Christa Wagner

In September I had the opportunity to work with Blink Media on an organizing segment for their Get Connected Show.  The show is airing tomorrow during Small Business Week (the week of October 19).  I had so much fun and was thrilled to be apart of the event.   Thank you Blink TV. 

On the show we work with a client who is struggling with some organizational issues.   Our client was fantastic.  Like many of my clients they had a home office space that had too many purpose, little storage space and just too much stuff.  We were able to help by letting go of some unneeded items, we created a home for things using some great office products, and since it was a Get Connected Segment, we incorporated some pretty cool and very functional computer tools.  The client was thrilled and overall it was a super day.

The show will air on Thursday, October 22nd on BNN at 5:00 PM PST, and on City TV on Saturday October 24th at 9:30 AM PST.   Visit their website for exact viewing times.   I will also post to You Tube as soon as I receive my copy!

Christa Wagner is a Professional Organizer located in Vancouver, BC.

Before

Back in March we had a contest called Vancouver’s Ugliest Office Contest.  I partnered with Suze Interiors and we “made over” the Ugliest Office in Vancouver.  Our winner, Elyssa McKee lives in a two bedroom apartment with her husband Ryan.  They have lived in their home for four years and Elyssa uses her home for work and study.  Elyssa was great to work with and Ryan was amazing as he helped us while Elyssa was out of town at the end of the trip.   The photos speak for themselves……

Suze and I met with the client and assessed the situation, developed goals and prioritized.   Elyssa’s overall goal was an office that could be used for working, studying and reading.  She also wanted a calm, yet motivating space that she wanted to use.   Before the makeover, she didn’t even want to enter the room so she certainly wasn’t using it.  I went in with a team of three organizers and we started by sorting the contents of the room.  There was so much stuff and box by box we sorted like items together.  Once we had everything sorted, we went through each pile and Elyssa released anything she no longer used, needed or loved.  This was tough for her as it can be for most people.  But with our help, she let go of anything that did not have a purpose in the office.  Then we decided where things would go in the new office.

From there Suze went in and talked furniture, color and accessories.  The client’s budget was $1,000.  Until this point the couple had really made due with what they had and it was time for a major furniture face lift.  So Suze and I went shopping and pulled it all together.   We purchased a desk, a file cabinet, a bookshelf, a rug, baskets and containers, closet organizing tools, hanging file folders and a FreedomFiler.  You can see the results were amazing and the client is thrilled.

So what can you learn from all this?

• Elyssa and Ryan had plenty of space, but it was not being used effectively.
• They had too much stuff in one room that was supporting the needs of that room.
• They were holding onto things they no longer had a use for.
• They had old broken furniture that was hurting, not helping
• The room had gotten so out of control, it was too overwhelming to manage on their own.
• They need to get back to basic organizing principles; one in, one out, for example.

Good thing Suze and I had the contest.  Learn from Elyssa and Ryan and make a change in your home today or contact us to help you turn your ugliest room into a relaxing, practical and gorgeous space.

I founded Savvy Solutions in the year 2004 because I had a dream of owning my own business.  In the beginning I worked with clients throughout their homes, but then I realized nearly all of my clients were challenged by paper.   That was when I decided to focus my attention on paper, filing and offices; specifically through speaking engagements and writing.  I love paper and love my files, but that’s because they are organized and I can find things easily.  Over the years, I’ve come to realize two common challenges with paper: it comes into our homes or offices in droves, and we have no idea what to do with it once it arrives.  Where do you put it?  How long do you keep it?  

Managing your paper is not difficult, but it does take a few minutes each day and understanding a few basic principles shared in this booklet.   I know how overwhelming working with paper can be and by having a better understanding of your choices with paper; you will be in a significantly better place. 

We have worked with hundreds of clients teaching them The ART of Filing.  To be able to help even more people with paper, I have created a line of products focused on organizing paper.  One of these is a small booklet called The ART of Filing: How to Conquer Paper in 3 Simple Steps.  The booklet will be available on our website later this week and we could not be more thrilled.  Use this booklet to have a better understanding how to manage your paper and start to conquer your paper clutter.

