Thursday, January 15, 2009

Office Organization 101

Before we get to the organizational tips ~ I have a couple of updates and a prize to give away!!

First, Andrew has been back to the ophthamologist and the cornea has healed 40%. He goes back to the doctor today and we are believing God to hear that there will be NO permanent damage.

Second, Mark continues to be unemployed but we are continuing to believe that God works all things out for HIS Glory!!


Third, 'Never Say Diet' book giveaway!


And the winner is.......




Congratulations!

Please email me and give me your address so I can get the books in the mail right away!



NOW, I am really excited:)

From the response I received through comments and emails ~ my first organizational post was well received. So here is another one.

I thought about how I feel this time of year when I walk into my office/craft room. January is always a messy time in this room. I remove all of my files and create new ones. I have piles everywhere. Therefore, I felt confident that this would be a great place to start.

Here are a couple of pile photos
















Everything that needs to be kept or used for tax purposes goes into one box. This includes paystubs, mortgage payments, tithe information, auto insurance and fee statements, bank and financial statements, all utility bills, all medical bills and anything else I may need to refer back to.

After tax season I shred anything that I do not need to keep. This includes most utility bills, my hand written budget pages (except items which are tax deductible), and anything else I felt was important during the year but realized it really isn't. (Why do we keep so much paper?)

After everything has been pulled from the file cabinet I make new files. This year I actually chose to get new hanging files as well but I only do that every 3 or 4 years. Hanging folders are used for categories while regular files are used for subcategories.



IE: Category: Credit Cards
Sub-categories: Wells Fargo, Capital One, Choice, Kohl's Etc.





Whenever a bill comes in, I pay it and file the statement in it's file. At the end of the year everything is right where I need it for taxes.

I do this with all my paper needs.
I also keep one drawer for computer purchases and warranties.



I purchase a clear plastic file for each computer and label it. If I have any warranty issue or need to reboot the computer I just pick up that file and everything is in it.



In that drawe (photo below) I also keep all of our household warranties filed alphabetically.

Each year I go through those and discard anything we no longer own.

Now why do I start there?

I am preparing to organize a friends office next week.

I told her the best place to start is the file cabinet because if the file cabinet is cleaned out then we will have places to put all the paper stuff. After the papers are all put away we can focus on other things.

Getting paperwork in it's place is so helpful. It keeps you organized and prepared for tax season. There is nothing I hate more than having to search for something important when tax season rolls around.

I hope this was helpful to you. Please feel free to comment or email if you have any questions. I absolutely LOVE to talk about this subject. Next Friday I will continue with Office Organization 101.

Considering It All Joy!
Cindy

12 comments:

  1. Cindy, I was so excited to visit here this morning knowing that I was going to get some office tips! I actually have already sorted all my papers in our office and that job is done!! -Thankfully. I wish I had thought to purchase some pretty pink file folders - something that would look a little more fun and inviting...oh well, next time :o)

    I can't wait to see what you're going to do in your friends office. I'm suppose to be spending my day in our office/craft room organizing, but part of me wants to wait and see what you do and learn from a master organizer! I'll see what I can do. I took 'before' pictures of my office too, and I can't wait to see the transformation.

    Slow and steady wins the race!
    Have a great day. Too bad you aren't here with me - I'm sure I'd get more accomplished :o)

    Blessings,
    Joy
    PS. My husband was thrilled when he saw the bathroom cupboards cleaned out. Thanks for that motivation!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Now this is what I call good, clean fun! Every January, I vow to keep records as I go along to ease the pain of tax season. I confess I often start off with a bang and then fall to the wayside. Thanks for today's inspiration - you don't, by any chance, make house calls in Virginia?!?

    ReplyDelete
  3. I'm so pleased to have won the book giveaway, Cindy. Anyone visiting my blog will notice my weight loss ticker as I track my progress so these books will help me keep focused on my goals. This is the first giveaway I've won and I appreciate your generosity.

    Great organization tips for the office! Every January 1, I start a new file for anything we will need to keep for the next tax filing and have a separate file for medical receipts that goes with the tax file. These files stay together in the file cabinet. I have a plastic file folder storage box that has the previous years' tax folders and copies of the tax forms filed.

    I've listed these ideas as well as some others at my blog.

    I'm looking forward to more ideas from you. Thanks so much for sharing with us.

    ReplyDelete
  4. So glad to hear the good news about Andrew's eye. Hopefully he'll get more good news from the doctor!

    Thanks so much for these tips. It makes total sense to start with organizing your file cabinet first (though I admit I never would have thought of that)! Like you said, if I could get that in order, then I would have a plce to put all of these paper stacks sitting on my desk. So, now I just need to bite the bullet and do it. And, oh, it's not going to be fun!

    ReplyDelete
  5. My goodness. I think I still have papers in my files from 15 years ago. At this point, going through them would take a bulldozer. YOu are so smart to do it regularly to keep down on the unnecessary papers. Maybe some of that will rub off on me...

    ReplyDelete
  6. I just posted on my first cleaning out of the new year. I always go through the filing cabinets before I do our tax returns. This year my ancient shredder gave it's life for the cause. I'm praying hard for good ideas as I go through all the other cabinets in the house this winter. It's hard sometimes to decide what to put where and with what...AND THEN to remember the logic I used the next time I'm looking for something.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Love your organization skillz!

    btw...YOU WON the calendar give-a-way! I will need your email address so I can get your address.

    Congrats!!
    Carrie

    ReplyDelete
  8. Cindy I LOVED this post!! I so need help with my organziational skills!! i'm going to show this to my husband since he's the one who does the bills but this is a fabulous idea!! I look foreword to reading more!!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hey, Cindy!
    I just stopped by to say hello! You've been B-U-S-Y!
    Hope you are well!
    Love you,
    Angie xoxo

    ReplyDelete
  10. My house is pretty organized except for the place I spend most of my time in; my office! I love the tips you gave. Right now I have files all over my floor and I'm trying to get everything organized.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Great organizational thoughts and tips. I have a four drawer filing cabinet and I am meticulous about everthing being filed. I don't have papers laying around anywhere.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Cindy...are you on Facebook? I just posted my "From Clutter to Clean" in an album on Facebook, so you could view my pictures there. You have so inspired me to keep going!!!! My closet is next :o)

    Trust all is well with you,
    Love & prayers,
    Joy

    ReplyDelete

Hi Friend, I read and cherish every single comment you leave! You bring Joy to my heart! Blessings, Cindy