Tag Archives: filing

Care of Product Manuals

If the ice maker on your refrigerator suddenly starts making a weird noise because someone under three was pressing all of the door buttons would you know what to do? Or, more likely, would you know where your refrigerator manual is located so you can find out what to do? If your home is anything like ours after our move last year, manuals are the least of your worries, until you actually need them. This week, I decided to get all of our product manuals organized and filed, so they would be on hand when needed. This was inspired by … Continue reading →

Variations on the “Tickler” File

Years ago when I first started out in the world the world many years ago there were certain “givens”—a rolodex and a tickler file were typical “office tools.” With the advent of computers and increased technology, we now have various versions of databases that have replaced the heavy card-stock rolodex, and we can put all our schedules and reminders on the computer. Still, I think there can still be uses for variations of the good old-fashioned tickler file. Being able to schedule things for a later date or set up systems to remind ourselves of what we need to do … Continue reading →

Collecting All Your Documents for Taxes

Well, we are nearly into December, which for those of us who run our home businesses along the calendar year (as opposed to a fiscal calendar), we will soon be sitting down to do our 2007 taxes. Whether you do your taxes yourself or work with a professional, this is a good time of year to make sure you’ve got all your records in order and your ducks in a row… Hopefully, throughout the year you have been keeping track of your income and expenses, any estimated tax payments you have made, interest income, business loans, etc. For those of … Continue reading →

Ten Tips for More Organized Writing

Are you always searching for your leads or notes? Do you forget great ideas? Here are ten tips to help you stay more organized: 10. Remember, alphabetical filing is not always the best option, especially for creative people. You may need to create your own system that helps you remember where to look for things. 9. If you keep hard copy files, try using color coordinated folders when you file things. Blue might be for characters for your novel while red might be clippings or thoughts you plan to use to create fillers for magazines. Use a different color for … Continue reading →