Planning

Administrative Professionals Day and Earth Day

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I am trying a new format with my weekly newsletter and this blog. If you have been receiving the newsletter you know that each week I give you a decluttering/organizing tip along with dates and links for events that are occurring during the current month.

The newsletter has become lengthy so I have decided to break it up. The “Cut Clutter With Scissors Newsletter” will continue to give you a weekly tip. It will be a quick read so you can easily take action on the tip.

Since this blog is named “Organize by the Month” I will be putting the dates and website links here. You can sign up on the right sidebar to receive notification of each blog post. I will also list the recent blog posts on the newsletter. If you have any comments, suggestions, or questions about this change please let me know in the comment section. Thanks.

This week has two main events taking place. The first is Administrative Professionals Week/Day and the second is Earth Day. The first may or may not effect you directly but Earth Day effects all of us.

Wednesday April 21

This Wednesday, April 21, is Administrative Professionals Day. Many people remember it as Secretaries Day which was the original name. If you have someone who works for you as a secretary, administrative assistant, or by any other title be sure to recognize how much they do for you.

The whole week is designated at Administrative Professional Week so you don’t have to wait until Wednesday to celebrate it.

If you are the administrative assistant or secretary with a boss that is clueless then send him/her the links below. Unless he/she already show their appreciation on a regular basis it may be time to educate them on what this week and day is all about. After all, it’s been around for 58 years. It’s time they got with the program!

Check out these sites to give you more information.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Administrative_Professionals%27_Day

http://www.iaap-hq.org/newsroom/apw/index.html

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Thursday April 22

The other event taking place this week is Earth Day. The message from Earth Day applies to all of us. We live on this planet and we need to take care of it. If our homes are cluttered and filled with chemicals and other products that harm our bodies the house can become inhabitable. The same is true for the earth.

Check out the sites below to find ways you can help clean up your home while at the same time clean up the bigger home we all share – Earth.

http://www.epa.gov/earthday/

http://holidays.kaboose.com/earth-day/

http://www.timeforkids.com/TFK/kids/specials/articles/0,28285,1601801,00.html

http://earthday.org/

Janice

https://cutclutterwithscissors.com

http://twitter.com/jlscissors Be sure to follow me on Twitter for my almost daily Cut Cutter Tips.

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Transitioning Winter to Spring Clothes

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March is a transition month for clothing in many parts of the country. It’s been in the 60’s here all week. I pulled out the short sleeve shirts. Yea! But this weekend it’s suppose to get cold again. Boo!

So I can’t put away the winter clothes just yet but some days I need the spring clothes. Layering is the best way to go.

An easy way to transition your winter to spring clothes is to use babysteps. In the next week or two you can start packing away the heavy clothes you won’t be wearing again until next winter. Give away anything that wasn’t worn because it didn’t fit or you didn’t like it. No reason to take up valuable storage space.

Each week take a few minutes to go through your clothes and pull out more and more of the winter ones. At the same time you want to unpack the spring clothes, especially the ones that layer well.

By the time the warm weather is here to stay your closets & drawers will be transitioned over. And all you had to do was spend a little time each week to get it done.

Janice

https://cutclutterwithscissors.com

http://twitter.com/jlscissors

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Cut the Clutter One Layer At A Time

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When there is a lot of clutter laying around sometimes it’s hard to know where to start. Most people have heard the saying “peeling an onion” applied to many different things. A few years ago I heard it applied towards clearing out clutter. I think it was Flylady (Flylady.net) but I’m not 100% sure. Either way, the idea has stuck with me and helps when I need to tackle some clutter.

 

You can peel an onion one layer at a time. The outer layers are usually easy to peel off. As the layers get smaller and tighter they take more effort. The same is true with clutter. The outer layers of clutter are the items that should be trashed or recycled without thinking about them too much. These might be old newspapers, magazines, empty food cans & wrappers, clothes that no longer fits, or any other item that is trash.

Once that layer is out of the house you can move on to the next layer. This layer shouldn’t be to hard either. It’s mainly putting the things you want to keep in their proper place. They are only temporary clutter because they haven’t been put away. These might be papers, toys, DVD’s, clothes, etc. that aren’t in the room where they belong.

