TIP ARCHIVES

• Start the new year with new habits. Commit to recording all your appointments, commitments and tasks in one place so you don’t forget them.
• When you get new things during the holiday season, consider letting go of something you already have. You allow someone else to get some value from the stuff you don’t need and you could qualify for a tax deduction, too.
• Be prepared for power loss due to high heat and lightning storms. Create an emergency kit with a flashlight, batteries, radio, water and non-perishable food.
• Looking for someplace to donate stuff you don’t need? Check http://excessaccess.com, they match what you have with local nonprofits that need them and can pick them up.
• Before you buy gifts for anyone, check what you have already bought and stashed away. Create a space to store gifts until you give them so you don’t forget what you have.
• If you’re not going to repair them, toss things that are broken, soiled or missing pieces; they aren’t adding any value to your life.
• You may have heard the suggestion to touch paper only once. Instead of trying to meet that unattainable objective, handle paper with intent. Whether you open mail or bring paper into your home or office, decide what you are going to do with it and put it in the appropriate place. Shifting around piles of “I’ll get to it” paper is a huge waste of time, so assign a home to each of the papers you keep: Pay, Action, File or toss.

• Being busy is not the same as being productive. Take something off your list that isn’t vital to your success.
• Do you clip articles to read “someday?” Put them in a folder you can take with you and read them while you’re waiting for appointments or on public transportation.
• If you have lost a savings bond, you can reclaim it by visiting the Bureau of the Public Debt at www.publicdebt.treas.gov and filling out a simple form or by calling 800/722-2678.
• Weed files as you use them to avoid having to make purging your filing system an all-day project. As you use files, flip through them and see if there is anything you can throw away. If you find files that you don’t use anymore, toss the outdated information and archive the rest.
• If you were to lose your wallet, would you know what was in it? Would you have all the phone numbers needed to cancel cards and replace ID? Make a copy of everything in your wallet and add the appropriate phone numbers. Keep this page in your files or in a fireproof safe.
• When you procrastinate, you put off unpleasant feelings instead of dealing with them. Ignoring important tasks won’t make them go away; instead they may get bigger. First thing in the morning, tackle the things you hate to do most, then you have the rest of the day to “treat” yourself to things you prefer or enjoy.