Leave it to Lucy

Tag: Organizing

  • Organized Thanks to Lucy – Testimonial

    Lucy is terrific! She’s helped me get organized, manages my scheduling and helps me prepare my talks and writing. I highly recommend her work.

    Akaya Windwood (Oakland, California)

  • Trustworthy, Fun, & Efficient – Testimonial

    I’ve been working with Lucy for about a year, and in that time she has helped me set up systems especially around expenses related to my business as a writer and solo performer. The tasks she has performed are quite varied: establish and update systems for tracking mileage and business-related expenses, identifying and pricing products, returning items, finding a handyman, etc. She has helped me with copyediting and feedback on some writing projects. Lucy has assisted me with making travel plans and while abroad during a six-week period recently, Lucy came to our home, sorted mail and communicated with me once or twice a week if anything came in the mail that needed my attention. Lucy also paid bills that were outside of the automated bill pay system we use. Lucy checked in on our house when a neighbor wrote expressing concern that our home may have been broken into. It was a great relief that she responded within minutes when we were unable to reach other neighbors (Xmas Day). Lucy responds very promptly. She is smart, trustworthy, fun to work with, and efficient.”

    IrmaIrma Herrera (California)

    Testimonial was originally posted as a 5-star Facebook review.

  • Business and Personal Assistant To Help With Challenges and Overwhelm – Testimonial

    Lucy has been working with me as both a business and personal assistant. The tasks and chores of my life were feeling overwhelming and I was in need of help. I like it that she is very organized and thinks strategically. We have tackled my business accounting systems and also some home organizing. She takes care of my Quickbooks online bank reconciliation and tax preparation. There is no job too big or too small. One afternoon she created an email group list for my clients as well as a data base which included significant info about each one. Additionally, we worked on my will notification information, as well as researched how to sell my daughter-in-law’s used wedding dress. Beyond the actual tasks accomplished, she has been an excellent ear and strategist – she has helped me think through some of the challenges I have been faced with in pragmatic and insightful way! I recommend her highly! (FYI she also edited my website!)”

    Alison Teal (Berkeley, CA)

    Testimonial was originally posted as a 5-star Facebook review.

  • 6 Spring Cleaning Tips

    How’s your spring cleaning going? Are you decluttering, purging, simplifying or just wanting to downsize? Feeling overwhelmed?  Have too much to do and not enough time? Here are some tips to help you get and stay organized without losing your mind!

    Spring Cleaning Declutter plan1. Prioritizing your projects and Creating a Master Plan: I have been working with a number of clients in the past few months who want to declutter, purge, downsize or even move, and their biggest obstacle often is inertia due to feeling overwhelmed. That’s not necessary if you create both a Master Plan and prioritize your project list.

    Try this: Print out a monthly calendar for May and choose one of your main projects that you want to accomplish. Pencil in the deadline date to finish this project. On a separate sheet of paper break down your project into doable tasks. Put down how much time you need for each of these tasks. Now, think about your time. When do you have free time and are willing to work on your project? Early morning, after dinner or weekends? Look at your calendar and start penciling in your project tasks. It might feel easier to you if you do this in 30 minute (or 60 minute) increments of time. Setting a timer so that you know you are only working for 30 or 60 minutes or whatever you choose at a time can be helpful too. Reward yourself after accomplishing your first task! It will keep you moving forward, and plan a bigger reward after finishing up your project. Once you see how ‘doable’ this method is, you will be ready to move on to your next project. (If even this seems overwhelming, you can book a session with me and I’ll help you through it.)

    2. Donating to Goodwill through the Mail: Check out their Give Back Box program. Here’s how they explain it: Give Back Box® provides vendor services to retailers and charities, giving each and every cardboard box a second life to help people in need. Reuse your online shipping boxes in which you received your purchases, or any other cardboard box you may have, to donate your unwanted household items: such as gently used clothing, shoes etc., to make a major difference in the life of another person. I love this idea and it’s also a green solution!

    3. Online options to sell and or pass on your discarded stuff: We are lucky that we have so many options to sell or give away our stuff. Here are just a few to check out: NextDoor, freecycle.org, Craigslist.org, the curb in front of your house, local recycling centers, eBay, Amazon, Facebook yard sales (yes, these are virtual), virtual estates sales, to just name a few.

    4. Paperwork: If you are using paper folders, set up your 2017 folders for paid receipts.I do mine by the month. It’s simple, uses up less space and is easy to find what I am looking for quickly. You can also go digital; scanning only those receipts you really need – for appliances, medical expenses, home improvements, business expenses, and so on. Trust me, you do not need to hold onto every non-tax-deductible receipts for groceries, Starbucks and so on. Of course, there are certain documents you need to keep and should keep separately from your monthly documents, preferably in a safe-deposit box: such as tax returns, investment and retirement records, anything pertaining to property and valuables (including mortgages), and legal documents such as wills, birth, marriage and death certificates and so on. Your passport should also go in there, along with any other sensitive documents, such as your social security card, credit cards you don’t use regularly, and so on.

