is to keep it simple. Whatever system you use should make it easy to find what you need, be easy to maintain, and make sense to everyone who may need to use it. If it isn’t simple and effective, it won’t get used.

Filing is not about storage, but rather it is about finding what you need, when you need it. Instead of trying to figure out what you can toss, determine what you need to keep. There is a huge difference! 80% of the papers that we file away will never get looked at again. If you aren’t sure what to save, ask yourself the following questions – if you don’t answer yes, toss it.

• Are there tax/legal reasons to keep it?
• Will it help me complete a project I’m working on right now?
• Do I have time to do anything with this piece of paper in the future?
• If I ever needed it again, would it be hard to get from someone else?
• Is the information up-to-date?
• Would my work/life change if I didn’t have it?
• Is the same information easily accessible online?

Check out (and use) a Document Retention Guide.  Many other Document Retention guides are available online. Just google household document retention guides, and you will find a number of them to choose from.  Use them as a guideline, and be sure to check with your accountant or lawyer to get advice about a particular situation or document.

“Man’s best friend, aside from the dog, is the wastebasket”.      Business Week

Remember this truth and always have your friend with you when dealing with paperwork!

With these tips in mind, let’s begin!

First, separate your filing system into 3-5 basic subjects: I generally use 3 Main subjects: 1. Family and Personal, 2. Possessions, and 3. Finances. You can separate each category by placing them in separate drawers, by using separate color hanging files for each subject area, or by simply staggering the location of your filing tabs (Family and Personal to the left, Possessions in the center, and Finances to the right).

Your next step is to assign broad categories within each subject, and place each broad category in it’s own hanging file.

Family and Personal – Create Broad Categories for: Each Person in your family, Medical Insurance, Each Pet or Animal in your family, and Each Organization that you are associated with.

For example: Within the subject of “Family and Personal”, I may have hanging folders for the following broad categories:

• Family Members (1 hanging file for each family member)
• Pets (1 hanging file for each pet)
• Relatives and/or Contacts
• Memberships
• Insurance
• Church/Ministry
• Volunteer Organizations

Possessions– Include anything you OWN – Create Broad Categories for Automobiles, Home Purchases, Home Improvements, Large Appliances, Small Appliances, Large Electronics, Small Electronics, Your Current Home, Home Utilities, Home Services

Finances – Include anything having to do with your finances – Create Broad Categories for Bank Accounts, Credit Accounts, Investments, and College Savings Plan

Finally, assign specific categories within each broad category and place each specific category in it’s own manila folder in the hanging folder. For example: Within the broad category of each family member, I place 3-4 manila folders labeled; Personal, Health, Education, and Employment. The Personal file will hold birth certificate, social security card, passport, and other important certificates. The Health file will hold important health records, dental records and immunization records. The Education file will house permanent test results, transcripts, degrees, letters of recommendations, awards, and any other permanent records. Finally, the Employment file will hold resumes, contracts, benefits, retirement information, and social security records.

Of course your family filing system will change as your life changes. You won’t have an Education or Employment file for your newborn, but can add those as the need arises in the years to come. Likewise, you may have additional files for the family member(s) who are in the workforce for a long period of time. You may have categories of Employment, Past Employment, Future Employment Goals etc. The beauty of creating your own, personalized filing system is the ability to tailor it to your own needs.

For this reason, I do not recommend purchasing a pre-designed filing system. It WON’T be simple. At least not for you. You will have to spend time fitting your categories into their categories. It is much easier to create your own categories, with titles that make sense to you so that you will be able to remember them. I also don’t recommend filing alphabetically. It’s way too much to remember for my pee brain! Is my VW Bug filed under V for VW, B for Bug, A for Auto, or C for Car?

It takes a bit of work on the front end, but your efforts in developing a household filing system will save you countless hours and frustration in the long run.

Happy Filing!

