Tax season has arrived. If that statement has you breaking into a cold sweat, you’re not alone. People dread taxes for many reasons: not having the money to pay what they owe, fear of being audited, hatred of math, and disorganization. If you’re an adult, I probably won’t have much luck convincing you that math is fun (of course as a former math teacher, I may be a bit biased). That said, getting organized can prevent you for paying more than you really owe and it will ensure you maintain the documentation you need in case of an audit.
If you have an overflowing pile of mail that you are loathe to tackle, where do you start? As with most things organization-related, the keys are:
- Convenience (If there are too many steps or everything is not within easy reach, you're not likely to follow through.)
- Routine (If you wait until the last minute, you WILL be overwhelmed. Doing a little at a time makes a huge difference without requiring a huge amount of effort.)
My first suggestion is to do the paperwork filing as it comes in. Dumping everything in one bottomless box until tax time is not the way to go. Keep separate files for:
- banking
- retirement/investment accounts
- loans
- education expenses
- dependent (child/elder) care
- medical expenses
- business expenses
- work expenses
- charitable donations
- miscellaneous (anything else that you may need to track)
My second tip is to keep your files right next to where you handle your mail (your mail table, desk, etc.) If you have to take it to another room to file, you're likely to do what I've done in the past: put aside for later (which usually doesn't come until you need to clean for guests or until tax time).
Hint: try the Organizing Utility Tote for keeping your tax files tidy and convenient. It's cute, can easily be toted to your home office or your accountant, and it stows neatly under or next to your mail table/desk.
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