    5. Autopay your monthly bills: If you don’t already use Autopay for paying your monthly bills, mortgage, utilities, etc., you should. It is easy to set up through your bank, it will help you avoid late fees, and best of all, help you cut down on paper receipts in your home office.

    6. Keeping Organized: Set aside a regular time each week to keep your home office and desk organized. That includes purging of unnecessary mail, shredding bills you don’t need to keep, notes, post-its, and doing your filing regularly. Trust me on this one – you will thank me!

    And if you need some extra help and or support, just give me a call at (510) 710-3917. Let’s get you organized!

  • Prepping for 2017 Tips:

    1. Organizing your home office space: It is well worth analyzing your ‘home office’ space to make sure it is truly working for you. I am fairly sure all of us have ‘pet peeves’ when it comes to what isn’t working there! Do some brainstorming to come up with a better solution. Do you have a dedicated spot to handle all incoming mail and bills so that they don’t get lost all over the house? Think of it as command central. Are your most often used items accessible when you are at your desk? For example, the printer, the shredder, the phone, office supplies, and so on. Is your chair comfortable? Is your computer ergonomically set up so you don’t strain your back, eyes, etc. every time you are sitting there? Even making a few small changes will really make a difference, and set you up for a great new year.

    2. Is your home office attractive to you? I know, sounds pretty ridiculous, but do you like how your office looks? Does it make you happy? Maybe it’s time for some flowers or a plant or two, new artwork, a great 2017 calendar hang up, or some new paint on the walls to make your space more “you.”  After all, if you are at all like me, you spend a lot of time in there!

    3. Simplify your Calendar system:I can’t urge you enough to pick one calendar and stick to it! Whether it is paper, a web app on your computer, or your phone, just be consistent and if you are using the same calendar on many devices, make sure it is syncing.

    4. Paperwork: If you are using paper folders, set up your 2017 folders for paid receipts.I do mine by the month. It’s simple, uses up less space and just as easy to find what I am looking for. You can also go digital; scanning only those receipts you really need — for appliances, medical expenses, and home improvements, business expenses, and so on. Trust me, you do not need to hold onto every non-tax-deductible items like groceries, Starbucks and so on.  Of course, there are certain documents you need to keep and should keep separately from your monthly documents, preferably in a safe-deposit box: such as tax returns, investment and retirement records, anything pertaining to property and valuables (including mortgages), and legal documents such as wills, birth, marriage and death certificates and so on.. Your passport should also go in there, along with any other sensitive documents, such as your social security card, credit cards you don’t use regularly, and so on.

    5. Autopay your monthly bills: If you don’t already use autopay for paying your monthly bills, mortgage, etc.; you should. It is easy to set up through your bank, it will help you avoid late fees, and best of all, help you cut down on paper receipts in your office.

    6. Keeping Organized: Set aside a regular time each week to keep your office and desk organized. That includes purging of unnecessary mail, bills, notes, post-its, and doing your filing regularly. Trust me on this one–you will thank me!

    And if you need some extra help and or support getting ready for 2017, give me a call and let’s get you organized!

  • 5 Tips To Organize Your Home Office

    Organize Office Papers1. Email Newsletter Management: I don’t know about you, but I have way too many newsletters cluttering up my email box. If you are ready to purge, try Unroll.Me. This is 100% free. Instantly see a list of all your subscription emails. Unsubscribe easily from whatever you don’t want. I love that they send me an email once in a while, so that I continue to clean up my email newsletters regularly. There is also mailstrom.co.

    2. Shredding old receipts: Are you wedded to every receipt you have ever been given? It’s time to shred! Either treat yourself to a sturdy home machine that is easily accessible in your home office, or load them up in some large garbage bags and take them to a local shredding center. If you are in doubt about what to keep or not, and for how long, here is a link to the IRS. I keep mine on my desk and plugged in. I have no excuse not to use it!

    3. Keeping track of Business & Personal Mileage: I just discovered this free app, MileIQ, and I am in love! Really easy to use. You can categorize work, medical and personal mileage. Also, syncs with your computer and you can print out reports.

    4. Tracking Expenses: Here is another freebie to check out. Expensify.com, which is downloadable and free to your phone & computer. Scan your receipts (then you can shred them!), and classify what they are for. I totally love Expensify. Very easy to set up and use.

    5. Making lists: Are you a list maker? Is that how you keep organized? Give Wunderlist.com a try. This is a free app for your phone and computer. You can make as many lists as you like, you can collaborate with others, share lists, cross things off to your heart’s content, and so on. I love that it syncs to all of your devices as well.

    What’s your favorite organizing tool?