Building a System of Organization in Five Quick Steps

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An organization system is only good if (a) it's easy to follow and (b) it makes you feel like you are in charge of your life. There is no right system for everyone. In fact, you can create a system for organizing your life and your home office that is unique to you and your needs. You can keep it simple and follow the organization system mapped out in this chapter. If you are interested in more detail then peruse the Internet or your local library and you will uncover a million methods for becoming organized. You are free to choose one of these systems or pick the elements from a variety and customize them to meet your specifications.

All organization systems, no matter how flashy, have the same basic components . First, there is the physical plan for putting an organization system in place. Second, there is the action plan that you will follow daily. The key to becoming an organized person, or at least striving to be one, is trying to incorporate these elements into your daily life.

Step 1: Setting Up Your World (Location, Location, Location)

Every household should have a command center where all billing takes place, records are kept, and files are stored. If you work from home then the logical place for a command center would be around your work center.

Look around your home and decide where you would be most comfortable. A spare bedroom is perfect. You can also consider the basement or an attic room. A separate room puts a little distance between you and your family and provides peace and quiet. It's also easier to spread out. A few experts say to "never" put your office in your bedroom. That's fine, but what if that's all the space you have? A home office should be your nest and the place you feel you can get work done. If you are an author, editor, or telecommuter, then a home office in the bedroom should be okay. If you operate a small business and need to meet with clients or customers regularly then an office in your bedroom might be awkward . In those situations, consider holding meetings in your kitchen, dining room, or some other agreed-upon location (refer to Chapter 2 on the home office space).

Everything you need, from files to the fax machine, should be within your reach in a home office. It is a waste of time to have a filing cabinet in one room, supplies in a closet down the hall, and the computer somewhere else. There will be enough interruptions without you jumping up from your desk every five minutes to get something.

Step 2: Setting Up Your Files for Your Home Office and Your Home

A smooth-running home office goes hand-in-hand with a smooth-running household. Ignoring one guarantees trouble for the other. If you are going to take the time to organize home office files, then take a little more time to do the same for your household.

You will need:

• Filing cabinet: You can purchase a sturdy one at any office supply store. Don't go cheap and buy something flimsy because it won't last, the drawers will stick, and it won't be sturdy. Select a cabinet that holds legal size folders because some documents such as legal forms are longer than the standard 8 1/2 x 11 size .

• Hanging folders: Buy two boxes of legal size hanging folders in two different colors. Hanging folders can be bought in quantities of 25 or more and come in a variety of colors. Choose one color for your household and another for your home office.

• File folders: Buy two boxes of legal size file folders. Like hanging folders they can be bought in a variety of colors and can be purchased in quantities of 100 or more.

• One box of clear plastic tabs because the colored tabs can be difficult to read.

• One legal size cardboard filing box to be used as an archive for storing files at the end of the year.

Before you set up your files, make a list of what files you will need for your home and for your office. For example:

Home Files

Pick one color for your personal hanging folders. You should only need to set up the hanging folders one time. Some files fill quickly so you may want to set up several folders for the same heading.

For example:

Hanging FoldersBank Statements: JanuaryApril,
                                 MayAugust,
                                 SeptemberDecember

Use your file folders inside all the hanging folders. Label the file folders clearly so that you find them quickly. When the year is completed, all you will need to do is pull the file folders out, place them in your archive box, and start over.

For example:

Hanging FolderCar
File FoldersLoan payments
             Registration
             Maintenance and  repairs

The following are a list of possible file names for a family filing system:

Accountingtax information

Bankingsavings, checking account statements January to June, July to December

Carinsurance, repairs and maintenance, registrations, licenses, tickets

Charities

Credit Cardslisted separately

General Receiptsfor general purchases such as clothes, toys, household items

House Maintenancecable, landscaping, water, heat, electric

House/Renters' Insurance

House Receiptsrepairs, appliance purchases

Legal

Life Insurance/Disability Insurance

Loans

Manualsfax machine, printer, answering machine, VCR, television

Medical/Health Insurance

Petsveterinary records, certifications

School Recordsreport cards, health records

Special OccasionsChristmas card list, gift ideas, gift receipts

Investmentspension plans, mutual funds, bonds , stocks

Telephonehouse phone, cell phone

Travel and Entertainmentairline tickets, hotel and restaurant receipts

Warrantiesfor household appliances, etc.

Home Office Files

The following is a brief list of possible file names for a home business:

Accountingtax information

Bankingsavings, checking, statements

Bills/Invoicespaid and to be paid

Cable Modem (if available and necessary to your business)

Charities

Client and Customer List

Contracts

Credit Cardsused exclusively for your business

Insurancekeep a separate file for type of insurance (business, property and liability, etc.)