Check out all 6 articles in my Paper Management Series: Part 1: Help My Kitchen is My File Cabinet!,  Part 2: Quick Access Files, Don’t Live an Organized Life Without Them!,  Part 3: Junk All That Junk Mail!, Part 4:Developing a Simple and Effective Household Filing System  and Part 5: File Tips and Tricks, and Part 6: File in Style.

Cheryl

In an effort to take back and clear out the piles of papers in your kitchens and dining rooms, simplify our lives, and stop the excessive waste, we will learn how to “Junk all that Junk Mail”!  

The average American adult receives almost 560 pieces of junk mail each year. And they spend 8 months opening junk mail in the course of their lives! And we wonder why we are drowning in paper!

In an effort to get “In Order for Life”, we have been looking at the universal problem of overwhelming amounts of paperwork, and the resulting piles that usually end up in the kitchen. Together we have looked at how and why this problem is created in Help, My Kitchen is My File Cabinet, and have begun to create a plan of action to eliminate it, Quick Access Files, Don’t Live an Organized Life Without Them!
Today, we will learn how to ELIMINATE much of the problem by eliminating much of our junk mail. It takes a bit of effort, but the savings in time, energy, and waste are well worth it.

I wish I could give you one phone number to call, similar to the National Do Not Call Registry, but it hasn’t been completed yet.

Until then, there are several steps you can take to reduce the amount of junk mail you receive:

• Get off the Junk Mailing List. Visit the Direct Marketing Association’s Mail Preference Service. Go to www.dmachoice.org ,  and follow their instructions to stop getting the mail that you don’t want. The DMA estimates that listing with their mail preference service will stop 75% of all national mailings

• Eliminate credit card junk mail. Most credit card companies use a central service to screen out people who don’t want to receive their mailings. To avoid getting most credit card junk mail, call 1-888-OPTOUT (888-567-8688).

• Stop junk mail before it begins. Whenever you fill out a form or place an order, always write “Do not rent or exchange my name” or ask the order taker to please “flag your file” so that your information won’t be shared.

• Eliminate the extra papers and advertisements sent to you with current bills by signing up for automatic payment. This will eliminate paperwork, and save you time and save money on postage.

• Stop the Catalogs. Most catalogs have an 800 number that customers can use to place orders. Use this same number to call and request that your name be taken off of their mailing list.  You can also go to Catalog Choice at www.catalogchoice.org. This site allows you to type in whatever catalog or mailer you receive and opt out. Just be careful that you don’t sign up to receive more catalogs than those you opt out of!
• www.directmail.com  Through their National Do Not Mail List, they create lists of people who tell them that they do not want to receive direct mail. That list is then supplied to mass mailers so they can check it against the mailing lists they use and remove the names that appear on both lists.
• Download your free Stop Junk Mail Kit.
• Check out obviously.com for their complete Do-it-yourself guide to: Stop Junk Mail, Email, and Phone Calls

Do you have more money than time? Then try one of the following services:

Check out CatalogChoice.org new service, MailStop Envelope to prevent not only catalogs but credit card offers, grocery store circulars, phone books and other unwanted solicitations. Using a MailStop Envelope purchased from the website for $6.75, individuals can place as many as 15 labels from unwanted mail into the envelope and send it to Catalog Choice, whose staff will scan the labels and fill out companies’ opt-out requests on behalf of its Envelope users.

• www.41pounds.org will do the work for you. They are a nonprofit organization working to eliminate junk mail and charge only $41 for 5 years. That’s only $8.20 per year!

• www.privacycouncil.org will do the work for you. The Privacy Council describes itself as “marketers committed to privacy”. Their mission is simple: they strive to collectively put an end to unwanted junk mail, SPAM and phone calls. The Privacy Council offers a full removal service, which removes your household from call lists, email lists, and junk mail lists. The initial cost for this service is $9.

• www.stopthejunkmail.com is owned by a young family in Boulder, CO who are passionate about saving the earth and being able to bring their kids up in a better environment and be able to “Breath Fresh Air”! For just $19.95, to get started, they claim to be able to reduce your junk mail by 90%. Their services are 100% guaranteed.

