The following is a transcrpit of the 2 minute radio segments I present
3 times per week on 101FM You can listen in live via the website every
Mon-Wed-Fri at 2:30PM AEST (Sun-Tue-Thur at 9:30PM PT  12:30AM ET
4:30AM GM)

Today Creating a household reference binder

The idea is to contain all the really important information that you need to refer to regularly or even occassionally in this one place that’s kept in a suitably convenient location for easy access.
You’ll be needing a ring binder of reasonable size , plastic display sleeves,  coloured tab dividers, blank paper and have a hole punch on hand.
Before rushing out to get those though you need to decide what of the following things you wish to put into it.

• Baby care information for baby sitters - with any particulars about their likes and dislikes, special needs or allergies, your contacts details plus emergency numbers and what you’d want them to do in the event of a problem. This is great as a written record of having informed them these things, you could even have them sign it off. It also means if you’re in a hurry you don’t have to waste time explaining all the little details and if you find you’re changing sitters alot it’s a very big time & stress saver. Set this section up so that you can hand it to the sitter as a separate document so they don’t have access to the rest of your binder.

• Emergency information and evacuation procedures for particular scenarios, fire, flood, other natural disasters plus housebreak & burglary. Also note where those items are that you really want to grab & save in the event of blistering getaway situation.

• Household maintenance schedule for things like gutter cleaning, checking the roof, cleaning windows, checking the sprinkler system, water tanks, trimming of plants  and so forth.

• Household contents for insurance purposes, note items and those things with serial numbers, this is a good time to check that everything that should be listed on your policy are in fact listed.

Other household binder information includes your;

• car maintenance records and information,
• medicals records for all family members and a note to where you’ve stored xrays.
• A section for your local takeaway restaurants and
• should it be relevant a bunch of brochures of the local sights for any visitors that come to stay. If you’re like me and tend to go blank when people ask what tourist attractions are around it saves embarrassment!

That’s it for this time, next episode setting up a communication hub.

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The following is a transcrpit of the 2 minute radio segments I present
3 times per week on 101FM You can listen in live via the website every
Mon-Wed-Fri at 2:30PM AEST (Sun-Tue-Thur at 9:30PM PT  12:30AM ET
4:30AM GM)

Today Dealing with mail.

Your incoming mail is often where the whole issue of paper overwhelm begins. Here is where you need to take a hard look at what you’re currently doing that isn’t working and decide that you are going to change those habits to more effectively deal with this nasty clutter maker. Start by always dealing with your mail immediately you collect it.

The first strategy should be to toss out any junk mail you don’t want - if it’s something that is coming in regularly that you no longer want then make a note of it in your diary or calendar. Do this for a month, a timeframe that will cover most of the regular stuff you receive that you no longer desire and then make a time to sit down and write, email or call each one to be removed. There are sites that help you be removed from list altogether which is a great options if you’re concerned about the amount of trees being sacrificed to provide us with something we commonly refer to junk! (see sidebar for links)

Next strategy is to deal with your other mail straight away as well. If you receive a bill then make a note on your calendar of when it’s due to remind you to pay it if you’re not using auto debits and then file it at the front of the existing folder for those accounts. It’s simple, effective, and you know where the bill is when you come to pay it - it’s in file where it belongs after it’s paid. The crucial step here is marking the due date on the calendar - and aim to pay it the day before.

Don’t leave mail in a ‘deal with it later’ pile that grows exponentially and overwhelms you.  Keep all your invitations, appointments and other date related notices together in their own home for easy reference and write them in your diary and/or on the calendar immediately as well.
Avoid wasting time browsing through catelogs if you aren’t ‘in the market’ for the kind of items it’s advertising this will; 1 - save you time & 2 likely save you money by avoiding temptation, you can’t miss what you’ve never had!

That’s it for this time, next episode  Creating a household Reference Binder.

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