Are you using all of the features your cell phone has to offer like the memo pad? Anytime you have something that you want to write down such as grocery list, idea or anything you need to remember, use the memo pad feature on your phone to record. All of your notes will be organized and ready for future reference.

Just a reminder to everyone that today is tax day. Please keep all of your records organized after submitting your forms and be sure to have your 2008 file ready to go. While everything is fresh in your memory make a list of everything you needed to complete your 2007 taxes.
Do whatever you can do to make compiling next years taxes a breeze.

Here are a few tips on organizing your home office and other papers for spring.

• Spring also means tax returns, so it's a good time to set up your 2008 tax file. After completing your 2007 taxes, make a list of the documents you submitted. Include a copy of this list for your 2008 taxes as a guide.
  

• Lighten your paper load in other areas. Toss magazines and catalogs, old newspapers from the fall and winter. Rule of thumb: only keep magazines from the current season.

Did you help the environment on March 29th by turning off your lights for Earth Hour? Millions of people turned off their lights in major cities to help movement against global warming.
21 hundred corporations joined the movement. 2.2 million people turned off their lights for one hour resulting in a 10.2% energy reduction. This is compared to taking 48,000 cars off the road. We did it in Chicago and it was quite a site to see buildings such as the John Hancock and Tribune building turned off for 1 hour. It was easier than we thought!

Want to get rid of junk mail and save the earth? Sign up for Green Dimes where they remove your name from mailing lists. Along with your $20 fee they also plant 10 trees on your behalf! How nice is that? We love it!

I highly recommend using a single notebook to keep track of notes. Use this instead of writing notes on little pieces of paper. Here is the rule on shifting your note taking to the notebook. You must go through your notebook on a regular basis or your notes will get lost in the shuffle of your 200 page notebook. Please write the date on the top of each page so you have an idea of when you took the note. Dont shift around to the middle and back of the notebook to write notes. They too will get lost. Finally pull sheets out when you have completed the tasks on the page. Your notebook should be out of pages when you are done with it. Then you can go out and buy a new one.

Yesterday I posted step 1 of getting organized. Here is the 2nd step to help make organization a part of your daily routine.

#2 Make a plan.
Let’s say you’d like to have more balance in your life and spend more time with your children. So start brainstorming ideas on how you can achieve that. Look for ways to trim wasted time or do things more efficiently. Start with Larger concepts, such as stop wasting time looking for misplaced items, then drill down with specific steps to help achieve that goal. For example, you could determine a specific place to put away your keys as soon as you walk in the door and resolve to do it each and every day. Keep going until you have a plan.

Want to get organized in 2008? Here's how to make it stick.

Every year, getting organized makes the top ten list of New Year's resolutions. If so many of us want to get organized, why is it so hard to achieve? Here's the 1st step to help make organization a part of your daily routine.

#1 Get Perspective

Many people find it hard to stay organized because they don't have the right perspective. Getting organized shouldn't be a goal unto itself. Organization is a tool to achieve life's bigger goals. For example, someone might say they want to get organized but what they're really looking for is more balance in their life. By being organized, they wouldn't waste so much time looking for misplaced items, such as keys and glasses. They wouldn't get stressed by running late so often. The goal is much more than simply having a neat house. It's about quality of life. So before you start trying to get organized, ask yourself, what are the big picture goals you want to achieve? Do you want more balance in your work and personal life, to be more productive at work, or even get out of debt? Those are worthy goals. Your plan for getting organized should be centered on achieving a bigger goal.

Stop! Don’t throw away any computer equipment, cell phones or other electronic device before checking with your local Staples store. They are offering a recycling program for the low low price of $10 at 1,400 store locations. Please do not throw any of theses in the garbage when it can be properly recycled. Items do not need to be purchased from a Staples store and the brand doesn’t matter. Just don’t bring tv’s, mice, keyboards or printers.
Just recycle!

Need to get rid of those DVD's, VHS tapes or any other computer related items? Contact Greendisk and let them recycle those items properly. Get their Technotrash box, fill up with computer or techy items and send back to them. Its that easy!

Is your computer running slow?
How many applications are currently open on your computer? The more applications you have open on your computer the slower it will run. It's just like having too many projects, folders and papers covering your workspace.
Try closing some of the applications you are not working on and see if things move a little faster. It's a good habit to get into. Finish what you are working on and close out of the program.

I needed to create a shopping list so I composed a new email and sent it to myself. While waiting for a coffee I remembered a few things that I needed at the store. I went to my inbox reopened the email shopping list added the new items and forwarded it myself. Now the latest email is the most updated. It has the same subject just forwarded.

Everything in my email inbox is something I need to do. If I need a new email message for a later date I will archive the email.
If the email is a large task than I will create an event on my calender. With this system if I come up with an idea or something I need to do I send myself an email.
I just remembered something I need to do tomorrow for work so I sent myself an email so that it will be in my inbox tomorrow morning.
The goal is to not leave emails in my inbox. Create a system so you empty out your inbox every day. Use your inbox for a tasks you need to address

Do you know how many germs are floating around the typical officespace? I don’t and I don’t want to know. Chicago’s Northwestern Memorial Hospital has done studies that show most offices are virtually petri dishes of germs. Working in a corporate environment means you’re likely to get more exposure to the cold that is going around.
You probably know to wash your hands or use the antibacterial solution wheneverpossible. But what about the germs on your desk and file cabinets? Before you leave the office at the end of the day, it’s important to clean yourdesk off at work before the cleaning crew gets there so they can actually clean off the surfaces instead of around your piles of paper. If you can’t do it during the week, at least do it on Friday's! I bet you didn’t think that getting organized would help you stay healthy especially in your office?

I see a lot of different scheduling tools. What is your favorite and why?
Some people like to use paper planners while others cant's live without their palm pilot. Some use large blotters on their desk or dry erase boards to write a simple note or a "do not forget". Send us your comment about your favorite scheduling tools we would like to hear them!

Are you tired of being greeted every Monday morning by a cluttered office? For 2007 why not take a few moments this week to turn your work space around with these three simple office organizing tips.


1. Give yourself plenty of work space by clearing items off your desktop that are not part of your daily work routine. Move pictures and knickknacks off your desktop and hang them on the wall or place them on a shelf.

2. Only keep a small amount of office supplies in your work space. The majority of office supplies should be stored in a supply closet.

3. Place the telephone in a convenient place opposite your writing hand. This way you can answer the phone and have your writing hand free for taking notes.

These three simple tips will help you start to gain control of a cluttered office for 2007. Look for more posts on this subject soon.

Best wishes for the new year!

-Karli