How do you remember what you need to do for the people you need to do it for, I mean really? Information management is the organization that will allow you to make informed decisions for the people, appointments, and processes in your life. The Sunday Basket® takes care of active papers, but some papers you need to hang on to. There are no more actions to do with this type of paper, but they are critical for future reference. I have a binder system, within The Paper Solution, to help you manage all the informational papers.

Medical Binder

The Medical Binder has allowed me to have many informed conversations with doctors that have led to not needing tests they may have required otherwise or access to medications the doctor may not have considered. I wanted to try to go on Clonidine to help with my hot flashes due to a hunch I had. I had my medical history with me in my Medical Binder. You know why I had it with me? My doctor does not digitize my records. So there aren’t multiple medical records “talking to each other” or being updated. Being prepared for conversations with your doctor can elevate your conversations and the consideration your doctor gives to your concerns or desires. This worked to my advantage many times with my children as well while we tried to get them on a Diet and medication that helped them to function their best. With the Medical Binder in hand, you can make critical decisions before you leave the hospital allowing you the best treatment. Let me tell you, you leave the hospital and change your mind? Your options are drastically different with higher price tags. This binder is a life saver!

Household Reference Binder

When we went to Europe, our smoke detectors went off. And Abby was going crazy so she called grandma, who called Joey. Joey really didn’t want to call us. But it ended up being an easy fix due to the Household Reference Binder. Had I not filled it out, there would have been a couple of annoying days or some expensive invoice from ADT to come out and change the batteries. The Household Reference Binder can also remind you when routine maintenance is due and where you can keep appliance user manuals. This binder can also work to your benefit in selling your house – interested buyers will have peace of mind Investing in your home when they know you took care of it and that there’s a binder to help them take care of their new home. 

Financial Binder

We just talked about being the CFO of your home. The Financial Binder helps to organize all the financial aspects of your household Economy. You can file away all your insurance documents as well as taxes in this binder for quick future reference. I have shared before that I file taxes for Abby and Joey. So this is where I store their license numbers, issue date, and expiration date to save me time when filing their taxes. I don’t need it any other time of the year so it goes in this binder. This becomes a valuable binder when it comes to settling an owner’s estate. This shaves so many billable hours off an attorney and saves you time, too!

Household Operations Binder

How does your home function on a yearly cadence? The Household Operations Binder is like your family’s standard operating procedures (SOP’s.) You may find papers from this binder go into “active status” in the Sunday Basket® for a season and back to the Household Operations Binder until the next time. These papers remind us of facts about holidays or annual events. This binder is also where your family could find information and complete tasks normally they could not because it would all be in your brain. But because of the Household Operations Binder, you have externalized the process thus lowering your cognitive load and sharing those tasks.

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• The Sunday Basket®

• The Paper Solution®

• The Productive Home Solution

• Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter 

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Lisa Woodruff Founder & CEO of Organize 365®

Lisa Woodruff is the founder & CEO of Organize 365®.

Lisa, along with 87% of America, believes organization is a learnable skill. Yet less than 18% of those same Americans feel they are organized. Through The Productive Home Solution course, Lisa aims to teach Americans young and old the skill of organizing and unlocking their time for what they are uniquely created to do.

As the host of the top-rated Organize 365® Podcast (which has 17 million downloads and counting) Lisa shares strategies for reducing the overwhelm, clearing the mental clutter, and living a productive and organized life. Her sensible and doable organizing tasks appeal to multiple generations. Her candor and relatable personality make you feel as though she is right there beside you; helping you get organized as you laugh and cry together.

Under Lisa’s direction, Organize 365® has conducted academic research establishing the definitions of housework, home organization and the weight of paper in the American home. This ongoing research is making the invisible work at home visible to all. The goal is to eliminate it and free people from the monotonous tasks of daily living; and unlock their time for what they are uniquely created to bring forth in the world.

She is the author of four books including: How ADHD Affects Home Organization and The Paper Solution. Lisa’s understanding of the lived female American experience has helped her to create products & courses like the Sunday Basket®. These products and courses externalize the routine tasks that take up the executive functioning capacity of our brains; freeing us up to think and create again!