Add ons to THE LIST from you people....

Pay property taxes They are due end of April and end of October.  Ours are running at just over $2000 for the year right now.

Update calendars/reminders
I have to update the ipod with school dates every fall.  I get the kids at 3:15 on Monday and Friday and after 5:00 Tu-W-Th... and all those odd little dates have to be recorded.  Once for me, once for Hot, once for my mil, once for my boss (for days off).  I use a paper perpetual calendar (that I made) for birthdays.

And the little daily schedule for school has to be updated with library books, show-n-tell, pe shoes etc.

Benefits/addresses/wills
I do this in October when we do health insurance for the state.  And addresses are done with my office inventory stuff for work in December.  I use the same emergency contact sheet for work and home.

Toys/clothes purge
Maybe if I set a date I wouldn't feel so perpetually overwhelmed by this.  And I wouldn't chronically have a pile of too small stuff on the laundry room counter.  Ah-hah Moment.  We do a toy rotation... one tub in and one tub out on a fairly regular basis... but a schedule would be good.

Smoke alarms and furnace filters
We don't have a furnace but I do schedule a yearly pellet stove cleaning in August.  And how often do you change the batteries in the smoke alarms?  I've heard twice a year when you do daylight savings time but I've been doing it on Valentine's.  Ok.  check that.  I bought the batteries.  They are on the laundry room counter.

Tax Stuff
I gather the tax stuff in a file that says, oddly enough, "taxes" and then sort and organize it during the Super Bowl.  That's when I make notes of what is missing and track things down and fill in the paperwork.  Then I have it all gathered by President's Day for drop off at the accountant.  Our taxes are easy.... but I also anticipate doing taxes someday in the future for the farm.... that's more complex.... deductions and write offs and quarterly payments....  maybe someday.

Scanning
Have you seen the new two-sided scanners?  Maybe they aren't new.  But that is something I would find very valuable if we ever become full-time farmers.  I'm in an organizating situation with scanning now.... I need to do better at sorting my digital files and figuring out what else needs to be scanned.  I have a pile and I'm procrastinating.  We are ditching our safety deposit box in favor of putting things in the safe at home.  Some of it has been easy... some not so much.

And I get one vote for weekly laundry with sheets on Saturdays and dog beds once a month.  Anyone else??

Project: Mission: Organization: Make-a-list

I have the day off today and we were planning to ski but..... 66% of my kids are complaining of sore throats and the other 33% have some serious booger issues so we are going to stay low today. Doing some meal planning, a little baking (for the upcoming Carnival Event at school), and some much-needed scanning and organization of digital documents.  I'm also doing a bit of the eternal organization shuffle as priorities change..... winter gear is the goal.  We are set for sledding but now I'd like to add in skiing as an option......  our test-drive on Friday has me perking on some ideas.

I'm also doing some thinking. I'm slowly pulling out of my February funk and, while I don't like it when it is happening, the dense non-functioning funk of February usually results in some serious productivity when I do finally come out of it.

One of my big goals for 2012 is to make some to do lists. 

Wait.

Let me explain.

Some sort of seasonal lists of things to do to keep organized.

For example:

Clear photos & video from cell phone & ipod & flip.  I am pretty good about getting things off my camera but not the cell, ipod or flip.  (See previous post for example.)  I could set a goal to do this yearly, semi-annually, or quarterly.  Make a note.... for now we will do it every 6 months...  February & August.

Gather tax materials.  I like to sort and organize this stuff during the Super Bowl.

Submit taxes to accountant.  I like to have this done by President's Day.  I have it ready today and can drop it off tomorrow.

Pay van & pickup insurance.  February & August.

Pay car insurance.  April & October.

Pay house insurance.  August.

So what else?  What do you do on an automated schedule?  Either consciously or unconsciously?

I should add clearing out the broken drawer... either glueing/sewing/repairing/tossing....  probably monthly.  And some laundry things... like washing the couch cover and blankets and pet beds.