OverHall IT!
Vol. 3 Issue 12
Help Me Help Others - Please pass my newsletter on to
those you know who might need or like OverHall IT!
Welcome Hiplists.com and other new Subscribers!
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OverHall IT!
Organizing Newsletter for Your Life
Circulation 7,492
Vol. 3, Issue 12
Publisher: Janet L. Hall janet@overhall.com
http://www.overhall.com
( C ) OverHall Consulting 2002
Administration information located at end of newsletter.
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IN THIS ISSUE
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1. Welcome and Happenings
2. Answers to Your Challenges
3. Ask the OverHaller
4. Products, Books, and Web Site Reviews
5. Jokes, Quotes, and Anecdotes
6. Tips for Professional Organizers
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1. Welcome and Happenings
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Instead of writing an article this issue I'll be answering some
of the organizing challenges some of you wrote in regarding
paper clutter. I hope all of you can use some of the
suggestions I make.
Don't forget to check out Ask the OverHaller for some of the
answers I received from many of you from the last issue
where I asked you questions regarding my teleclasses.
And if you need a web site and are looking for a good,
reliable, and expensive hosting company, check out Tips for
Professional Organizers Column this month.
Well, on to some organizing, space clearing, and Feng Shui.
Thanks for your support and for being a subscriber,
Janet L. Hall, The Organizing and Feng Shui Wizard
******** Stop Saying You Are Going to Get Organized ********
Get Organized TODAY!
Need help with your bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, garage,
paper, time, children, or attitude?
Wiz Through Your Clutter: Home Organizing Audiotapes
http://www.overhall.com/home_organizing.htm
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2. Answers to Your Challenges
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In Volume 3, Issue 8
(http://overhall.com/overhall_it_v3i8.htm )
I had a list of questions I presented to subscribers.
Here are the first two questions I asked:
1. What are your current organizing challenges?
2. What do you want to accomplish and how do you plan to
do it, regarding those challenges?
I wasn't surprised that the number one challenge was paper
and filing. So now I would like to present some of those that
wrote in regarding their paper challenges along with a few
suggestions:
=>>Paper/file not pile--Michael S.
What type of paper are you piling and filing? Please see File
or Toss below.
=>>Determining how to best utilize my organizer, my paper
files, my address books (hard copy and email) and calendar
and coordinating everything. I can't get completely
paperless, because I work better with the paper
system, but it's cumbersome to constantly be transferring the
data all the time./ According to Flylady by baby steps, one at
a time.
--Effie S.
What type of data are you transferring? If you have a PDA
(Palm Pilot) you should take the time to learn how to use the
synchronization option between that and your main
computer.
=>>I am just starting out as a professional organizer and
have realized I need to do some work on my home storage
and filing systems. One reason my systems are not working
is that not everyone understands or 'respects' them. The
challenge is to develop a system that makes sense to
everyone and that will be easy for them to follow. Another
problem is that I haven't made the time to maintain my
systems.--Janet B.
It is usually best to appoint one person in a household or
office to be in charge of the paper and filing because we all
think differently. You might call and file things for
your automobile under auto, your husband might think car or
your co-workers might file by the make of car, such as
Chevy. Please see Filing Schedules and Products and
Reviews below.
=>>Another challenge is how to organize to find files easily.
I need things written down, not just told to me once, but that
leads to another challenge, how to stay organized and to not
be buried in paper.
--Lee
Maintaining a file index or inventory is very handy to have.
Another tip is to post a small index of files on the front of the
file drawer. Please see File or Toss and Products and
Reviews below for more help.
=>>I seem to get attacked by piles of papers... I go through
and do a major cleanup every month or so, & I try to throw
out junk mail as soon as it arrives, but to no avail... (& I live
by myself!)/ I guess I'm gonna keep doing what I'm doing,
but try to be more diligent about it.--Tabitha C.
If you continue to do the thing you are doing now, nothing
will change. You need to discover what REALLY needs to be
kept and toss the rest as soon as it comes in. See File or
Toss and Filing Schedules below.
=>>I can never get to my piles of paper. By the time I get to
them a new stack or two or three has formed to be filed
away. They consist of newspaper articles, junk mail, ideas in
different areas of my life such as job promotion, relocation to
another city or even country, every health category
imaginable, time share info, insurance/med bills to decipher.
