It’s time for our second challenge of the year! I thought it might be fun this year to start off with some challenges to help us all get organized, and make managing our homes just a wee bit easier! I used to do these regularly with a group of friends of mine and the camaraderie and accountability really helped. Each Tuesday I’ll post different assignments in our challenges and I hope you will join us! (Need to catch up? See previous posts in this series HERE).
ASSIGNMENT 13: Office Space
Ugh, I hate this assignment. It is far to easy to get BOGGED DOWN here, and the main reason is because I have so much stuff shoved in my little office space. Don’t get bogged down! You are SOOO CLOSE to completing this challenge! There is light at the end of the tunnel! Don’t give up!
1. PRINT. Print everything you might need during your move. Plus find any important personal documents – birth certificates, passports, medical records, school records, whatever. When we move, it is not unusual for me to have half a suitcase that is pure paperwork. And that was before our kids started school! So, while you’re going through your files, put these files aside to hand-carry with you! (And yes, that IS hand-carry, unfortunately. You can’t risk your luggage getting lost with all that info!)
Idea For You: ****Special Extra Step!****
If you are really caught up here, then you can choose to do this extra step! (If this is your very first organizational purge, DO NOT DO THIS. This is not a step for beginners!)
Scan! I’ve started doing this now. So instead of having to carry 30 pounds of paper around in a suitcase, I’ve used an external hard drive, and I also use Dropbox! An all-in-one scanner/printer is a must for this step.
Basically, I scanned in any important personal documents that I might need sometime. For you, it could be scanning medical files, school records, previous years’ tax records, my business files, you name it. Yes, this is a very “UN FUN” step. Over time however, this has been a huge stress-reliever. In fact, right after our last move, I was able to pull up needed documents through the Dropbox app on my phone, while standing in line at the DMV! It saved me HOURS!
2. Computer Backup. Before you move, make sure you back up everything! First of all, it might be a while before you can see your computer again. In previous moves, my computer was destroyed. But since I had everything backed up to Dropbox, I was covered! I just had to deal with the insurance folks to get it all replaced.
And always make sure you back up your back up! External portable hard drives can corrupt as well (I’ve had that happen too), so don’t rely on just that! I’m now using Dropbox and storing all of our backup there; because I can connect all of our devices to the same account, making everything extremely accessible whenever needed.
3. Purge and shred! Start going through all the paper and files in your office and PURGE! This is a great step to get the hubbie or older kids involved with – grab your pile of “needs to be shredded” stuff and hand them the shredder. That way you can keep on working!
4. File. The next step is to get all of that paper put away! So file everything and get your desk cleared off!
5. The “everything else” in the office step! This is the catch-all step for your office. Bookshelves, office supply stash, random drawers full of junk, whatever.
Purge, Donate, Organize!
Next up: The kitchen! (We’re almost done! Don’t give up!)
Feel free to post in the comments, or link up! I’d love it!
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