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5 TECH Essentials

October 5, 2015 by XOXOblog in 5 Things, Office

Shop these items: 1.Fitbit Flex $99.95 2.BlueLounge Mini Cable Box $30 3.Ban.dō Giant Gem Speaker $40 4.Mophie Juice Pack Air $99.95, Made for iPhone 6 5.Adonit Jot Pro Stylus $30

The Home-Office: Declutter Your Desk

March 16, 2015 by XOXOblog in Office, Self Organization

Working from home has its perks (goodbye rush hour traffic and hello pajamas!) as well as its challenges. Maintaining efficiency and focus can be tricky. However, when your home-office has turned into a barrage of paperwork, office supplies and electronic equipment, it’s necessary to establish a well-organized system that makes finding important documents and projects a breeze. Here are some simple steps you can take to maintain a clutter-free and organized home-office:

Recycle or shred all the documents you know you don’t need anymore. You may want to have your local Office Depot shred documents for you while you wait (not all office supply stores offer this service) or call a shredding service if you have too much all at once.
Store bulk office supplies. Only keep one of each necessary item in your desk area and keep the remaining office supplies in a nearby cabinet or closet.
File all documents in a file cabinet. Be sure to label each tab clearly to make finding files easier. If you feel distracted by filing documents in between daily operations, it might be best to keep a letter tray on your desk for papers to file at the end of each day. If you have lots of paperwork and need two file cabinets, I recommend using one for “current” documents and the other for “information only” documents. Your “current” file cabinet should ideally only have documents from the current year and include companies you do business with on a regular basis. Your “information only” file cabinet should have documents that you hardly ever need to access. Analyze all file cabinets each tax season to determine which documents can be recycled or shredded and which ones need to be saved for your tax records.
Label and keep product manuals and electronics in a nearby cabinet or closet instead of in your desk area. These are items you may not need on a regular basis. Be sure not to give them the best seat in your home-office.
Use a daily calendar to record deadlines, meetings and reminders. Treat it like your personal assistant. Tell him/her everything you want to remember, including when to pick up the kids, when to call a friend and things to buy next time you’re at the grocery store. If you think it, write it down. Your to-dos are valuable and need to be scheduled if they have a good chance of being completed.

Your desk is an extension of your mind. If your desk is cluttered and out of sorts, it’s likely that your brain is feeling scattered as well. You’ll be amazed by the improvement in your workflow and mood when your workspace is in order!

Now that you’ve sorted and filed your documents, make sure you have everything you need to file your taxes. Download our 30-Day Tax Challenge to make sure you have everything in order before you file: https://xoxorganizing.com/challenge-30-day-tax-challenge/

Streamline Your Business: Creating an SOP in 5 Simple Steps

March 9, 2015 by XOXOblog in Office

If you own your own business, you know how difficult it can be to have so much responsibility on your shoulders. You may be running a solo operation or have a team helping you. Either way, you know that often times there can be multiple steps for certain procedures.

This is where a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP)—a predetermined step-by-step instruction guide on how to complete a task—comes to our rescue. I love SOP’s because even someone not familiar with your procedures can complete the task as if they were a seasoned veteran at your company.

standard operating procedure Word Origin
noun
1. a set of fixed instructions or steps for carrying out usually routine operations.
Abbreviation: SOP.

I recommend making an SOP for any and all processes that require more than 2 steps. Not only will an SOP help in a hurry-up-and-get-this-done-in-5-minutes type of a situation, but you can ensure that the procedure will run smoothly no matter who will be completing the procedure. An SOP is easy to make. Here’s how to make one:

1. List each step from START to FINISH. Be specific. List each step in order that they should be completed. Be sure to add notes like where certain files can be found, passwords, etc. Don’t leave anything out.

2. After you’ve written your SOP, test it out by only following the step-by-step instructions that have been written. Make revisions, as needed.

3. Once you have revised your SOP to its most perfect design, give it to a friend, family member, colleague, etc. so they can test it out too. The more people you have test it out the better. Sit next to them as they follow each step. Follow along to see if you need to add or subtract any steps in your procedure.

4. Make any final revisions to your SOP, then name it something simple so that others are clear as to what to use your SOP for. The goal is to make your SOP user friendly.

5. Save your perfected SOP in an easily accessible place for authorized personnel to access. You and anyone on your team should be able to print your SOP before starting the procedure so they don’t miss any steps.

Remember, as your business grows, you may need to revisit each SOP to make sure all instructions continue to be relevant.

Stay one step ahead this tax season with our 30-Day Tax Challenge! Download the PDF here for daily tips on preparing your taxes without the stress! : https://xoxorganizing.com/challenge-30-day-tax-challenge/

Tax Organization

March 2, 2015 by XOXOblog in General Organizing, Office, Tips

Blog Graphics - Taxes

We all have to file taxes. While doing your taxes may not be something to break out into song over, it doesn’t need to be a major stressor or time-consumer either. One of the best things you can do for yourself is to make sure your tax papers are in order every year. Trust me-this is not as bad as it sounds and it makes tax time a breeze!

Here’s what to do:

1. Create a folder for every company you do business with each year. P.S. if you pay online, be sure to print the receipt of the things you’re going to write off at the end of the tax year.

2. Then create a folder named “Taxes”. This is where you’ll keep things that don’t necessarily reoccur every month (for example your DMV renewal or donations you’ve made throughout the year). This is also where you should keep any questions you might have for your tax preparer, along with your bank routing number/account number if you’re going to be e-filing.

3. Also create a folder named “Medical For (family member name)”. This is where you’ll keep all the medical receipts for each member of your family. This will come handy at tax time.

4. At the end of each year, determine which of your files are write-offs. Calculate the amounts you spent in each folder so you can report it to your tax preparer.

5. After you’ve filed your taxes, save all the paperwork as evidence in case you ever are questioned. Bundle all the statements/receipts, etc. that you’ve claimed. Label the bundle with the tax year and store it in a safe place.

6. To find out how long to keep your filed taxes, ask your tax preparer.

Bright side: If you ever get audited, you won’t have to worry if you lost a receipt, etc. because you’ll know that ALL the things you wrote off on your tax forms will have the evidence to back it up!

Are you following along with XOXO’s 30-Day Tax Challenge? We’ve put together a fun and easy tip sheet to get you ready for tax day! Download your free PDF here: https://xoxorganizing.com/challenge-30-day-tax-challenge/

[ CHALLENGE ] 30-Day Tax Challenge

February 26, 2015 by XOXOblog in Challenge, Office

Tax day is Wednesday, April 15th. If you’re one who waits until the last minute to get your tax papers in order, this challenge is for you! Tax season isn’t anybody’s favorite time of year, so let’s do one thing each day that will help us say, “I’m ready for tax season!” This challenge is designed to help you take one step, each day, towards getting your tax papers organized. Be sure to keep records of your findings so you will be able to report your numbers with confidence.

Download the 30-Day Tax Challenge List, click link for printer-friendly PDF:
XOXO 30-Day Tax Challenge.

P.S. Join our Tax Challenge Facebook Event Page to share your #XOXO30Days progress!