I have a 6 ft table with stacks that have slid off and have
formed a collage. I have made great strides in the past but
usually by the time I've worked all day, participated in church
activities, spent time with family, washed, ironed, cooked
and cleaned - I never have the energy to tackle the paper
mound. I am a hanging file folder maniac. We have 16 file
drawers and I need at least 4 more for the remaining stacks.
My husband is a pastor, I am a Sunday School teacher,
nursery coordinator, children's program director, sometimes
secretary, ladies group leader, christian school organizer,
etc. So I collect all sorts of categories of stuff - just in case I
need it in the future! For Mother's Day my husband gave me
3 more boxes of hanging file folders! I generally sort into
major categories; health, church, christian school, job,
relocation, retirement, etc and then when they are done I
then pick a category and re-sort into more manageable
categories; Health - alzheimers, stroke, blood pressure, etc
and make file folders for each.--Patricia M.
It sounds like you might have too many categories, which
takes more time to file and more space. Less categories are
best and sometimes color coding your hanging folders is
helpful but sometimes more costly. If you're planning to
move you can easily and quickly search the Internet for
relocation information. One place I located is
http://www.ecodevdirectory.com, where you can search by
state and then by county. For your health articles, which are
probably outdated by now, try searching this extensive
database, http://www.apha.org/public_health/nat.htm,
or the
Internet when you need information on a particular health
issue. As for your "Just in Case" information, when the
"just
in case" arrives do you even know you have the information
or where you filed it? The library and the Internet are
probably you best bet for this type of information. See File or
Toss and Filing Schedule below.
=>>I do have a filing system set up HOWEVER I don't
always file my papers away. I've heard of the theory where
you just touch each piece of paper/e-mail message once, but
I haven't adopted it yet.--Elizabeth S.
See Filing Schedule below.
As promised here are just a few of my solutions, answers,
and suggestions to your paper clutter, piles, and files:
When you are sorting through your papers and you are
unsure if you need to keep something or just need a little
direction, just go through these questions, honestly, to help
you decide if the item is worth keeping or needed to file.
FILE or TOSS
WHO might ask for or need it?
What are you keeping and filing? Ask yourself, WHO has
EVER asked me for this piece of paper or type of paper
work?
Here are some examples of what I have experienced:
Saving EVERY bill stub, such as the electric bill, cable bill,
water bill, phone bill, etc. People even waste their precious
time by writing paid, check number, and date on the stubs
and waste even more time sorting and filing them by
category. I always ask WHY and Have you ever referred
back to them? Many save useless and needless papers
because of past discrepancies with a company. But usually
the response I receive is because their parents did or
because they thought they needed it for the IRS or in case
they want to sell the home and the potential buyer might
want to see the utility usage.
So I ask:
Is the bill tax deductible? NO, throw it away. YES, save it
and it should eventually be stored with that year's tax
records.
Do you have a record of this payment in your checkbook
register or keep your cancelled checks? YES, throw the bill
stub away.
Are you living in your parents time? NO, then do it
YOUR way (See WHERE else can I find it).
Find out what the law or your company requires you to keep
and for how long, usually referred to as a Records Retention
Policy. For home-individuals-( http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-
pdf/p552.pdf ) or small businesses and home offices the IRS
has FREE books that will answer your questions regarding
the type of documentation that you need to keep at
http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p583.pdf and
http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p334.pdf and for specific
industries and professions
http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/display/0,,i1%3D2%26i2
%3D23%26i3%3D36%26genericId%3D20006,00.html (If this
long link doesn't work for you go to irs.gov and click on
Businesses, click Small Bus/Self-Employed and then click
Industries/Professions (All these links are under content
located on left side of screen)
Generally a person knows before hand when they are going
to sell their home and can start saving the stubs but I always
ask WHERE else can they get this information? YES, from
the utility company, they generally will give you a FREE or
low cost print out of your utility usage for a year.
WHAT’S the date?
If the item was tax deductible and the date is past the IRS
requirement of seven years you can safely throw it out. (See
links above for specific IRS rules).
If it's a warranty and is expired, throw it out.
If it's a coupon or discount and is expired, throw it out.
Information and articles are generally outdated within three
months after printed. You might be filing away OLD and
inaccurate information. (See WHERE else can I find it.)
WHEN will I use it?
This is a good question to ask when you start saving all
those newspaper clippings and magazine articles.