Legal

Loans

Office Supplies

Orderspending, shipped, and canceled

Postal and Shipping Receipts

Professionallicenses, memberships fees, conferences

Telephonebusiness line, fax line, Internet line or DSL if no cable modem, cell phone, beeper

Travel and Entertainment

Tickler FolderKeep this file for great ideas or projects you might like to develop later

A Catastrophe File for Your Family and Your Home Office

Nobody likes to think about tragedy, but in reality bad things do happen to good people. Nobody plans to die or become injured or ill. This file is important for your family and your business because it explains what your wants and wishes are in the event of your death or if you cannot speak for yourself. If you don't feel comfortable with this sensitive information in your home then leave instructions within the Catastrophe File explaining where it can be found. Is the information with your lawyer, a trusted friend, or in a safe deposit box? Your instructions might contain this information regarding your home and business:

Safe deposit box	Name and address of the bank; where the safe deposit key can be found.
Will	Where your will can be found; the executor of your estate.
Legal Guardians	An unsettling subject that many, many parents overlook. In the event of your death, who will be responsible to raise your children? This question is not easily answered , but you wouldn't want that decision to be in somebody else's hands. Choose that person, couple, or family carefully and make sure that they agree to be legal guardians for your children before tragedy strikes.
Living Will	Keep a living will in the event that you are unable to communicate your wishes regarding medical decisions.
Health Care Proxy
Durable Power of Attorney
Lawyer	Name, address, and phone number
Accountant	Name, address, and phone number
Insurance Policies	Name, telephone, and policy numbers
Bank Accounts	Bank names with account numbers
Credit Cards	Names and account numbers
Other Assets	Properties, investments, bills of sale(s) for major assets such as cars , homes , boats, art, jewelry , furniture, office equipment, and so forth
Outstanding Debts	Names, addresses, and account numbers
Key Contacts	List the names and telephone numbers of the key contacts involved with your business

Step 3: Coming Face to Face with Your Finances

Hold on a minute. Don't skip lightly over this section because it makes you feel uneasy. The idea of taking a look at the way we handle bookkeeping gives many of us the shivers. That knot in your stomach is fear. Fear can be a powerful, negative force that keeps you from doing the things you must do like getting a handle on your bills. Some people are afraid that what they find out will hurt them. The reality is that not having control over your finances always hurts more. Ask yourself this question: How can I know where I am headed with my finances if I don't have a map? Push the fear monster aside and take charge of your life.

You will need a record-keeping system for your finances. Keep your business financial accounts separate from your personal accounts. Maintaining separate bookkeeping for your home office is needed not only for tax purposes but also for accuracy. Remember that your goal is to keep your bookkeeping simple and easy to maintain. There are record-keeping options to consider such as using a software program or a handwritten record book. Software programs such as Quicken and QuickBooks by Intuit, VersaCheck Pro by MIPS, Peachtree Complete Accounting by Peachtree, or Microsoft Money are examples of user -friendly programs that keep your business finances on track by tracking your finances, organizing budgets , bookkeeping, producing reports , charting profit and loss, and even printing checks. Ask your accountant, if you have one (and you should), for suggestions about picking the best software program for you. The IRS doesn't care how you do your bookkeeping as long as you are accurate, truthful , and can prove what you claim.

When running any business, it is important to know how you are doing financially . In other words, are you operating in the black or (gulp) in the red? How does your monthly income compare to what you are spending? Do you know where you make a profit and where you lose money? Is your business operating according to your business plan? Accurate and clear financial information provides you with a vital weapon to fight that fear monster.

An organized system for your finances saves you time and money. During tax season , you will be able to provide your accountant with all the information he or she requests . Each time your accountant has to call you to ask for this or clarification for that, you are wasting time and building up a larger bill.

Write this down

Avoid the last-minute scramble and keep all your tax information together in one place. We recommend using a folder or large, 9" x 17" envelopes. Clearly label the outside, (e.g., "Taxes 2003"). Inside, place a copy of your filed tax return plus your check stubs, receipts, and relevant documents. If you are ever audited , you will have everything all together in one place.

Step 4: Setting Up Your Home Office Life

Who wouldn't agree that our lives are jammed with busy schedules and obligations? A system of organization used every day can make order out of chaos. Utilize the suggestions in this chapter and throughout the book as your guideposts. Daily routines save you time, keep you organized, and open the door for a fulfilling home life. What's more, you will be in charge.

Digging Through Disaster

One of the first steps in becoming an organized person is to purge and sort your current "filing system" of mail, bills, and documents. It is easier to become organized and stay that way once you rid yourself of paperwork and junk mail you no longer need.

Purge and sort the mail as soon as it comes in the door. Toss out what you don't want and don't need. Put the bills in a To-Be-Paid box, place the things you need to read in a To-Be-Read box, and file everything else. This simple routine takes only minutes a day and will save you a lot of aggravation later.

