Liz-Stafford.com

I spent the day with my family today. The entire day. First we took my mother in law and grandmother in law to the Chinese Buffet and after that we went to visit our cousin and his fiance’.

Of course then came the ride home… which didn’t go so well.

It took us more then 2 hrs to get 45 minutes away. Quite funny once we got home… but while we were trying to get home, well that is a different story.

You may be wondering why we didn’t ask for directions but, the thing of it is, we did. First of all, I’d like to say that I am very good with directions- usually. However, when I have no idea where I am, I ask for directions right away. It just saves time. Ya know what I mean?

Here is the thing, we asked directions from 3 different people. Each one of those people gave us directions but none of them worked. So, we just kept heading South East and then we spotted a cop who gave us the road to get home.

The point is, none of us know where we are going until we do a few things.

The first of which is figuring out where we want to go. The second of which is figuring out the different ways to get there and then deciding which is the most efficient way to get there. The third thing is follow through because we just can’t get anywhere unless we take the first step, now can we?

Figuring out what we want and where we want to go can sometimes be just as hard as figuring out how to get there and following through. But don’t get discouraged that doesn’t mean that it is impossible.

What do you really want? and What are you willing to do to get it?

I suggest you start with making a web of dreams to figure out what you want. Start with some of the small things you like to do and then branch out to things you want to try. The goal is to branch out to bigger things. Something concrete, and from there you can figure out how to get there and then take those steps to do it.

So lets elaborate-

Step one- Dream a little.
If I could guarantee that you would be able to have exactly everything you wanted and there was absolutely no way you could fail to live the life of your dreams what would that life look like? What are you doing? Where are you? Who is with you?

Close your eyes and imagine your life just as you want it to be. See it, feel it, smell it, touch it. Make it real in your mind and then write all of that down.

Make it as specific as possible. Whatever it is you want, a new job, a new business, a soul mate, etc. You want to imagine it in detail.

Once you have figured out what you want, make a list of all of those things. Then rank each one on a scale of 1 to 3.
1 being something that you absolutely cannot live another day without.
2 being something you want very much but would be ok with waiting for.
3 being something that you want but that you could live without.

What I like to do at this point is put all of the number ones on a seperate piece of paper which isn’t necessary, but helps me focus with what I consider to be the most important goals. I then categorize then by the amount of time they will take to aquire. 6 months or less, 1 year, 3 year, 5 year, and then 10 year goals.

Step two- How to get there

Once I know what I want, and the time frame I have given myself for each thing I like to brainstorm how to get them.

I start with thinking about what skills I have already and what skill I will need to require.

I then start brainstorming roadblocks I may come up against as well as strategies to over come them. It is much easier to become sidetracked when you aren’t expecting things to get in your way so, I like to prepare.

Have you ever heard of Murphys Law? Whatever can happen, will. Well forewarned is forearmed so think about what you will need to do to get past problems that may come and the problems won’t be problems at all but rather something of a nuisance that you already have a solution in place for.

Then you will want to figure out what the start date for a specific goal is, as well as what the deadline to complete it by is. Think about where you will start?

For example: If its getting a degree you will first need to enroll in college. Maybe you need to take the college placement exam before that. Have you thought about which major?

Step three- Putting your plan into action

Is probably the hardest of all because it means that we have done all the planning and are ready to give it a shot. Don’t get discouraged, it’s totally natural to be nervous.

Start with a small goal and get some success under your belt and then move on to the bigger and better goals you have.

You want to set milestones for your goals as you go through your list. Using the example from above, you may want to celebrate after your first semester of college completed and then again when you have your first year completed.

Whatever it is you do, it will take time, concentration, and determination. Trust me when I say that whatever you can conceive you can achieve as long as you believe in yourself.

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• More on achieving your New Years Goals.
• Admit It- Fix It- Move on
• A Foolproof Plan for Success in Anything You Do
• Change your Thinking – Change your Life
• The Total Money Makeover – Review

I love to write which I suppose is obvious by the fact that I have a blog. Beside writing blog entries, I am forever carrying around one of two journals I have.

One is much smaller and comes with me for every day errands. The other is a bit larger and comes with me when I have a special activity planned, like a conference or seminar. Both are indispensable to me.

I find it is a great way to keep track of what I am doing, who I am meeting, and my train of thought at that moment.

Of course it also means that I am one of the only people that has paper and a pen at any given moment so I get to be a hero at completely random moments.

Here is a list of things I think journals could and should be used for:

• You have a place to put your brilliant ideas.
  
  
  

• Its totally okay if you are forgetful because you are smart enough to document what you need to remember.
  
  
  

• A place to keep track of what you are eating and where you are spending money.




• Studies show that you get the same benefit from a journal as you do from friends or a psychiatrist most of the time. ***DISCLAIMER: If you are mentally disturbed don’t stop seeing your doctors. Stay on your medication.***
  
  
  

• You have a place to note your goals, hopes, and inspirations.
  