I have a client that saves so many articles they were taking
over her life and home. Once I poised this question to her it
became very easy to file and maintain her clippings. She is
writing three books and the clippings were research towards
her books. Instead of filing them by category, which she
didn't have time for, we filed them by what book they were
for.
You can also assign a deadline to your clippings. Such as if
you save craft ideas but find you are never getting to them or
recipes but never make them. Date the folder or paper up to
three to six months or one year. If you haven't made it by
then you probably won't.
WHERE else can I find it?
Who else saves this information for YOU? The bank or the
utility company?
How about using the Internet or the library when you are in
need of this information?
WHY do I need it?
Just in case doesn't work here because the likelihood of you
being able to locate the papers or information is nil if
you are disorganized. This is the time to be HONEST with
yourself. ONLY keep papers that you will REALLY need for
tax, accounting, legal, or industry purposes.
Filing Schedules:
I belong to the "I Hate Filing Club (http://www.ihatefiling.com
) Just like a plumber (or other industry) that always has leaky
faucets in his home I have a filing pile (I actually keep my "to
file" in a hanging folder), BUT I have a certain time of the
week or month, depending on my "out of office/home
schedule," that I put on my calendar when I'll do my filing.
Before a piece of paper gets placed in my "to file" folder I
write the related category on it. Then when it's time to really
file I sort by the category and drop the papers into the
correct folder. Make a consistent date with yourself of
when you will do your filing and keep the appointment!
For those of you that love to rip pretty pictures out of
magazines, craft ideas, or recipes, make up your own
records retention policy. For instance, if you haven't made
the craft within a year, out it GOES. Put the recipe on the
refrigerator and if you haven't made it within a week or two -
OUT IT GOES! Your pretty pictures, dreams or wishes can
ALL be filed into a folder labeled DREAM, but be careful, if it
gets too full then you need to start purging.
*****************Just a FEW Slots *****************
We still have some openings for our three mentorship
programs in each of the following areas: Office clutter and
management, Home clutter and management, and Web
sites/Internet Marketing.
If you are serious about gaining more control over your life,
your clutter, or your business and would like to learn more
about these programs or register, call me at 800-687-3040
or mailto:janet@overhall.com
As soon as we get a least five interested we will contact you
with the details and the start date.
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3. Ask the OverHaller
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Last issue I asked you regarding my teleclasses:
What am I doing wrong? Am I scheduling them at
the wrong time, wrong night, or wrong topic? Is the cost to
attend them too high? Is the cost of the audiotape too high?
Am I not being specific about what the teleclass is about? Do
I not give you enough notice to sign up? Please let me know
what I'm doing wrong, if anything, so I can better help you.
Thank you, Your Organizer, Janet Hall
Here are just a handful of some of the responses I received.
Thanks to all who took the time to send me their answers:
=>Being wiped by night time 9 est is just not a
good time for me to add more to my day!
=>Yes I think your prices are a smidge too high. I would pay
$10 for a "phone class" and probably $10 for a tape, but I
think twice and then thrice about paying more.
=>By the time I read your email, it only left me with two
hours to decide on whether to take your class. That wasn't
much time to change my schedule.
==>Maybe you should run an advance pay "special". For
$50, you can sign up for any 5 future one hour seminars. I'd
go for that.
=>I can only answer for myself. I live in Australia, so a
teleconference is not going to be at the right time for me.
Also, I learn better by reading than by hearing, and a further
crunch for buying things from you is that the Aussie dollar is
worth about half the US dollar, so everything you offer is
double the price for me.
=>For me, there were two reasons I didn’t sign up. First, the
time wasn’t good for me, though it may be better than very
late afternoon, which is better for me. Second, I wasn’t crazy
about the "special guest" thing; if I want your help, then it’s
your help I want. Your special experts were people I’d not
heard of, and knew nothing about. I didn’t know their style,
values or approach, and therefore, wasn’t eager to
participate in a teleclass with them.
=>Nor is it feasible to do much via teleclass, e-forum,
etc., because of a somewhat irregular schedule and very
long day.
Well I asked and received! Points well taken. Thanks to all of
you that took part in this and took the time out of your busy
schedules to answer.
