organizing

Tis the End of the Year well for taxes…

~ lisagangone ~ Leave a comment

Tis the end of the year for taxes…

Do you know where all of your paperwork is to get your taxes done? Yes, we just got through the holidays and tax season is upon us whether we like it or not.

Here are a few tips to help you prepare:

Pick up a basic monthly accordion file and start filing your receipts by month. I know it is the end of the year but if you take a little bit at a time you can get this organized in time.

Make sure you separate your personal and business receipts.

Medical receipts are important so get those together. You want to show how much you have paid out of pocket-depending upon the percentage this can be a deduction from your income-this is for personal. For business gather up everything-premiums, prescription receipts, co-pays, etc.…

Have last year’s tax returns handy for referencing back just in case there are any questions on how you filed previously. This is especially necessary when changing CPA’s.

Any college bills? You will need 1098-T for yourself or your children.

Mortgage interest, property taxes, closing costs-this can help bring down your income.

 

If you are not sure bring those receipts with you. Your CPA will tell you what you can deduct. You never know so do not pre-judge. Tax laws are always changing.

Looking for more tips and tricks to help you stay on target? Sign up here to get onto my email list.

 

Until the next time…

~Lisa

 

 

 

Being Organized Can Be Fun!

~ lisagangone ~ Leave a comment

A question for you. Are you organized or disorganized? As an entrepreneur or an average consumer we still have receipts, paperwork, warranties, and so much more. Even though we are in the age of digital technology we still seem to have piles of paperwork. Trying to stay organized can be quite stressful. Between work, family, pets, and social obligations we cannot even keep what is important to us organized so how can we even expect ourselves to keep our paperwork together?

Well this is where I come in. Part of taking care of ourselves is taking care of every part of our lives. Yes we have our obligations and those are important. Some of us like myself say having a tidy house is not important to us but in reality it is (it is a little difficult with my dog but I work on it). For myself if I cannot find something I am just creating undo stress in my life. Having that extra bedroom as an office may not be feasible for everyone. So pick an inconspicuous spot in your kitchen or living room and dedicate it to your paperwork. A great way to do this is decorate it with whatever theme or colors your room has so it blends in and is not an eyesore. You can pick up some inexpensive file folders or file boxes, label each section and voila you have your office. What do you think? Why don’t you give it a try and see how it works for you. I find that I am always reorganizing my office space in some form or another. Especially with my 2-½ year old dog Jack. Right now my bookcases are backwards so he cannot get into trouble and I won’t lose anything I need. If you are looking for office filing cabinets or accessories a great place to look is Habit for Humanity stores. You would be amazed at the great finds. Thrift shops or even Goodwill stores are other places you can find useful accessories. Now keep it simple because you do not need a lot of stuff to keep your stuff.

Add a little inspiration to your space. A vision board if you have room or just some positive affirmations will help. This is just not about carving space out of your home for ugh paperwork. Making it warm and inviting will give it energy where you will want to take care of it. Whatever you love add it to this area within reason of course. I have some of my vision boards in front of my desk so they can inspire me daily. A few affirmations added to this are so helpful for me. I would love to hear how you stay organized or if you need help. Peace of mind is what you will find once you make your space yours.

I am a bookkeeper with a twist. I get you organized and comfortable with your space so it is no longer an albatross on your back.

Until next time…

~Lisa

 

How Do You Keep Moving Forward?

~ lisagangone ~ Leave a comment

How do you keep moving forward? It does not matter whether it is for work or home. There are 24 hours in a day, seven days in a week but there never seems to be enough time to keep up with life. It can get overwhelming and sometimes I think the heck with it. That is when I need to take a step back and see what is really happening underneath the chaos of my life. I ask you what do you do when this happens to you?

There was a time when I was not so busy and having that idle time can be dangerous for my mind. Idle time can mean getting into my head and not into my w. My head tells me one thing and my heart another. It is usually my heart that has the right answer. How does this work for you? The big difference for me now is that I need be even more specific with my priorities and sometimes the insanity of life skews my sense of what is important. I can feel a shift in me when this happens. My goals take a back seat and that is not healthy for my business or me. This is a little spin off of my blog juggling acts. Everyone is juggling, the difference is some people are just so organized and others well not so much.

It is when I step into the chaos that what I have for organization crumbles. I was on a business coaching call last week and we talked about how some of us are piling and others of us are filing. Which one are you? This is when I bring my toolbox out and use the tools I have learned to get me back on track. What are some of the tools in your toolbox?

The thing is it is okay to get off track once in awhile as long as it is not on a daily basis. We are all human beings and cannot be on our “game” all of the time. That would be quite tedious and draining don’t you think? Taking down time to regroup, refresh, recharge, or whatever you name it makes us so much stronger to continue our journey of discovery and success. I think for me one of my recharging tools is writing this blog. I am finding it brings out the creative side of me, gets me thinking on the right track, focuses me, and inspires me to keep moving forward. My intention is to reach as many people as possible and help as many people as I possibly can. Walt Disney wrote, “Around here we don’t look backwards for very long… We keep moving forward, opening new doors and doing new things because we’re curious… And curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.” This is what I want for myself. To keep moving forward, opening myself up for new experiences, and keeping myself curious because being curious means to me that I am alive, growing, and learning. So, I ask you how are you staying curious?

 

Until next time…

~Lisa