It's Spring and the time is right to do a little cleaning.

No, I'm not talking about the rain gutters, heater vents or spiderwebs (though that's probably not a bad idea either)...I'm talking about ALL of THAT pertaining to our business and personal records.

I have a lateral cabinet at home for storing records. Four drawers of my business, my husband's business, our personal records, and my kids' records. Believe me when I say it needs to be cleaned out every six months. This is a great time of year to address your home, office and Active Rain filing cabinets. Every tax season, I make it a point to clean out my filing cabinets and get my money out of the shredder I bought. You should too. Here are some simple things you can do to keep your files "clean" and make your life easier. First, you will need to......

1. Plan enough time to complete.                                                             

2. Schedule the time when you can be alone with no interruptions.

3. Turn your phone off, pack a snack and your shredder.

4. Take breaks when you need to and set a goal for each day.

Home- Buy some storage boxes at Office Max or wherever. As you sort out what is needed from what can be shredded, file and label each box to be stored. Store boxes in secure and dry area, which should also be easily accessible. Dig out your old shoe-boxes and use them. I have one for business receipts and one for personal receipts. These have proved to be very helpful at tax-time. Keep in mind, the record keeping requirements for IRS and State Tax Departments vary based on the type of record. Just to be safe, I keep all records for 7 years.

Office- Consider using a data storage company. For a fee, you can have all your documents scanned and saved to disc. This is a great option for both home and office if you do not have the space to store "paper" records. You may also want to update your security codes for everything from lockboxes and bank accounts to access #'s for websites. Make sure this information is kept somewhere secure as well, either in your computer or on paper. This is a great time to see where you are for continued education hours. You should have a separate file for this but if you don't, now is the time to put one together.

Active Rain- Take some time to go through your blogs. If you have a draft blog started that you have no intention of finishing, GET RID OF IT. If you are signed up to groups that you never use, DELETE them. Look over your subscription list and your book-marked page as well as your comments section. Take time to evaluate what you need and what you use here. 

Computer- Look through your documents, photos and programs...do you really need all of these taking up space? Consider purchasing a zip drive ($20-1gb) and saving these items by year or having them scanned to a disc as suggested earlier. Do whatever works best for you. When you get done, empty your recycle bin and run the system tool "disk defragmenter" to let your computer organize it's own filing cabinet.

Wallet- I know people carrying a library card in their wallet from 1972, along with credit cards they DO NOT use or other compromising identity information. Again, a great time to clean it all out and carry only what you absolutely NEED, which should not include you SS card. Keep this item in a safe place and ONLY take it when you will NEED it.

Credit Report- As well as what you can see, this is also a good time to take a look at what you can't. Order you credit report at least once a year. Make this part of the process of cleaning out your cabinet. You might be surprised at what you'll find.

I'm sure there are other areas that you may become inspired to clean out, like the closet in the guest bedroom. Pace yourself and remember Rome wasn't built in a day. You may have your work cut out for you, but trust me when I say you will feel better.

This is a great way to get ready for the spring and summer season of  new buyers. Putting your old files to bed can be renewing and refreshing . I always seem to find that one document I was looking for or something else that had been filed in the wrong place. Paid/closed credit accounts, warranty information and old insurance policies are just some of the items I usually run on to. With the increased risk of identity theft, this is a great way to make sure your information is in order. 

I wish you all success with this endeavor. It has proved to be a great strategy for me in staying organized. I hope it works as well for you. Good Luck !