  
  

• You can keep a record of daily to do list.
  
  
  

• You can keep track of your long term to do list.
  
  
  

• You can see your progress documented. It feels great to be able to put a strike through something you have accomplished. It lets you know you are working toward what you want.
  
  
  

• If you pick up a terrific idea at a conference or a seminar you can just highlight it in your notes, jot down actions to take, questions to get answered, or issues to look into and come back to it when you have more time.
  
  
  

• You will be able to bring the questions you have for the doctor with you, instead of forgetting all but 2 and kicking yourself in the butt later when you get home and remember them. (I suggest leaving a blank line or two beneath each question so that as you ask them you can write down the answers- in case you need to research)
  
  
  

• Great place to put a checklist for a project at work.
  
  
  

• You can keep a record of the things you need to remember to take care of for an upcoming trip. IE: Turning on the light timer, stopping mail, arranging for pet care, perhaps you need to arrange for a flight, or still have to find a room. Don’t forget the checklist of stuff you need to bring with you. We always forget something.
  
  
  

• Some people also use their journal as a place for their entertaining schedule. When to mail the invites, get the flowers, what to buy for food etc.
  
  
  

• A diary entry. Sometimes I have a problem that I just want to see on paper. It helps me figure it out. This is a great place to do that.
  
  
  

• Note important events. IE: The heat on the apartment I am renting went about a week ago. This type of thing has never happened to me. I couldn’t get in touch with my landlord for hours and really didn’t know what to do. So, I called my lawyers (Thank you Pre-Paid Legal). The lawyers told me exactly what I should do and then I wrote it all down in my journal so that I can reference what day it happened. In the event that I ever need the information.
  

Some other useful lists include; keys and lock combination’s as well as a list of where your personal documents are and what is included.

Neither of these should be in your daily journal. You want to keep them in a much safer place as they have to do with the security of your identity and the peace of mind for your family.

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• How to Take the Pain Out of Tax Season
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It is that time of year again. With tax season racing toward us I wanted to not only give you a way to get this years taxes done efficiently but also show you a way to prepare for next year.

Once this system is set into place, you will know where to put all those pesky receipts and what to do with them when the time comes. This is by no means the only way but I do feel that it is the the easiest way to get your taxes done.

The more you prepare the easier things go. I hope you will take what is useful to you, don’t worry about the rest. Not everyone has the same tax situation. Some are home owners, investors, business people, or entrepreneurs, and some are not.

There are a few things you want to have with you when you get started with filing your taxes.

Setting up your system

A calculator, list of tax deductibles, scrap paper, pencil, and a black ball point pen.

Expanding file folder (the accordion type) labeled according to your deductible categories such as; charity, medical bills, mortgage, investments, car maintenance expenses, w-2’s or 1099

keep a mileage journal in your car and record what you drive for business, charity, and medical purposes.

Designate one of your credit cards for your deductible expenses to simplify record keeping.

keep a Journal for expenses with purchase and sale price.

keep a record of home improvements- this could save you taxes when you sell your home.

Getting Ready

get your forms in advance along with a photocopy so you can have one to work out and another for the finished copy.

Around the end of January schedule a few hours to add up all your accumulated bills, receipts, and investments. Break up the job into a few days if you need to so you don’t get overwhelmed and make math mistakes.

Doing It

Set a start date and stick to it. I prefer to get all my sub totals together on day 1 and then fill out all the forms on day 2

Tip to Remember: Don’t pay your accountant to do the adding, pay him to do the more complicated tax tasks.

If you have an accountant make sure you send your tax information to him in enough time. This will save you money and get your return to you (if you have one coming) faster.

If you do your own taxes you will need a list of tax deductions as well as a tax guide for reference.

Tip to Remember: The faster you file the faster you get your return but you don’t want to rush and make mistakes so pace yourself.

Finishing up, and filing away

Make a file labeled taxes and put a duplicate of your complete forms there.

Put a copy of your filled out forms, receipts, bills, canceled checks etc in a manila envelope labeled with the current tax year on the outside and store this in a box with your prior tax information in the top of your closet.

For the most part you only need to keep your tax forms for 3-7 years. I would recommend holding onto them for 7 years for sake of being prepared.

I hope that this will not only help you with this years taxes but in the years to come. If you have any other tips or tricks please feel free to leave it in the comments section of this post.

Looking forward to helping you Organize and Simplify your life one post at a time.

If you liked this post, please click on share this below and pass it along to your network.

You can also get instant e-mail notifications of new posts by subscribing to my blog here.

Thanks for reading!

If you liked this post, please click on share this below and pass it along to your network.

You can also get instant e-mail notifications of new posts by subscribing to my blog here.

Thanks for reading!

• 13 Documents to Keep in a Safe Place
• How to Tame the Paper Beast
• Easy Bill Pay Systems to Keep You Organized
• Not your Typical New Years Eve Resolution
• How To Use A Journal To Be More Productive and Happy