www.FinallyFiled
  • FinallyFiled
    • Newsletter Sign Up
  • Peace by Piece
  • Health Care Advocate
    • Understanding Insurance
    • Medical Information
    • Navigating your Benefits
  • Blogs
    • You Tube
  • Your Organized Home
    • Accessible Home >
      • Grand Central
      • Accessable Kitchens
      • Functional Fridge
      • Compatible Closet
      • Favorite Businesses >
        • Lupus of MN
        • Clothing
        • Junk Mail

Hunting and gathering

2/9/2016

Comments

 
Picture
Yesterday I was at a client's house sorting through layers of documents and receipts.  While it was great that she had everything in one place, it was a mishmash of everything. Sorting was a challenge, but with a few organizing techniques, it went pretty quickly. 

And we found an important document she was hunting for that needed to be filed with the state!  Woo-hoo!

If you are a hunter (papers all over the place and you have to go searching) or gather-er (one huge pile of everything) some of the tricks to getting your paperwork organized is the same. 
  • Face all the papers upwards.
  • Create some meta categories:  Bills, insurance, home, taxes, etc  There should be only 4-6. These are "big picture".
  • Pick out all of one kind of paperwork..  Start with junk mail
  • As you are searching for all the junk mail, keep an eye out for several of the same item or category (banking records)
  • Pull the next set of one item or category out of the pile and paperclip together.  Set this on one of your meta category piles or put in a folder.  Make sure to label what's inside!
  • Tip:  You can use manila folders over and over when you use a Post-It as a label.  When you are done sorting and filing your documents, simply peel off. 
  • Continue with other documents in your pile until everything is on one of your meta categories..
  • Now you can subdivide whatever is in your meta categories into their respective locations for sorting and filing. You may find that you put your documents in one pile, but it needs to be moved somewhere else.
Filing tip:  Be consistent!  Whether you file your documents with most recent date in front or in back, be consistent with each file.  Ditto for electronic or cloud storage.

To Your Most Peaceful Self!


Comments

Insecure

2/2/2016

Comments

 
Picture
Have you ever been in a situation where you felt insecure?  It's not a nice feeling. Not only do you feel out of place at the time, but then you worry about it afterwards.

Filing your taxes can give you that same feeling.  Not only do you have to file your taxes, but you may worry that you have all of your ducks I a row.  Did you get everything together?  Is it complete.

Most importantly, is it secure?  Your information is a commodity.  There are lots of people who would like to get ahold of it.  Cyber criminals are always scanning to find information to steal.

The good news is that there are easy steps you can take to keep your information safe.
  • Change your passwords! - I know, blah, blah, blah.  But changing your passwords is like washing your hands.  Keeps intruders at bay
  • Keep your passwords in a safe place - not on a sticky note in site
  • Be creative - know another language?  Use it.  Or use a phrase - (Il@veorganizing)
  • Use secure portals for sharing information
  • Filter you inbox to show only friends and known businesses.  This will keep potential "updates" from ending up in your inbox.
  • Get off email lists - www.unrollme.com
  • Set your browser settings to a higher security level
  • Set your device to require a password to log in.
  • Completely log out after your session.
  • Don't give out unnecessary information - when checking out at a store and they ask you for your phone or email, remember you don't have to give it.
  • Backup, backup, backup.  And then create a copy of your backup.

By establishing best practices it's easy to feel confident that you are protecting yourself. It puts your mind at peace.

To Your Most Peaceful Self

Comments

Accountability

1/19/2016

Comments

 
Picture
Remember when you couldn't wait to grow up and do anything you wanted?  How did that turn out?  I'm guessing it's not quite as much freedom as you expected. 

I recently was talking with my cousin who needed to sign up for health insurance.  She was putting it off because she didn't want to deal with it.  I told her that I wanted her to email me by the end of the week to make sure she did it.  Guess what?  She did.

Being accountable helps to motivate you when you least want to be. Like this time of the year when you start getting your tax information.  You know you have to be accountable for that!

What one thing have you been putting off that you are accountable for?  Find an accountability partner and get it done!