As you get into the next couple of layers it will be harder to get rid of the items. The excuses to keep things start popping up. These are not the emotional excuses but the practical ones.

  • What if I need this item someday?
  • I’m always misplacing things so I need lots of extras.
  • I paid good money for this item. I can’t get rid of it even though I don’t use it.

The inner layers are the toughest to get rid of. These are the ones with emotional attachments. The reasoning behind these emotions may not make sense but that doesn’t make it any easier to get rid of the item.

  • I don’t like the item but it was a gift from my aunt so I can’t get rid of it.
  • I inherited the item. It must have been important to my loved one, so it must be important to me.
  • I’ve had it so long so it must mean something to me even if I can’t remember what that something is.

Keep things for the right reasons, not irrational ones.

When you cut an onion it can make you cry. The same thing can happen when you try to let go of clutter. The first couple of layers aren’t too bad but those inner layers will get to you and can take longer.  Go ahead and cry over the clutter, then get rid of it.

What’s left after you peel away the clutter are your precious things that add value to your life.

Janice

 

 

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Organize Your Tax Papers

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It’s income tax time again, Americans: time to gather up those receipts, get out those tax forms, sharpen up that pencil, and stab yourself in the aorta.    ~Dave Barry

Last night I decided it was time to start getting all my tax papers together and organized. All year long I put receipts, pay stubs, and other tax related papers into folders. Now I need to separate the papers in each folder by category to make it easier to do my taxes.

I use Turbo Tax and when you go through the program it asks for information in a certain order. You may use a different tax program but it probably works the same way. By having the papers separated it’s much easier, faster, and less likely I will not miss entering any information.

Here are the categories I use to separate my papers.

Income:

  • W-2’s
  • 1099’s: Misc., Retirement, Interest, Dividends, etc.
  • Investment Income: Brokerage and bank year end statements

Deductions:

  • Charity donations
  • Mortgage Interest
  • Property taxes
  • Student loan interest paid
  • College expenses
  • Medical expenses

If you have business income and will be filing a Schedule C (self employment) then gather all those papers and separate them by income and expenses.

Now you’ll be ready to sit down and do those taxes.

Today, it takes more brains and effort to make out the income-tax form than it does to make the income.   ~Alfred E. Neuman

To a lighter load along the way.

Janice

P.S.  If you’re looking for support with dealing with paper clutter, join the free private Facebook group. “Controlling Paper Clutter Support Group” 

 

 

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Company Coming – Time To Clean!

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I find it interesting that when I am cleaning the house to have company over I notice things that are in my “blind spots” the rest of the time. For example, I have white baseboards which of course have the tendency to show dirt. Most of the time I don’t even notice the slight darker color on the top of them.

I had company over for the Superbowl yesterday and while vacuuming IMGP0746-1_edited-1 all of the sudden the dirt on the baseboards seemed to have a spotlight shining on all their dirtiness. Would my company notice my lack of housecleaning skills? I couldn’t take a chance. So I got a damp rag and wiped the baseboards clean.

 

This happens anytime I have company over. The problem is I don’t have company all that often so those “blind spots” have a tendency to be neglected for too long.

Of course if I followed Flylady’s zone cleaning each month the baseboards wouldn’t get so bad. Unfortunately, after 8 years I still have a problem following some of her routines. I’m good with most of them but I’m not perfect nor do I expect to be. I’ve learned what works for me and believe everyone needs to figure out what works best for them. That’s why there are so many different ways to declutter and organize your home. Sometimes you can read a suggestion and know it will work for you. Sometimes it’s a matter of trial and error. The key is to never give up.

Yes, I beat myself up a little for not having the house perfectly clean. Did my friends notice? They never said a word and I wasn’t going to bring it up. After all, they are my friends. They weren’t about to pull out white gloves and check for dirt on the baseboards.

Maybe I should just plan on having company at least once a month. That would help me keep those “blind spots” clean.

Janice

Website/blog:  CutClutterWithScisors

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