2014 January Get Organized Month– January 1-15, 2014

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January is GO Month. That means that it is time to start the year off right and GET ORGANIZED.

•  Jan. 1 Update your new 2014 calendar with important business and personal dates: monthly birthdays, anniversaries, doctor & dentist appointments, car tune ups, school PD days. Scheduled vacations. Review the whole year at a glance. Sync with your ‘family’ wall calendar & your spouse’s calendar.

•  Jan. 2 Check with your children to see if they have homework over the holidays. Get them started so they don’t panic on Sunday night. Review knapsacks. Wash and replace gym clothes. Review binders, books, pencil case for anything that is torn, damaged or needs re-stocking.
•  Jan. 3 Start taking down your holiday decorations. Pack and store them in well-sealed and label containers. I print off a short list in large easy-to-read font with a list of contents. Label the top and front of the bin for easy review. Evaluate what you want to keep for next year, what has seen its last Christmas and what you want to pick up if you see it on sale. This is a good time to pick up Christmas cards for 50-75% off.
• Jan. 4 As you store the boxes, review what you are keeping in the storage room, crawl space or closet. This is a good time to get rid of at least three things that you no longer need to store (old ski boots, clothing or coats that you’ve been storing that no longer fits, broken luggage you’ve been meaning to fix). Check the area around your furnace and hot water heater – make sure there is nothing too close.
• Jan. 5 Create a family meal plan for the week and shop for the groceries that you need to begin the week. Make any make ahead meals or prep meals for the next couple of days. Consider slow cooker meals and what is in the freezer already that needs to be used up. Meal planning is an EASY and sure-fire way of getting organized. (b) review holiday meal left overs, wipe down the fridge and clean out the veggie bins.
• Jan. 6 Set up your 2014 filing system for paperwork. Get your 2013 expense receipts, invoices, & paperwork together to get ready to send to bookkeeper or accountant. You’ll wait for final bills, bank statements, government forms, charity receipts etc. before you send those off. Set up an accordion file folder with the categories (CRA business expense list) that you use on a tax form. It cuts down the ‘sorting’ that needs to be done at year-end.
• Jan. 7 Wrap up holiday greeting cards: review the Christmas cards that you received. Update with new additions, delete those that only sent ‘electronic greetings’. Update names or any change of address.
• Jan. 8 Update your contact list on LinkedIn. Get all those business cards that you have accumulated at all those conferences, networking events and business meetings.  Send invitations to connect to those that are important to building your business. Send out New Year’s greetings and add to your network

•  Jan. 9 Change all your passwords.  You should be changing your passwords fairly regularly and it is important to keep hackers at bay. So go to all your social media platforms and change the password.  Have trouble remembering what your new password is?  Write it down in a non-descript notebook and lock that away (from your kids or co-workers).

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• Jan. 10 Make a list of the errands you need to run on Saturday. Do you have to drop off the dry cleaning, fix the faucet, send a print to be framed, pick up a birthday gift for your mother-in-law? Make a list and map out where you need to go. Something that simple can save you money and time.
• Jan. 11 Check your car:  Windshield wiper fluid, tire air pressure, car survival kit (blanket, extra gloves, water, granola bars, flashlight, jumper cables, ice scraper, some salt or sand).  All of these items can help you when you are in a pinch.

• Jan. 12 Tackle your kitchen. Go through your cupboards and get rid of any items you no longer use. You don’t need 5 frying pans.  Keep the three (in different sizes) and get rid of the rest. Clean your cutlery tray (yes, the one full of crumbs), organize any drawers (junk drawer, kitchen utensils, linens).
• Jan. 13 Go to your office, sit at your desk and assess what is on your desk top.  Do you have piles of paper? Unread articles, magazines, newspapers? Unopened mail? A broken printer?  Extra cables?  Take 20 minutes this morning to clear your desk and organize your work space.
• Jan. 14 Create a spreadsheet on Google Drive or on your laptop to keep track of your expenses.  Maybe there is an app that you can use on your smartphone or on your tablet.  Research the one that works for others.  Once you have organized your spreadsheet make an appointment with yourself to add the week’s receipts to the spreadsheet.  Say Fridays, 10:30 am… every week!
• Jan. 15 Make sure that you have a recycle in every room of your house.  We have ones in the kitchen, office both upstairs bathroom and in a few of the kids room.  Encourage recycling in your house whenever possible.

This is the start of the year… so I hope these tips help you GET ORGANIZED this month.

 

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 🥾 Explore: Tours & Experiences
🏡 Where to Stay: Top Accommodations
🚙 Hit the Road: Car Rental Deals
🛫 Get Away: Find Flight Deals
🎒 Shop: Travel Essentials