Christa will be in Seattle this weekend!!  Attend Saturday’s Storables workshop and learn to tackle messy offices, overwhelming stacks of paper, and solve the mysteries of how long you should keep certain documents and paper.  Even more importantly get tips to create a personal space where you feel productive and energized. Here is what you need to know:

See you at Saturday’s workshop. 

Organize Your Ugly Office

We are amidst our Ugliest Office Contest with partner Suze Interiors and we are still searching for the ugliest one.  We’ve had some doozies come in, but you never know and you could have the ugliest office in Vancouver.  Some people have told us they are working in garages, in their kitchen, their kids playroom, etc.  Send them all.  We can’t wait to see them and help you. 

The winner will receive a one-hour decorating and organizing assessment and an 8-hour decorating and 8-hour organizing session with owners Suze McCart and Christa Wagner. The winner has the opportunity to create a comfortable, functional, organized and attractive workspace to be proud of. 

Click here for contest details. 

It’s that time of year; tax time.  In my experience, there are two typical scenarios.  On one hand, many people hand over the shoebox of receipts to their accountant and have to pay for the accountant to then organize their receipts and complete their tax return.  That expense can really add up and it’s not really the best use of your accountant’s time.  On the other hand, many people take that same shoebox and now have to organize their own receipts and complete their own tax return.  This also takes a huge amount of time and energy and if you put a price on your time, my guess is the amount would add up quickly.  

Unfortunaly, there is no paper more important than tax paper so I would recommend setting up a system that us more reliable than the shoebox and will save you time and money in the end.  Moving forward I recommend always asking yourself one question for every piece of paper your are considering holding onto.  Ask yourself, “Is this a tax related document.”  If it is a tax related document, then always place this paper with other tax related documents.

If your taxes are relatively simple, for example you only get a W2 (USA) or a T4 (Canadian) and a few other tax related papers, you may only need one folder called tax documents.  But if you have a more complex tax situation, or a business, its recommended to have several tax files.  Examples include: income, charitable donations, medical expenses and investment expenses.  If you have a business you absolutely want to have your receipts separated to save time and money come year end.  Examples of business tax folders are bank statements, credit card statements, automobile expenses, advertising expenses, travel, etc.  These are only examples and your tax section is really up to you and your paper. 

Another consideration would be to ask your accountant or bookkeeper how they would like the information.  Just the other day, I called Alison Martin, a bookkeeper who was working with a client of mine and asked her how she would like to receive the tax paperwork from this client.  She said quarterly, so we created Tax Q1, Tax Q2, etc.  It was as easy as that and really easy for my client and now Alison. 

If you’re still stuck and can’t break the shoebox habit, consider using the FreedomFiler.  We use this product with nearly all residential clients and most business clients as well.  It keeps your tax papers separate from other papers and keeps it separate from year to year.  It’s an exceptional product.  Contact uswith questions regarding your FreedomFiler.

I was working with a client the other day, building her FreedomFiler and taking her through the different types of paper.  I explained to her the tax, permanent, remove replace and resource sections and she felt like she a good handle on these types of papers.  Then she said, “But I just know what paper goes in the monthly section.”  In that same breath she said “What do I do with all my investment report I get every quarter?”

It was funny; because she answered her own question with her other question. I use the FreedomFiler with nearly all residential clients and most business clients too.  It’s a great product because the way you file your paper tells you how long you keep it.  There is a monthly section that I call the irrational catch-all.  It’s the location for the papers we want to keep, but we just don’t have a good reason to, we aren’t sure if we will need again and we just want to keep it for future use.  Love having a place for those.

So getting back to my client and her quarterly investment paper,   I told her to ask herself the following questions:

1. Is this a tax related paper?  No, she is not using this paper on her taxes as the investment company will inform her at the year’s end of any gains.
2. Is this a permanent paper?  No, this is just an update and does not describe you original plan or allocation.
3. Is this a paper that is replacing another version?  No, this is just a statement.  It is not the contract you have with the investment company?
4. Is it a resource?  No.
5. But it is a piece of paper she wanted to keep, even though she really didn’t think she would use or need it.  It felt important.  Yes and using the FreedomFiler we placed it with the other irrational papers by month.

We strongly recommend the FreedomFiler to help you manage these irrational papers and tell you how long to keep them. It’s an exceptional product.  Contact us with questions regarding setting up your FreedomFiler.