WELCOME
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Each month in this newsletter
I share organizing tips to use in your home and office. Try some
projects by yourself or ask for help from my friendly professional team.
We have great ideas for improving the use of all sizes of spaces and helping you become more productive.
Happy Organizing,
Pierrette Ashcroft
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| Celebrations This Month | 1st - Financial Freedom Day
5th-11th - Take Charge of Change Week
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Pierrette Ashcroft,
founder of getOrganizedDC, has more than 20 years of business experience
organizing events and providing innovative solutions in homes and
offices. She is committed to continuing her education and training to
best serve her client's organizing and productivity needs.
As
part of the inaugural class to receive credentials as a Certified
Professional Organizer, CPOŽ, Pierrette earned a top distinction in the
organizing industry.
In 2010 she completed her training to
become a Certified Productivity Coach. Through her Productivity Boot
Camp she is able to increase the productivity of busy professionals. Pierrette will clear your piles of paper, overloaded inbox and cluttered life so you can be more effective in your business and career.
To learn more, call or write for a free telephone consultation at: 202.537.9705 or Pierrette@getOrganizedDC.com. Or visit our Web site.
The
hardest part of organizing is developing an attractive plan. We are
happy to help you with any challenges, large or small. Expect efficient
and reliable service from our team, who promise to keep your personal
information confidential. Read what our clients are saying about us.
I
love what I do and my business thrives on referrals. Please keep me in
mind if you should hear of friends, family or colleagues who could
benefit from my organizational expertise or who would like to take their
productivity to a whole new level. I'm never too busy to help them get
organized. Thanks!
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PREVENTING IDENTITY THEFT
| | It's Easier to Stop Than Fix
 Identity
theft is growing at an astounding rate and creating havoc for victims.
Taking a few precautions will help prevent your information from falling
into the wrong hands.
Most identity thieves use information from a stolen wallet or paperwork such as receipts or statements to perpetrate their crimes. They can use your identity to open new accounts with their address.
It's so important to check your credit report on an annual basis. You can do it for free.
Reconcile your bank and credit cards statements regularly to quickly catch any fraudulent purchases.
Shred all statements,
pay stubs or anything with personal information. Dumpster divers are
hoping to find gold, i.e. your social security number and account
numbers.
Thieves also steal mail. An application for a pre-approved credit card or blank checks from your credit card company are easy targets.
Ask your credit card company not to send you checks which are essentially a cash advance at a very high interest rate. They're a bad idea for many reasons.
You can sign up with the credit bureaus to stop receiving credit card applications.
I haven't received one in many years but when I did I would use a big
juicy red marker to write "remove from your mailing list" and use the
prepaid envelope to send it back. I was persistent and ultimately
successful.
Surprisingly not much identity theft is initiated on the web compared to other methods. If you are wary, consider having a credit card that you use exclusively for online purchases.
An
ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure and in the case of
identity theft prevention it will save your financial reputation and a
lot of headaches. |
Share this newsletter with friends and family who will find it useful.
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BOOKMAKING OR LIST MAKING
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| Both Require Organization
 From
the time I was very young I have been a big list and chart maker. The
early ones were created with colored markers and now they have evolved
into more detailed electronic versions.
A few years ago while
working on a family project and collecting stories I learned that the
proclivity to make charts and lists goes back a couple of generations.
My
mother was one of four girls. Their father died very young and my
grandmother needed all the girls to help out to keep the household
running smoothly.
There was a chore chart on the refrigerator so the girls knew what they needed to do everyday.
As
the story goes there was a lot of trading of jobs. That meant initials
were crossed off and replaced with another sister's. At times it was
quite complicated.
One day the milk man saw the chart and ask my grandmother if she was running a bookie joint.
Nana wasn't but she would have been a very organized one. |
HABITS OF THE ORGANIZED
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| How Many Do You Possess?
 Good habits are what often differentiate organized people from those who seem to live in chaos.
Are there new practices that could put you in the first category?
Create a landing zone.
When you walk in the door place your keys, mail and cell phone in a
designated spot. Things always placed in the same location are easy to
find.
Shop with a purpose. Don't fall for buying
things because they are a 'bargain'. Buy what you really need and
before you do, know where you will keep it and how and when you will use
it.
Perfectionism can trap you in a couple of
ways. Some people don't start a task because they get overwhelmed trying
to do it perfectly. Other perfectionists spend too much time on low
priority tasks.
Choose practicality over sentimentality. We all keep mementos to remind us of special times. The key word being special.
The problem arises when the quantity of objects makes it difficult to
discern what is truly important and have time to enjoy them.
Make time for organizing maintenance. Everyone's needs are unique but regularly clearing clutter before it gets out of hand is essential.
Don't walk by empty handed. If headed upstairs, take something that belongs there with you.
Give everything a thoughtful home
when you put it away. Don't just put it someplace because it will fit
or hide it in a closet. Take the time to store like things together.
Part with items you aren't using, don't fit or you don't really like.
Write things down.
It doesn't matter if it's on paper or in electronic format. Add
appointments to your calendar, use lists for planning and phone numbers
belong in an address book.
Developing a new habit takes time and repetition. Make small changes and stick with it for 3 or 4 weeks until it becomes ingrained and the behavior becomes routine. |
ORGANIZING SOLUTION
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| Less Paper
 Challenge:
If your receipts, business cards and other important papers are
piled high, it's difficult to retrieve the information contained within.
Solution:Neat Receipts software and scanners enable you to scan, organize and store all your important information. You can export the scanned information into Quicken or Excel and create .pdf files to store on your computer or send as attachments. Two different scanners are compatible with Macs and PCs.
The desktop version tackles fast batch scanning. The portable one is
lightweight and small enough to fit in a bag with your laptop.
Result: You can decrease your piles of paper while increasing the searchability of your new digital filing system.
I've
been using the portable Mac scanner for about 3 years. My office is not
paper-free, so don't expect that outcome but I do have less paper and I
can retrieve any digital record in seconds.
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