This a only a drop in the bucket. A quick google search of  stop junk mail brings up nearly 10 million sites. So, use my suggestions, or research your own. But certainly do simplify your life by Junking all that Junk Mail!

This article was originally posted in February, 2009.  It has been updated and re-posted , as I know so many of us need another reminder to “Junk all that Junk Mail!”.

Check out all 6 articles in the Paper Management Series: Part 1: Help! My Kitchen is My Filing Cabinet! , Part 2: Quick Access Files, Don’t Live an Organized Life Without Them!, Part 4:Developing a Simple and Effective Household Filing System,  Part 5: File Tips and Tricks, and Part 6: File in Style.

Happy (and organized!) days!

Cheryl

Basic File Box by See Jane Work

Last time in “Help, My Kitchen is My File Cabinet”, I referred to the universal problem of overwhelming amounts of paperwork, and the resulting piles that usually end up in the kitchen. A large part of the solution to this problem is the creation of Quick Access Files. Quick Access Files are just that………files that you need to access often and quickly. Don’t let the word file in Quick Access Files throw you. These are files containing different information than we generally keep in our regular filing cabinet. Quick Access Files are files that you will need for a season and/or you need to access often. They are filled with the papers that are otherwise taped to our refrigerator, stuck on the bulletin board or, all too often, piled up next to the phone or on the kitchen table.

To create Quick Access Files, gather up all the bits of information lying around and plastered to the surfaces in your kitchen. Then separate them into logical categories. Because each of our lives and habits are different, each of our Quick Access Files will be different as well. You may end up with:

• A file for each school, which will hold current phone lists, school calendars, announcements, and newsletters.
• A file for every sports team or club
• Or you may choose to create a file for each child in which you could place all their papers for their individual school, sports, and clubs.
• A file for volunteer organizations, which will hold current phone lists, announcements, schedules, and newsletters
• A doctor/dentist file with contact information and appointment cards (which you will drop in the file AFTER you write the appointment on your calendar)
• A file for prescriptions, which will hold patient information for any current prescriptions that your family members are using
• A file for take out menus
• A file for parties and invitations (which you drop in AFTER you write the appointment on the calendar)
• A file for coupons and gift cards

For many of these categories you will also have a file in your regular file cabinet. For instance, each child will have an Education file in your regular files, in which you will place all their permanent records, report cards and testing information. Each person will have a Medical file, which will hold immunization records, surgery, allergy and all permanent medical records.

The papers, invitations, schedules, announcements, appointment reminders, and take out menus in our Quick Access File are generally used for a season and then discarded or updated. At the end of a school year or sports season, for example, most of the contents of the Quick Access File will be discarded. Any important or permanent information or documents, however, will be added to your regular long term filing system, and your Quick Access Files will be ready for the new season.

With the addition of just a few categories, with corresponding files, you will have a complete system to deal with your mail on a daily basis.

• To Do
• To Pay
• To File (anything that simply needs to be transferred to your long term filing system)

Now that you have created your own Quick Access Files, I suggest that you keep them in your main living area, which is usually the kitchen or family room. This is generally the place that you bring in and drop your mail, you walk in with files and papers from meetings and appointments, and your children bring you papers to sign, fill out and file away.

I have heard people say that they don’t want a file box sitting in their living area. May I kindly suggest, that a small, nice looking file box (think attractive and presentable) looks much nicer than a pile of papers in disarray!

Check out some of the links to file boxes and files in this article, or find your own. Be creative. There are 100′s of options available in every style. Find your own style.

If you have ever worked with me, attended one of my workshops,  or followed my blog for any length of time, this concept is not new to you. If you already have Quick Access Files, the New Year is the perfect time to revamp them.  Simply sort through each file and:

• First of all; decide if you still need each filetoss any obsolete information
• File anything that should be transferred over to your Permanent Filing System
• Determine if you need to add any new categories – (do you have any new information hanging on the fridge or piled up on the kitchen table?)

