Congrats to Astrid: An Amazing To-Do List App

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Would you like a personal assistant to help you remember appointments and check things off your to-do list? I know of one who will work for cheap and keep you organized and make sure you hit all your deadlines. Her name is Astrid. And I’d like to offer my congratulations since the company was just sold to Yahoo.  

Who is Astrid?

Astrid is an adorable little octopus and one of my favorite to-do list apps for iPhone or Android.  If you don’t have one of those devices you can also access this productivity tool by going to Astrid.com.

Astrid will keep all of your tasks organized and remind you of what you need to do with motivational and encouraging nudges like “How about it? Ready tiger?”  You can also rename all of your lists and maintain them however you like — set reminders or not, give your tasks due dates or not. It’s up to you. Read more

Your Desk Can Make You More Productive

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Desk

Not my desk, not my mess. (Photo credit: Jim Carson)

When my desk is messy I feel out of sorts.  It’s amazing how a clean desk can lift your mood.  I pride myself on being super organized and having it pretty much together but sometimes my desk falls through the cracks.  I get lots of mail and lots and lots of magazines (which I love!) — but sometime’s it’s overwhelming.

I’ve had a feng shui expert write about how positioning things on your desk could make you more productive in the past.  But there are some other things you should consider like clutter, light, size and monitors.  Here’s a look at those things from TheNextWeb.com called “How to arrange your desk for maximum productivity.”  How does your desk look?

Fill Your To-Do List With Fun

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430213_10152769872390193_743900261_nThe “real” to-do list in this photo inspired me and I wanted to share it with you.  Check it out — it lists things that you should really have on your to-do list — like:

  • Sing
  • Smile at strangers
  • Eat ice cream 
  • Laugh 

I’m all for a list that looks like this one!  It’s much more fun than one goes on and on about responsibilities and tasks. But both are equally important.  So how about for every task related to-do you add to your list — you also add a fun one?  I’m going to try it today.

Start Next Year’s Taxes Today

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Tax

Tax (Photo credit: 401(K) 2013)

Tax day is here! So you’re either cringing and cramming to get your return in on time or you’re sitting back, sighing a breath of relief that you’ve already gotten your money from the government. Whichever category you fall into — this post is for you.

Be Prepared

I’ve spoken about Evernote before because I think it’s a great tool for keeping organized and remembering everything you need to in one place. It’s also fabulous for keeping track of your tax information.

I used it this year and it really helped to keep me on track. Next year you should try it too. Starting now though will keep you less stressed when tax time comes around again. Here’s what I did:

1. Make a notebook in Evernote called “Taxes”.

2. Create a note that lists out all the documents that you will need to collect for next year’s taxes. That’s all the 1099 forms for each of your accounts and employers. Put a checkbox next to each so you can check them off as you get the correct paperwork.

3. Throughout the year put notes and receipts in this notebook for tax writeoffs.

4. When you start getting 1099 forms back later in the year — scan them into this folder.

5. Once you get all your information together — do your taxes! Or send off all the forms to your accountant.

That’s it. If you just take the extra step to be a little bit ahead of the game you won’t be scrambling this time again next year. Think of all the time and money you’ll save! Let me know how you keep track of your tax information.