To your Most Peaceful Self


Picture
Click here to get some great tax tips.

Or here for the IRS
Comments

Intentions

1/12/2016

Comments

 
Picture
Do you feel guilty just reading that word?  Ours are all good, but the follow through is, well, not so much.Why?  Because we are attending to so many other things.

For a few months now I have been intending to spend more time meditating.  Or at least have some quiet time in my head.  Unfortunately, my attention gets caught up in a million other things. It's only when I pay intentional attention to the meditation that I benefit from the time.  (This is my favorite:   Meditation Oasis)

There will always be things to attend to.  But you can be intentional in the task at hand.  Pick one task today and do it intentionally.  With purpose and emotion.  Focus on what is happening immediately around you. 

To Your Most Peaceful and Intentional Self.

Comments

Photo opportunity

1/5/2016

Comments

 
Picture
How many pix did you take over the holidays?  How many have been sent to you?  What are you doing with them besides keeping them in your smartphone?

PRINT THEM and share the joy!

Pictures are a way to remind you of special times.  While online photos are great, it simply isn't the same as having them in hand.  Think of it as the difference between an email Christmas card and actually getting a card in the mail.

How to share:

(always use photo safe materials)
  • Create your own paper/photo album
  • Upload your photos to create an actual book (www.shutterfly.com)
  • Create a memory book of the special event day for someone 
  • Put them in a bowl on your coffee table or desk (great conversation starter)
 Backup suggestions:
  • External hard drive
  • Evernote
  • Dropbox
  • Carbonite or other cloud storage
  • Computer (make sure you do a backup to this too)

To your most peaceful, and picture perfect self
Comments

Are we clear?

12/29/2015

Comments

 
Picture
It snowed here in Minneapolis and there was a lot of clearing going on.  The snow plows were in full force and snowblowers were working hard in the southern parts of the Twin Cities.

And just like clearing out the driveway, now is a perfect time to clear your mind.  It's time to make a clear path towards the future. Time to clear out all the stuff from 2015. 

Clearing your conscious and emotional mind allows you to be your best advocate. The new year is upon you. What are you looking forward to?  What are you dreaming about that you wish would happen? Where do you want to go?  What is your nagging thing that you just can't deal with any more?   What change do you want?

Write these thoughts down!  Write at least ONE THING that is completely all about YOU. It's ok that it's not perfectly clear on how you are going to accomplish it. Hang out with your thoughts from time to time and the clarity of your dreams and goals will come to you.  
 

To Your Most Peaceful Self

Picture
I want help in making my one thing happen.

Comments

Orange you glad

12/21/2015

Comments

 
Picture
There is something decadent about having oranges in the winter.  Not the supermarket kind. The kind you order from Florida.  So delicious and they are great for staying healthy. 

While the best stay healthy tip every day is drink more (purified) water, here are 5 simple things you can do during the holidays.

To your Most Peaceful, and Healthy, Self




Read More
Comments

No you don't!

12/15/2015

Comments

 
Picture
If I don't have a to do list, nothing gets done.  First off, I have to write  everything down when I think of it or I'll forget it.  Secondly, a list helps me mentally keep track of what I want to accomplish or get done.

Yet sometimes we make our lists so long there is no possible way to get everything done. So here is my top ten list of knowing what NOT to put on your gotta get done list.
  • Does it get you closer to a bigger goal?
  • Does doing it make you happy or anxious?
  • Is it really your task or have you just been doing it all along?
  • Do you have the energy to do it?
  • Do you have the time to do it?  When?
  • What would happen if you didn't do it?
  • Can you do a modified version or have it be "good enough?"
  • Are you trying to do it when you re least productive? 
  • Will doing it make something else easier?

There is a difference in having a productive to do list.  And there is a list that will simply make you crazy.  Make your list.  Then take only the pieces that are really necessary.  Be brutal and honest about it.  Ask yourself "what's the worst thing that would happen if I don't do this?" 

To Your Most Peaceful Self  (and if you need help, contact me!)