***** Have You Gotten Your * Tickle * For The Day? *****
Check out the secret organizing tool that ALL organized
families and successful people use on a daily basis at
http://www.overhall.com/tickler_file.htm
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4. Products, Books, and Web Site Reviews
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Products for Organizing Paper:
Keep your important papers safe and organized with this
handy guide and special envelopes!
http://overhall.com/safety_deposit_box.htm
File Index Dividers, book, and quick index for your home
files. You will never have to make a decision again of where
to file something or where you filed it!
http://overhall.com/file_organizer.htm
Put Your Papers out of sight but not out of mind using a
Tickler File!
http://overhall.com/tickler_file.htm
Filing Solutions at http://www.filingsolutions.com
offers
shelving, cabinets, and kits.
File Solutions at http://filesolutions.com/Products.htm
offers
several different filing kits for the homeowner to doctors and
educators. Tell Don and Nora that Janet Hall referred you!
Virtual Filing:
Can't keep up with your filing or need help getting it under
control? Send those paper piles off to our virtual assistant
http://www.assistantforhire.com
They will get your piles and
filing up to date and send back to you.
Audiotapes:
Wiz Through Your Clutter:Managing Paper-Part 1
http://overhall.com/home_organizing.htm
Abby Marks-Beale, author of 10 Days to Faster Reading,
will help you manage your paper load, read, learn and do
more in less time.
Wiz Through Your Clutter:Managing Paper Part 2
http://overhall.com/home_organizing.htm
Discover:
What household papers you NEED to keep, Where and How
your papers and documents should be filed, What you
should store in your safety deposit box, How to create your
own WHO, WHEN, and WHERE Home Management book,
The Medical Pink Sheet – WHO and WHY you should have
one and a lot MORE!
Piles, Files, Lists--OH NO!
http://overhall.com/piles_files_lists.htm
Everything you'll ever need to learn about sorting, filing, and
a Master Notebook.
Filing Software:
Please remember that when using software you have to
allow for learning time, data entry time, and maintenance
time.
File Wise at http://www.filewise.com
Paper Tiger at http://thepapertiger.com
Filing Store at http://www.filestore.com
offers barcode
tracking and filing supplies
E-Books and Books:
My Internet Marketing buddy and friend, Rick Butts has just
started a fabulous new site, Ebook Source where he offers
many different e-books to choose from:
Internet Marketing, Management and Leadership, Self
Help/Personal Development, Fiction, Entrepreneur, Sales,
and Too Cool to categorize. Please check them out at
http://www.kickstartcart.com/app/aftrack.asp?afid=45217
Jeffrey J. Mayer, president of Succeeding In Business, and
author of many books, has an E-Book, "Winning the Fight
Between You and Your Desk," that I highly recommend.
This inexpensive ebook is filled with humor; Are you a
Pilamaniac? to step-by-step instructions on Creating Master
Lists, Master Files, and Your Master File Drawer. I urge you
all to download this inexpensive but very informative ebook
at:
http://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/aftrack.asp?afid=25003
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5. Jokes, Quotes, and Anecdotes
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>>I don't know how much money I've got . . . I did ask the
accountant how much it came to. I wrote it down on a bit of
paper. But I've lost the bit of paper.
--John Lennon
>>We can lick gravity, but sometimes the paperwork is
overwhelming.
--Wernher von Braun
>>I think I have already signed some scrap of paper for
every man, woman, and child in the United States. What do
they do with all those scraps of paper with my signature on
it?
--Vida Blue
>>If you don't know what to do with many of the papers piled
on your desk, stick a dozen colleagues' initials on 'em, and
pass them along. When in doubt, route.
--Malcolm Forbes
>>It isn't necessary to imagine the world ending in fire or ice
-- there are two other possibilities: one is paperwork, and the
other is nostalgia.
--Frank Zappa
>>I have a box of papers at home of [my own press
coverage]. When I'm sixty, maybe, I'll look at my pile of
papers and wonder, 'What really happened that year?' "
--Christa McAuliffe
>>Life's been nothing but paperwork.
--Gustav Mahler
>>The man whose life is devoted to paperwork has lost the
initiative. He is dealing with things that are brought to his
notice, having ceased to notice anything for himself.
--C. Northcote Parkinson
>>Tidied all my papers. Tore up and ruthlessly destroyed
much. This is always a great satisfaction.
--Katherine Mansfield
*********** Clean Up Your Computer TODAY***********
Running out of space on your hard drive?
Don't know how to do backups?
Want to save your documents to a different media?
