Make year-end wrap up a breeze
The final month of the year has arrived. Along with wistful thoughts of another year gone by, for many of us it's also time to wrap things up and reorganize before a new year begins. Use the following as your guide.
Review current files. If you're like most people, you have files bulging with additional background information, extraneous emails, and just-in-case spreadsheets. Use folders for essential documents and sub-folders for non-critical items. This keeps papers from jumbling and keeps you from fumbling during meetings.
Cull your filing cabinet. Where do you put the weekly articles your boss gives you or the handout from last month's sales meeting? No doubt shoved into a file somewhere, but will you ever look at them again? Take a cold, hard look at your files and shred or recycle what you don't need. Consider scanning documents into your computer to free up valuable drawer space.
And while you're rummaging through your file cabinet, re-evaluate the categories you use. Five folders all labeled miscellaneous mean you need a better system. Neaten up by replacing dog-eared folders and using box-bottom files for overstuffed hanging files.
Reorganize your desk drawers. Empty each drawer, wipe it out, then create a place for everything. Devote a drawer or section of a drawer to a specific task - e.g, writing supplies to include pens, pencils, note pads, clips, and markers.
Donate. Sure, those self-inking rubber stamps with the smiley face seemed like a great idea at the time, but have they outlived their cuteness? Now may be the time to donate them, and you may even get a tax deduction too.
Mark the dates - but only in one calendar! Choose a single calendar that works best for you whether that's electronic or paper. Use a different color ink for personal and business dates.
Delete electronic files. While you're organizing, don't forget your computer. Trash out-of-date drafts and duplicate files. That goes for email too. Graphics files and presentation slides as attachments can take up a significant amount of space.
Performing these simple steps will make year-end wrap up a breeze and get you organized and productive for the upcoming year.
Seven of the Best Organization Products
Here's a list of some of the top organizing products for every room in your life.
Garage Hooks.
The key to any organization is to use the vertical space; so as much as possible, get things up on the wall. This means buying the racks that are specially made to hold shovels, rakes and the like, as well as the gadgets found in a hardware or home center store that will hold bikes on the wall and a multitude of other paraphernalia all of us store in the garage or basement.
Box Bottom Hanging Files.
If your hanging folders are bulging with paper or you have many folders within a category in your hanging folder, consider using a box-bottom hanging folder. They have flat bottoms (cardboard at the bottom keeps them flat) and come in 1-inch, 2-inch and larger widths. Using these prevents folders and papers from spilling out of the top of their hanging folder.
Drawer Dividers.
Yes, we all need junk drawers, but they don't have to look that way. Keep your junk drawer and any other drawer, including sock and underwear drawers and desk drawers, looking neat with drawer dividers. There are two different types of drawer dividers. One is an 'Expand-a-Drawer' which is a one-piece item that expands to fit most kitchen-sized drawers. The other type comes in individual pieces that usually come in combinations of three-inch sizes. Drawer organizers with compartments make it easy to stash paper clips, rubber bands and the like in a tidy, self-contained area.
Bins.
When you hear the word bin, you think of the large plastic tubs that can store seasonal decorations. And yes, those are great to keep the basement and closets organized. In fact, they can be purchased in colors specially geared to the season for easy identification. But don't let your imagination stop there. There are leather-covered bins and linen-covered bins that come in a variety of colors and are ideal for keeping magazines tidy on a coffee table or even for storing folded shirts in a closet. Plastic bins are equally as good for storing potatoes and onions in the pantry as they are for storing CDs and DV Ds in the office. When it comes to bins, they may be among the handiest organizational products out there.
Shredders.
If you're in the middle of purging and are throwing out old tax returns or cancelled checks, consider using a shredder to protect your identity and minimize the paper that ends up in a landfill and protect your identity. If your needs are minimal, a small portable shredder may do the trick. If you need to shred volumes on a daily basis, go for the larger, high-capacity machines.
Calendar/PDA (Personal Digital Assistant).
To keep track of appointments, birthdays, and everyday tasks, a calendar or PDA is a must. Or, if you prefer to handwrite your reminders, purchase an appointment calendar that gives you the space you need. Choose from versions that show a day, week or month at a time. Many also come with address pages so that you can keep your contact information right with your calendar.
Label Maker.
Label a bin and for some mystical reason it tends to be used for what it was intended for. Somehow a label makes everything official, from a new set of file folders to boxes storing old photographs. Make it a practice to label everything from the get-go. When you start a new file, put an official label on it instead of handwriting one. It will look neater and soon, you'll want everything in your life to be labeled.
