Great Day To Purge Your Files! 1/3 Off On Shredding Services Until 8/16/2009

Today is a great day to purge your files!

Those of us living in the East Coast area are getting ready to build an ark.
Only kidding.....
Annie says "The sun will come out tomorrow."
I hope she is right.

Rainy days are the perfect time to purge your files.

Documents and mail containing confidential information
need to be shredded. Identity theft is the #1 crime.

For residents: That means anything with your name, address;
numbers for social security, drivers license, financial accounts (including credit & debit cards), state or federal ID. You need a good quality cross cut shredder. Most will shred credit, debit, and charge cards. Fellows makes a good one the sells for between $200 & $300. If you don't want to invest in a shredder, see coupon offer below for 1/3% off on shredding services in Northeastern, MA .

For Businesses in MA : Now is the time to start to prepare for the
MA Data Security Law, that will be effective January 1, 2010.
Recently I attended an excellent seminar sponsored by the Beverly Chamber of Commerce. The panelists were an attorney, a computer consultant, and an HR consultant. All of these people can advise you on
what you need to do to be compliant with the law. See my August
e-newsletter for more details. In the meantime your can visit:
http://www.magov.com/. To sign up for my free e-newsletter click on:
http://www.organizationplus.com/ and you will will see the subscriber sign up.

The 1st step is to purge your files. Organization Plus can help you do that . Call Nancy at 978-922-6136 to learn how we can help you do that.

Once you have determined what you can purge, it has to be shredded,
the law says pulverized, or shredded by a service that shreds it in compliance with the law.
See coupon offer below for 1/3% off on shredding services in Northeastern, MA.

In collaboration with Heritage Business Services, a program of
North Shore ARC, Organization Plus will email you a gift certificate for 1/3 off on shredding services until 8/16/09.

Let Freedom Ring! New 1" Binders Now Available In Red, White and Blue

From "sea to shining sea" Bindertek has changed the way we work.

Their vast collection of America's Best Built Binders is as diverse as our country's landscape and people.

Legal Size, Letter Size, CD Size
Side Punch, Top Punch
Three Ring or Two Ring
Leather plus 16 colors including Red, White and Blue.

To order: Visit our Organizing Products web page at:
http://www.organizationplus.com/organizingproducts.html
and click on the Bindertek icon.

Would you like to see more information about innovative organizing products in future blogs?

Beverly Chamber Brown Bag Lunch

Beverly Chamber Brown Bag Lunch

Thursday, July 16, 2009 at Noon

Featuring Nancy Black, of Organization Plus

Organizing Tips to Save You Time & Money

Hosted at Endicott College Van Loan Graduate School, Room 112

376 Hale Street, Beverly, MA

Free Event

Please RSVP to director@beverlychamber.

Save Time & Money: Have Less Stress and More Fun this Summer - Diva Toolbox

Save Time & Money: Have Less Stress and More Fun this Summer - Diva Toolbox

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Nancy Black's Article in NAPO-NE Newsletter June 2009

*... Nancy Black, one of NAPO-New England's most experienced members, offers the benefit of her perspective in her article, Accentuate the Positive!, in this quarter's newsletter.

Accentuate the Positive!
by Nancy Black

There's been so much gloom and doom recently in the news. I'm surethat people would feel more optimistic if the media would stop bombarding us with negative news and feature a "good news of the day" segment.

I've decided to adopt the mantra "[You've got to] Accentuate the Positive, Eliminate the Negative, Latch on to the Affirmative." These are the first words to the lyrics from a Johnny Mercer song, "Accentuate the Positive," that was sung in the film "Hollywood Hotel" in 1938.

It's as easy as 1, 2, 3.......

1. Accentuate the Positive

Read at least one positive business news story each day. Read "People on the Move" and acknowledge their achievements.

2. Eliminate the Negative

Think about the glass being half full, not half empty. Avoid spending time with people who have negative attitudes.

3. Latch On To the Affirmative

Mary Kay Ash said "If you think you can, you can; if you think you can't, you're right." Tell yourself you can and you will. Remember the song from the musical, "Annie, ""The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow". If that poor little orphan could think positively, you can too.

http://www.organizationplus.com

News from Nancy Black and Organization Plus - June 2009

It's Summertime

The words from the song "Summertime" (from Porgy & Bess) are, "Summertime when the living is easy..." (Watch the YouTube clip here).

Will your summertime living be easy?

Unfortunately many US workers do not take most of their vacation days because of fear of loosing their job and pressures from their managers and co-workers.

People need vacations to re-charge their batteries.

Stats from the Rights 2 Vacation website are:

** Men who don't take regular vacations are 32% more likely to die of heart attacks, and 21% more likely to die early of all causes. Women have 50% more risk of heart attack.

** Stress and burnout are five times more costly to treat than average workplace maladies.

** Women who don't take vacations are twice as likely to be depressed as those who do.

Business owners have the power to create a culture where people are encouraged to take a no guilt, no Blackberry vacation.

An outstanding example is Andrew Lutts, CEO of Net Atlantic, in Salem, MA., who offers a unique employee benefit, a Sabbatical Program. When an employee has worked for 7 years, they can take a 3 month Sabbatical.

He understands the value of cultivating loyal employees and rewarding them for their commitment to his company.

Enjoy the summer and take time to smell the roses.

If you are looking for a Professional Organizer in Boston, or a Professional Organizer on the North Shore (Beverly, Peabody, Cape Ann, Newburyport, etc.), call Organization Plus today at (978) 922-6136.

Clutter Free Home Files & Paper Systems

Clutter Free Home Files & Paper Systems
May 18, 2009 (from Organized A to Z Blog entry)

Thanks to our guest blogger, Nancy Black of Organization Plus, for today’s tips on creating a clutter free home file and paper sorting system!

Here are some ways that you can decrease the papers that come into your home.

Pay bills online or put them on auto pay.

Call 800 #s on catalogs & ask them to delete your name from their mailing list.

Do not renew the magazines that you do not have time to read.

Request to have your name deleted from charitable request solicitations for charities you will not be contributing to.

When you fill in warranty forms check box asking them not to share your name.

Shred credit card solicitations that you do not want.

Mail: Process each day and sort by what action you need to take action on it. Have a desktop action file, with hanging file folders, or cubbies labeled with the action that you need to take or by category. Example: Calls to make.

School Papers: Have a folder in each child’s back pack for school papers. Review with your child daily, sign permission slips and fill out forms.

Magazines, Newsletters, & Newspapers: Set retention guidelines on how long to keep.

Post-its, scraps of paper with messages/addresses on them: Put info. in phone message book. You will have carbon copy of it.

Organizing Home Files:
The Homefile System is an excellent way to set-up an easy-to-use filing system for your home.

Creating a filing system: Purchase functional products so that it will be easy to set up maintain your files. Example: Decorative File Folders. The Homefile system gives you suggested categories and retention guidelines.

Color coded files are easy to identify by category. Example: Bright green for finances. Choose color for each family member.

Organizing existing files: Set retention guidelines on how long to keep documents. Purge outdated information or categories you are not longer interested in. Check with accountant or attorney on how long to keep legal and accounting files.

Shred any confidential information you are purging.

Nancy Black, of Organization Plus, is an Organizing Consultant with over 25 years of organizing experience. She was quoted in the NY Times, March 26, 2009. She created the “3 Hour Transformation” to turn your piles into files. She specializes in helping people create paper-flow systems, organize their space and plan their time. These services are provided on site or through telephone consultations. Her Web site is http://www.organizationplus.com/.