It’s the perfect time for a fresh start!

Check out all 6 articles in my Paper Management Series: Part 1: Help My Kitchen is My File Cabinet!,  Part 3: Junk All That Junk Mail!, Part 4:Developing a Simple and Effective Household Filing System  and Part 5: File Tips and Tricks, and Part 6: File in Style.

Happy (and Organized!) days!

Cheryl

Take a quick look around your kitchen and dining room: the kitchen table, the counter tops, the buffet, and the surfaces of your refrigerator. Do you notice a re-occurring theme? Do you see the mounds of information needed to run your home and your life, spread hit or miss around your kitchen? Is the pile of junk mail, catalogs, and newspapers on your kitchen table blocking your view of your loved ones at dinner? If so, you’re not alone.

Do you realize how much paperwork enters your home on a daily basis? Most of us probably receive more mail on most days than our parents received in a week. We receive newsletters, magazines, bills, advertisements, million dollar offers, and letters, to mention a few. Along with incoming mail, many of us have school-aged children, who each bring home permission slips, completed work, tests to be signed, the dreaded fund-raising packets and letters from teachers and administrators. We receive the Daily Newspaper, and we carry in papers on a daily basis from work, meetings and appointments.

In my time as a professional organizer, I have come across a universal problem of overwhelming amounts of paperwork, and the resulting piles that usually end up in the kitchen. I  will revisit this problem, once again, in my  Paper Management Series. Follow along, as we look at this all-too-common issue and outline simple solutions that can solve this problem and simplify your days.

Together we will create a plan of action. A place for everything and everything in its place! Clutter happens when we don’t have a place for something, or when it’s more difficult to put something away than it is to deal with it. The result is the inevitable cluttering up of our spaces and our lives.

As we create a plan for all the paper coming into our homes, we will ask ourselves some very basic questions:

• Who needs this information?
• Where will I/they need or use this information?
• How long do I need/want to keep this information?
• What time of day does most of this information come into the home?
• Do I have time to put it where it belongs?

The truth is, the majority of the paper coming into your home will NEVER need to be looked at again!
“Man’s best friend, aside from the dog, is the wastebasket”.           Business Week

Remember this truth and always have your friend with you when dealing with paperwork. That’s the first and most essential step! Until next time, I challenge you to quickly recycle or simply throw out that which you don’t need, won’t use, or won’t read (despite your best intentions!). Make it a habit, and your piles may actually start declining!
In the upcoming weeks, I will be posting a 6-part Paper Management Series, which will simply outline what to do with all that paperwork. From developing short-term and long-term filing systems, to “junking all that junk mail”, to practical filing tips and tricks; all of which will help you to launch into a more organized 2012!

Happy (and Organized) Days!

Check out all 6 articles in my Paper Management Series: Part 2 Quick Access Files, Don’t Live an Organized Life Without Them!, Part 3: Junk All That Junk Mail!, Part 4:Developing a Simple and Effective Household Filing System  and Part 5: File Tips and Tricks, and Part 6: File in Style.

Cheryl

From Piles..........

What: Filing Basics for the Home Workshop

When: Thursday, January 12th, 7-8 PM

Where: Carroll County Public Library, Westminster branch

50 East Main Street, Large Meeting Room

You are invited to this free 1 hour workshop, Filing Basics For The Home, being held on Thursday, January 12th from 7:00-8:00 pm at the Westminster branch of the Carroll County Library. During this quick, one hour workshop, you will take care of a major source of clutter and stress in your home, as you learn the basics of file management. You will learn about the 3 types of files that comprise a complete filing system (quick access files, basic working files, and archive files), how to set them up, and just as importantly, how to maintain them. Finally, you will learn how to adapt these general principals to your specific household.

To Organized Files!

Come learn how to go from Piles to Organized Files in one night! You’ll be glad you did!

Happy (and Organized!) Days!          Cheryl