Eighty percent of what we save never gets looked at again.

If you are sick to tears by all the junk mail that clogs your mailbox, there is a way to put an end to it. The reason you may be receiving more junk mail than ever is because your name and address is being sold to others by direct-marketing agencies. Did you ever notice that when you order something by catalog you receive three or four new catalogs the next month? You can request your name be taken off the list by contacting:

The Direct Marketing Association
    Mail Preference Service
         P.O. Box 9008
    Farmingdale, NY 11735
Web address: www.the-dma.org

Easy Steps to Handle Your Business Mail

• Step 1: Sort your business mail from the family mail as soon as you bring it into the house. Separate the junk mail from your bills and papers you will need to file or read.

• Step 2: Toss the junk mail directly into the garbage and be done with it.

• Step 3: File all bills into the To-Be-Paid file.

• Step 4: Open what needs to be filed; toss out whatever is not important, such as advertisements; and file directly into your filing system.

• Step 5: Place the paperwork that needs to be read into a To-Be-Read box on your desk or create a To-Be-Read file.

• Step 6: Set aside time one day during the week for paying bills and going through the To-Be-Read box.

In Chapter 4, we discussed the benefits of keeping a day planner system for time management. A day planning system can be as simple as a notebook or a wall calendar. Office superstores such as Office Depot and Staples sell a variety of day planning systems such as Day-Timer , DayRunner , or At-A-Glance . These systems can be bought for under $30 and come in a variety of sizes, themes, and colors. For those who prefer a more sophisticated planner, there are electronic organizers such as Day-Timer Electronic Page Organizer for under $30 or, for more bells and whistles, the Palm m105 Handheld Organizer priced at about $150. The Palm organizers completely replace paper-based organizers and can also provide access to the Internet.

A day planning system can act not only as a great time manager but will enable you to be organized as well. Sit down and plan to fill in as many dates, appointments, and obligations as you possibly can. In fact, do the entire year in one sitting. As daunting as that may sound, it really can be done quickly.

For those who prefer the paper-based system (day planners, lists, calendars, and notebooks ), using colored pencils or pens can be a fun way to keep track of your schedule. Keep separate what is professional from what is family. For example:

Red pencil:

Make this your home office color. Fill in all your meetings, conference calls, and deadlines.

Blue pencil:

Make this your children's color and write in all their after-school activities such as dance class, basketball games , performances , recitals, school events, parties, and even play dates.

Orange pencil:

Make this your family's color and write in all their birthdays, anniversaries, and family gatherings.

Green pencil:

Write in vacations , visitors coming into town, and day trips.

Purple pencil:

Make this your personal color. Think about scheduling all your recurring appointments for the year such as haircuts. Don't forget to schedule a little something extra for yourselfmassage, yoga, daily walks, coffee with a friend, golf, or an afternoon at the park. If you don't put in something for yourself, chances are you'll put yourself last every time.

As simple as it may sound, using colored pencils in your daily planning helps you to see important appointments faster. On a busy day, your eyes will catch the meeting with a new client if it is written in red because it will jump out at you. Is it a bother to keep these silly pencils around? Many of the office superstores sell small boxes of colored pencils that are no bulkier than a hand calculator. Tuck them in the pocket of your planner, briefcase, or desk.

Instead of writing down phone numbers and important reminders on scraps of paper and the backs of envelopes, write everything down in one steno notebook or in a day planner. Don't forget to include the date!

Step 5: Setting Your Work Week in Motion

A week can start off on the right foot or hit the skids as soon as the alarm sounds on Monday morning. The difference is being prepared for the week and knowing exactly what you want to accomplish. Your family and home obligations can take over your work time in a nanosecond if you don't prepare ahead of time.

Sunday Night: This is a good night to look over the week, decide what has to be done, and write your To-Do list for your work and for the household. We suggest not waiting until Monday morning to plan your week because if something unexpected arises, you'll be chasing yourself all day to get your list done.

The Night Before: Step 1: Get in the habit of preparing everything you will need for work and the household the night before. Clear your desk and lay out the work you plan to do first. If you have children, then their backpacks and lunches should be together on the kitchen counter or at the door.

Step 2: Get in the habit of laying out everyone's clothes the night beforedon't forget your own. If you do this often, your kids will surprise you by laying out their clothes without you. Now that's one less thing you'll need to do! For many, getting fully dressed in the home office, rather than wearing PJs or sweatpants, helps them feel the most productive.

Step 3: Gather the mail that needs to go to the post office, deposits for the bank, and rental videos to be returned and sit it all next to your keys, sunglasses, cell phone, and To-Do list.

Good Mornings: Get up before the crowd and take care of yourself first. Do the things you like to do such as taking a shower, reading the paper, and getting dressed without interruptions. Once the gang is up and about, you'll be lucky if there are five minutes left for yourself.

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