Home Office Ideas

February: Home office — digital documents and papers. Get a jump-start on tax time by getting your files (paper and digital) in order.Sort through random stacks of paper; file, shred or recycle everythingStreamline your files, shredding any documents you no longer needUse one calendar to keep track of all eventsSwitch to paperless bills and statements if possibleClean out computer files and back up everything, using cloud-based storage and an external driveHabit to cultivate: Sort your mail at the door, tossing junk immediately into a recycling bin.

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9. Clean out your computer. Delete unnecessary files, clean off your computer’s desktop, empty that little wastebasket, complete your updates and then restart your machine. Ley likes to clear the photos and videos from her phone and computer, uploading keepers to an online storage service (a.k.a. the cloud) and creating a family yearbook every year. (She uses Dropbox and Artifact Uprising.) Finally, just as you did with your snail mail, prevent more junk from coming in by unsubscribing from those that email too often, setting up Smart Mailboxes to have tempting deals stashed out of your main inbox and getting some help from an app. Ley recommends Unroll.me.Great Home Project: How to Organize Your Digital Photos

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