Comments

NExt year I'm going to....

12/9/2015

Comments

 
Picture
.Where are you putting your energy right now?  Work?  Thinking about the holidays?  Trying to figure out how everything is going to get done?  Are you spending emotional energy on upcoming "family dynamics".  There are a lot of things that are pulling your energy right now and I would venture to say that while the holidays are exciting and wonderful, you might just be thinking you can't wait until things settle down.

And this is exactly why you should not even think about starting something new January first

In a job interview I was asked the age old question "where do you want to be in one year?".  At the time, I had just been through a really crazy time in my life.  To that date it was the hardest time ever and I responded that although I wasn't really sure, I did know that I didn't want my life to be so crazy.  I was done and done-er with that.  (It struck a chord and I got the job).

My fellow organizer Jane Scheidnes, (The Art of Organizing) shared some good advice.  Sometimes you have to let things thaw.  You don't just pull a steak out of the freezer and cook it. If you did, you would have something that tasted very different than if you waited and allowed the process to happen.

Right now, put all these ideas on ice. You have plenty of craziness going on.  For now, write ideas and your "next year I'm going to list" in a notebook or journal.  Keep them together and as you have ideas or goals, write them down.  Write what inspired you about that goal or idea.  Just don't put any more energy or action into your list.  When the time is right you will have the energy to focus on what is important to you.

To your Most Peaceful Self



Comments

Self Care

7/21/2015

Comments

 
Picture
Martha was right!

I don’t think I will ever get over my struggle with having to “go horizontal” and rest I the afternoon. I am stubborn that way.  Some days it makes me crazy.  But over time I have come to realize that “it’s a good thing”. 

Self-care can be difficult.  If you are like me, you feel guilty for taking time for yourself.  Or you might feel as if you need to explain yourself.  Or maybe you just don’t say anything for fear you will be seen as lazy or somehow less than “perfect”.

Get over it!  You have heard it before:  you need to take care of yourself before you can take care of anyone else. 

Your top tip today is this:  Be stubborn and schedule time for yourself every week.  When you do you will feel even more capable of clearing out the negative and creating an emotional and spiritual environment.

And that my friends, is a very good thing!


To your most peaceful self.

Tell me more
Picture
Comments
<<Previous

    Archives

    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015

    Categories

    All
    Apartment Therapy
    App
    Bathtub
    Budget
    Calendar
    Clarity
    Clear
    Clear Brain
    Color
    Contain
    Control
    Crazy
    Curejoy
    Date
    Days
    Donate
    Don't
    Drowning
    Emotional Energy
    Energy
    Entry
    Fire
    Fix
    Gentle
    Goal
    Goals
    Graduatiion
    Hats
    Inbox
    Lint
    Max
    Meta Categoriy
    Multiples
    Nancy
    Orange
    Password
    Piecefully
    Play
    Postphone
    Reminders
    Sculpture Garden
    Secure
    Simple
    Sit
    Sit And Spin
    Spin
    Taxes
    Thaw
    Tips
    Toilet Paper
    Top Ten
    Unrollme
    Water

    RSS Feed

Advocacy through Organization
Kimberly Dahline, Your Organizational Advocate
Member of NAPO, NAPO, MN
​
612-382-6849
Love to hear from you on these social media sites.
Photos used under Creative Commons from axxonlive, TraumaAndDissociation, jsj1771, vernieman, frankieleon, erin_everlasting, Carla Cometto, Jamiesrabbits, DaveBleasdale, TraumaAndDissociation, magnus.johansson10, Caitlinator, Jim Larrison, SammyJayJay
  • FinallyFiled
    • Newsletter Sign Up
  • Peace by Piece
  • Health Care Advocate
    • Understanding Insurance
    • Medical Information
    • Navigating your Benefits
  • Blogs
    • You Tube
  • Your Organized Home
    • Accessible Home >
      • Grand Central
      • Accessable Kitchens
      • Functional Fridge
      • Compatible Closet
      • Favorite Businesses >
        • Lupus of MN
        • Clothing
        • Junk Mail