“Out of clutter, find simplicity…
From discord find harmony…
In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.”
Albert Einstein
Reading this quote makes me think that Einstein was not organized in the way we generally think of being organized. How organized are you? Most people I know have planners, calendars, and to do lists. Personally I keep everything in my phone and it keeps me on track. I even use alarms to remind me what to do and when to do it. Paper lists just don’t work for me. There really is no point of a “to do ” list if things never get done! It takes discipline to stick to the tasks, to remove distractions and avoid procrastinating. Using these tools can help you organize your day and perhaps even your week.
But how do you organize your financial records? Hopefully, you do not keep everything in ziplock bags. Or perhaps your system for financial management is keeping financial records in a pile on the kitchen table or a similar location? Do you then find it impossible to locate a receipt without spending hours searching through this pile, or the other pile in the corner of the bedroom? If this sounds familiar, you need to get organized!
One of the easiest ways to file records is to get a small filing cabinet and the hanging folders that go with it. Then all you have to do is drop your documents in the folders in a order by category or date! If you cannot or do not want to go to the expense of a filing cabinet, you can purchase a plastic box that will fit the same type of hanging files in it. Simple categories such as “Bills to pay” and “Receipts” make it easy to find things. You’ll always know what you’ve paid and what is due if you do this.
There are many computer programs that make it very easy to keep financial records. Quicken is one and Excel is another. You may even have Excel on your computer. Quick Books is excellent for small business owners. If you don’t know how to use them, get training. You can use these programs to plan an effective budget and to track your spending. It will help you get organized so you always know exactly how much you have left to spend, instantly know the impact of every spending decision, effectively manage credit cards and quickly create a useful household budgeting plan. Believe me, once you become more organized you’ll wonder how you ever managed with those piles of paper.
