Eco-organizing Recycles Stuff for Earth-friendly Homes
Putting Clutter Elsewhere Takes on New Meaning, says Eco-organizer
 

The allure of stuff tempts most individuals, whether they need it or not.  With all the freebies, bargains, items on sale, and economical "values," there are a lot of influences that draw buyers to purchase things.  And, what we end up with is just a lot of stuff.

The world isn't going to stop offering merchandise at no or low cost, so we just have to adapt a new mindset so we don't end up with so many things.  That's where the "what comes in, must go out" rule can make life a lot better for people.  This guideline simply means: if you do feel inclined to buy something, another thing must leave.  That's recycled organizing, and environmentalists will agree; it's the hip thing to do.

Eco-organizing also puts emphasis on not buying new items unless you absolutely have to and if you do, then ensure the product is made from earth-friendly or organic material.

Professional Organizer Cyndi Seidler became an "eco-organizer" over the past year when she became more conscientious about the concepts of green home living, or eco-friendly living.  As much as she's tried to keep some clients from excessive buying habits, her new approach gets them to stop and think before they buy.

Seidler owns and runs two aligning companies in Sylmar, CA: HandyGirl Organizers and, recently formed Splendid Space Makeovers.  She's combined organizing and interior decorating to bring more help to clients in need of home makeovers.  With the issues of people having too much stuff and no place to put it, Seidler combines her expertise, resources, and knowledge to bring up the awareness that they don't need everything they have, and that recycled stuff is a two-way street -- get rid of stuff; only purchase recycled stuff.

She now suggests to clients that if they are going to buy something (and they will), it's better to buy recycled junk than to buy new junk.  She points out, "Why cut down a new tree when you can get one that's already been cut down?"  She informs people that a new wooden bookshelf, for instance, strips our natural resources, but a second-hand or used piece of furniture is recycled, and preserves our natural resources.  A little refinishing and/or reupholstering, and you've got something that looks like new.

By getting rid of stuff that's broken, isn't needed or has no value anymore, a person is contributing to helping the environment because someone else may need it and use it and won't have to deplete our natural resources to have it.

Stuff is going to be around a long time.  But, thinning out the stuff in your home, giving it to another who may need or use it more, and not buying a lot of new stuff can help make a difference in this world of stuff.

Businesses Flirt with Disaster by Not Protecting Their Vital Records

Professional Organizer Fights the Battle of Haphazard File Organization in Offices

Professional Organizer Cyndi Seidler says, "A business that doesn't have a plan for protecting its vital records may find itself in deep water when disaster strikes."

Los Angeles, CA, March 30, 2005 -  Many file drawers crunch up year after year with stale documents and old files that will never be retrieved again.  Frequently, the results are stuffed file cabinets, overcrowded file folders, worn folders, a mixture of handwritten and computer-printed or typed labels, and the lack of file guides, and a charge-out or tracking system.

According to a Reuters study, 85% of the information that businesses need to operate does not fall into structured formats.  Instead, it exists in a wide range of unstructured content such as email, graphics or video.  With so much diverse information, employees spend roughly 25% to 35% of their time looking for the information they need to do their jobs. 

Of managers surveyed, 49% feel they are often unable to handle the volume of information received; 38% waste substantial time trying to locate information; 47% say collection of information distracts from their main job responsibilities.

"A business that doesn't have a plan for protecting its vital records may find itself in deep water when disaster strikes," says Professional Organizer Cyndi Seidler.  "An enterprise without a structured, uniform filing system that allows employees to easily store, retrieve, and track their records is just one part of protecting their information."

Seidler further states, "Filing systems for paper records have evolved without much planning or ongoing management attention."  She stresses the importance of proper filing, and has been on a crusade to urge businesses to make it a high priority to get control of paper records.

There are other reasons to proper management of files.  According to Seidler, the key value of having organized files is it results in better decision-making.  With information at an executive's fingertips, proper strategies and planning can be made in a company.  However, many executives had not viewed it that way, and therefore continue blindly in their efforts to expand.

Because of the lack of proper filing systems and an approved retention schedule, companies fail to make periodic purges. The volumes of paperwork retained are more than double what really needs to be kept.  This "asset liability" has proven harmful to some companies in the event of a lawsuit.

Since paper records make up 80% to 90% of the recorded information in small and large organizations, the consumption of paper in offices throughout the United States continues to increase at the rate of about 15% per year.  If it isn't managed, trouble happens; it's doubtful escaping that.

National Organize Your Files Week, April 18th, encourages people to reach in those file drawers and put some order in them.   This dilemma is not solved by purchasing new file cabinets that take up valuable floor space.  It is solved by a reorganization within file cabinets and a clean sweep of old documents.

Lost Tax Records Can Cost You More than Money Warns Professional Organizer:

Hidden Dangers Lurk for Unprepared Tax Papers

Professional Organizer Cyndi Seidler Gives 10 Essential Tips to Organize Your Financial Papers for Tax Time

This is often the time of year that individuals go on a scavenger hunt for all those financial documents they need to file their taxes.  These "everywhere papers" are the leading cause of stress and the main reason people file their taxes late or file for extensions. 

According to a national study survey, executives waste six weeks per year searching for lost documents.  And Americans waste 9,000,000 hours per year searching for misplaced items.

Organizer to the Stars Cyndi Seidler suggests that getting an early start on organizing your papers will save you time, anxiety, and money when you file your return.  She also advises, "It’s a good investment of time to get your financial paperwork organized so tax time doesn’t have to be so taxing when the next year comes around."

"Tax time doesn’t have to be an ordeal," says Seidler.  "It can be less frustrating and less time-consuming if you have all the material at hand without having to sort through stacks of mail, receipts, or various places around the house or office."

Seidler, who owns HandyGirl Organizers, a professional organizing business in the Los Angeles area, offers these essential tips in organizing financial papers:

1) Set up a “drop off” place for receipts. Each day, empty receipts from pockets, wallets, purses, or shopping bags into this receipt receptacle.  

2) Establish a method to process receipts.  On a weekly or monthly basis, perform regular maintenance and file the receipts from the receptacle.

3) Keep bookkeeping activities up-to-date. For manual record-keeping, put receipts into a categorized accordion file.  If computerized, enter the expense receipts into your money management software, and then file the receipts away in an Expense Receipts file.

4) Always reconcile your records with bank records when you receive your bank statements.

5) Set up a filing system with accounting files together in one category.  Keep expense receipts, paid bills, credit card expenses, banking statements, invoices, income records, income tax returns, and any other accounting documents in clearly labeled files in this category.  This makes pulling financial records and archiving end of year finances an easy task.

6) Don’t keep receipts that you don’t need.  Discard receipts that are not related to taxes (unless it is needed for item return or exchange), and toss ATM receipts after your bank statement balances.

7) Implement a paper flow system to manage your flow of mail and financial papers.  Set up stacking tray baskets to receive mail, hold pending papers, and to put papers in for filing. 

8) Use a vertical file holder for active files, like a “Bills to pay” file.

9) Create a categorized finance report of the year's itemized expenses for accountant.  This saves accounting costs and is easily carried out with computer money management software.

10) House your important, valuable documents safely.  Store such documents as deeds and mortgage papers, birth and marriage certificates, insurance policies, legal agreements, essential investment records, tax returns, and property inventory in a fireproof box or safe deposit box.

Seidler also advises to consider free tax assistance.  IRS offers a tax help line at 800-829-1040.  Many post offices and libraries carry the most widely requested forms and instructions. Libraries may also have reference sets of IRS publications.