Posted by Jan Wencel on Mon, Apr 26, 2010
Last week at the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO) conference I thanked industry legend, Barbara Hemphill--Taming the Paper Tiger at Work author, for writing the statement: "Clutter is postponed decisions."
Simple, yet profound, this phrase is one I almost always include in my productivity training sessions.
When you thoughtfully examine the items cluttering your desk and office, I suspect you'll arrive in agreement with the sentiment--many items represent a postponed decision or action.
So why not make today the day you start changing your procrastination habit? Following are two questions to ask to make that happen:
What can I do in the next 15 to 20 minutes to move this forward? From The Now Habit author, Dr. Neil Fiore, this question propels many into action. No need to wait until you have enough time to complete the project. Do something now to prime the pump and maintain a forward motion.
By the end of the day, what do I want to accomplish in order to feel good about it? If you can make a habit of asking yourself this question, you'll make a habit of getting the critical stuff done. Use this daily empowerment form to capture your ideas in the morning...and to confirm they're getting checked off in the afternoon.
What questions do you use to prevent procrastination?
Posted by Jan Wencel on Tue, Apr 20, 2010
How was filing your taxes last week? Did you have difficulty finding all the proper papers to give to your tax preparer or to complete the forms yourself? Did you have to think about where to file all the papers after the forms were complete? Did you create a new 2009 file?
If you'd like to make filing tax papers easier next year, then invest in the Freedom Filer. The traditional methods most people use to file are greatly enhanced using their home filing label kit.
One of the linchpins in the system is a 10-year tax archive (the dark-blue folders in the back of the picture). From their website:
"After finishing taxes, staple all supporting documents by category and file them into a single folder in your tax archive, along with a copy of your actual tax forms. Label the ten folders in your tax archive as follows 'Tax Year 0', 'Tax Year 1', up to 'Tax Year 9'. File 2004 taxes in 'Tax Year 4', 2005 in 'Tax Year 5', and so on. Reuse each tax folder every ten years, automatically removing the documents left over from ten years past. If you prefer to keep your actual tax forms (1040, W2 etc) beyond ten years, you may set up ten additional folders, one for each tax decade, 'Tax Decade 00-09', 'Tax Decade 10-19', up to 'Tax Decade 90-99'."
Another key is their short-term odd/even tax folders (the light blue folders in the picture). The odd/even nature of the files means you reuse the folders year after year. Hip! Hip! From their website:
"Set aside any tax related documents you accumulate during the year in a dedicated section of your filing drawer. Set up tax folders according to your tax needs. You may only need a single folder for your W-2 and any miscellaneous deductions. On the other hand, you may create separate folders for itemized deductions or for home business receipts. For example, 'Medical Expenses', 'Charitable Contributions', or 'Business Bank Statements', 'Supplies', and so on. Refer to you most recent tax return to see what paper records were required. Don't worry, you can always adapt your tax folders later if you are unsure. This will help speed up your tax preparation the following years."
The system takes some getting use to, but once you learn the new way, you won't remember life without Freedom Filer.
Get 10% off Freedom Filer orders by using coupon code 8481248.