Get the ebook everyone is talking about:
How-To Clean and Organize Your Computer is
available at http://www.overhall.com/clean_computer.htm
52 Pages with Screen Shots so you can easily see where to click.
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6. Tips for Professional Organizers
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Do you have a web site? If not you are missing out on a lot
of business! 95% of my clients come from finding me on the
Internet. Whether you have a site or not please check out
the hosting company I've just switched to at
http://www.kickstarthosting.com/cgi-bin/affiliates/clickthru.cgi?id=overhall
These people are incredibly nice and inexpensive. You'll be
pleasantly surprised at how affordable it is to have your own
web site and more then ONE if you want!
Don't forget to check out Tom Antion's Internet Marketing
BUTT Camp that might be coming to your area!
Many of you have heard me talk about Tom Antion and I
have learned sooo much from him and his invaluable
seminar, BUTT Camp. Tom's seminar is packed with good
quality information that you can put to use that day for your
web site. He tells you so much, step-by-step, and the ideas
that will fly through your head of what you can do is truly
unbelievable! One of the many generous things he offers
is that once you attend one as a paying attendee, you can
attend others for FREE forever AND you can bring your
teenager for FREE! If you're serious about your business
and web site OR plan on getting a web site then this is the
ONLY seminar you should be attending this year! Here's his
upcoming schedule:
Sunday, Oct. 13, Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Sunday, Oct. 20, Norfolk, VA
Sunday, Nov 10, Ann Arbor, MI
Sunday, Nov 17. Lakeland, FL
Register now for early bird discount.
Attend Tom Antion FAMOUS BUTT Camps by clicking the
link below:
http://www.kickstartcart.com/app/aftrack.asp?AFID=44499&u=www.antion.com/buttcamp.htm
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*****Would You Like to Be a Professional Organizer? *****
Secrets of a Professional Organizer and How-To Become
One is now available as an electronic downloadable ebook.
If you'd like to become a professional organizer and learn
what it takes to be a business owner, then check out my new
book. You can get it TODAY as a downloadable ebook and
start working on becoming a business owner and a
professional organizer. Check it out at:
http://www.overhall.com/become_an_organizer.htm
Read what veteran organizer Kathy Paauw had to say
about this ebook:
Janet,
Wow! I just reviewed your eBook, and it
is packed with some great
information. I have not seen a more comprehensive and helpful
resource anywhere else for those who are getting an organizing
business established. Your eBook is so comprehensive that I may
recommend it to some of my non-organizer clients who are starting
a business. Congratulations on a job well done! You've obviously put
a lot into this.
I'll be recommending your eBook to the
Professional Organizers I am
coaching in their start-up businesses.
Best wishes,
Kathy Paauw, Paauwerfully Organized
Organizing/Productivity Consultant & Certified Professional Coach
www.orgcoach.net
orgcoach@gte.net
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***** Do Your Employees Need Organized? *****
Call the Organizing Wizard and let her cast her "spells" on
their clutter! Janet delivers a one-of-a-kind, customized
workshop or speech. Call 800/687-3040 and book her
today!
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We want your Organizing, Space Clearing, Feng Shui, and
Computer tips, techniques, products to review, and
jokes in 2002, mailto:janet@overhall.com
or send to address
below.
===========================================
Smiles, not Piles,
Janet L. Hall
The Organizing and Feng Shui Wizard
Let me work my "spells" on your Clutter, Life, and
Environment!
http://www.overhall.com
"If your current systems aren't working for you... get an
"OverHall"!"
Janet L. Hall is the owner of OverHall Consulting, and
Organizing By Phone, which is based out of Southern
Maryland and can be reached at 800-687-3040 or
410-586-9440, or e-mail her at
mailto:janet@overhall.com
Janet can "OverHall" your office, home, and computer
clutter and can deliver a customized speech or seminar
for your next event.
Copyright (c) 2002 by OverHall Consulting
P.O. Box 263,
Port Republic, MD 20676
All Rights Reserved. Permission is granted to reproduce,
copy, or distribute OverHall IT! or any articles by Janet L.
Hall so long as article(s) is kept intact, this copyright
notice, and full information about the author is attached.
ISSN # 1533-0702.
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http://www.overhall.com/newsletter.htm
Here in OverHall IT! it is my hope to help you stop
juggling areas in your life around and help you "OverHall"
the areas that might have become cluttered, ignored, or
put on the back burner. I want to help you bring back into
focus the things that are important to you. I want the
chaos to stop for you and help bring you some structure
and hopefully some useful advice and systems so you
can accomplish the most important task...running your
life!
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