fbpx

Organize Your Digital Files

by

Digital Files pile up just like paper. Take some beginning steps to calmly and comfortably manage them.

“A computer once beat me at chess,

but it was no match for me at kickboxing.”

 – Emo Philips

Anybody else ever feel like drop kicking their devices off a cliff?! Digital files sometimes make this really enticing. They are like paper files in that they come at us from multiple entry points, they pile up in various places, and we often don’t know where to find them, especially quickly and easily.

Digital clutter causes even more stress than physical clutter because we are far less familiar with the intangible and all the ways to manage it, keep it safe, and make it easily accessible. It takes many steps and lots of time to handle all the aspects of your digital files. We are going to create a simple, yet solid foundation to build upon over time… and save your devices from a free fall.

SEE IT. MAP IT. DO IT.© is the 3-step organizing process that works for all the areas of your space and life, including digital. Let’s use it to create your Digital Filing Cabinet.

SEE IT – Take a look at where you are. Like papers our digital file piles tend to be spread about – in email inboxes and folders, desktops and download folders, clouds, shared folder – ugh!

  • How do you feel about your digital files?
  • How long does it take you to find files?
  • What’s working? You can be specific or general.
  • What isn’t working? What don’t you like?
  • Are you worried you will lose everything?

MAP IT – Make a plan for what you want. Think about all your digital files strewn about and take this time to make conscious choices.

  • Are you open to changes? Why or why not?
  • How do you WANT to feel about digital files?
  • Studies report that 2 of 3 people are chronically stressed about losing digital data. What would you do with all that time and energy if you were at peace?
  • What kind of desktop wallpaper would delight you and create calm?

DO IT – Take the steps to make it happen. Schedule 3 sessions of 60 minutes on your calendar.

  • Set the stage: Put your phone on Do Not Disturb/Focus and turn on some happy tunes or embrace silence if it helps you focus.
  • Set a timer for 60 minutes.
  • Session 1: On your desktop (or cloud), create an umbrella folder named Digital Filing Cabinet.
    • If you already have some kind of file system in place, move that whole system into Digital Filing Cabinet.
    • If you need a simple system create subfolders • Archives • Homes • Insurances • Monthly Statements • People • Personal Property • Resources • Vehicles
    • Move all your Desktop files into their new respective folders.
  • Session 2: Move all the files in Downloads into their new respective folders.
  • Session 3: Save important Email attachments from the last 6 months in their new respective folders.
  • Schedule more sessions if you have more work to do. Be kind and gentle with yourself as you take whatever time you need. Remember to do this during your higher energy time of day.

Perhaps you already have a system in place that is working well for you and you just need to do some clean up. You might take this opportunity to schedule some time to get it done. 😁

Tips for Keeping It Up:

  • No matter where you store your digital files, please save a copy as a backup and update that copy regularly. This will offer even more peace of mind and help in times of unexpected mishaps.
  • Use email as a communication tool and a storage system for that communication, NOT as storage for your digital files. Save ALL important attachments and even emails themselves as PDF’s in your Digital Filing Cabinet. Think, “One place to go for all digital files.” 

Your Guide, Kate Fehr. I am passionate about teaching people the skills of clutter clearing, organizing, and simplifying.

Organize Your Passwords

by

Passwords are the locks on the doors in your digital world. How strong are your locks?!

I changed all my passwords to ‘incorrect.’

That way when I forget, the system reminds me, ‘Your password is incorrect.’

 – Unknown

All joking aside, the average person now has 100 passwords and they are said to be the weakest link in cybersecurity. Your passwords allow access to all the “doors” in your digital world. Nothing is invincible, but you wouldn’t settle for rusty old locks on your home doors so please use secure passwords. Dedicating time to protect yourself, your identity, and your assets will help you feel safer in this ever-growing age of technology!

SEE IT. MAP IT. DO IT.© is the 3-step organizing process that works for all the areas of your space and life, including digital. Let’s use it to set up a solid foundation for your passwords.

SEE IT – Take a look at where you are now. As you answer these questions, notice what feelings arise and allow them to move through so you can feel better.

  • How do you feel about passwords?
  • What is your personal system for creating and storing passwords?
  • Do you know what creates secure passwords and why they matter?
  • What’s working? You can be specific or general.
  • What isn’t working? What don’t you like?

MAP IT – Make a plan for what you want. Yep, even for your passwords we go through this process. Empowerment is about creating awareness and taking action.

  • How do you WANT to feel about passwords and online security?
  • What would it be like to have secure passwords all stored in one place (not your memory)?
  • Set a timer for 20 minutes to do an internet search about securely creating and storing passwords. Make notes. Keep to the timeframe as you will see all kinds of information about the pros and cons of it all as well as data breaches. This time is about learning and making the best choices amidst all kinds of chaos. Keep to the 20 minutes to avoid a rabbit hole of fear and paralysis.
  • Schedule 6 sessions of 45 minutes each over the next 3-6 weeks for the Do It Steps.

DO IT – Take the steps to make it happen. Follow the steps below for your 45-minute sessions. Choose Path 1 for a Spreadsheet or Path 2 for an online Password Keeper.

  • Set the stage: Put your phone on Do Not Disturb/Focus
  • Path 1:
    1. Open a spreadsheet (Excel, Numbers, Google Sheets), save it as Digital Estate Plan. Do an internet search for how to lock a spreadsheet and add a password to your spreadsheet.
    2. Add 6 Column headings: Platform Name, Username, Password, Category/Folder, URL, Notes. Now skip down to “For both paths:”
  • Path 2:
    1. Choose an online password keeper and set up an account. Some possibilities include Keeper, LastPass, One Pass.
    2. Be ready to enter the following information: Platform Name, Username, Password, Category/Folder, URL, Notes. Now skip down to “For both paths:”
  • For both paths:
    1. Session 1: Add half of your passwords and corresponding info. Session 2: Add the other half. Session 3: Change 10+% of your passwords to generated passwords and do not repeat any password (this is a common way thieves make their way into multiple accounts). When doing this in a spreadsheet, you will need to generate it yourself. Format example – Z$w49P&2D@38!. **
    2. Be sure to list the login password to your spreadsheet or password keeper in your estate planning documents.

Stay committed to seeing this through and adjust along the way to fit your needs. Just don’t cut corners.

Tips:
** In both spreadsheets and keepers, avoid using uppercase i’s and lowercase L’s as they look the same in some fonts and avoid using zeros and O’s as they also can cause confusion.

Important Notes:

Having online accounts of any kind (social media, shopping, financial…) means it is more than likely your information will end up on the dark web at some point. Once a hacker successfully learns a password, often found on the dark web, they will take that same password and try it across multiple common platforms. Longer, generated passwords help keep them from accessing other accounts.

Yes, this feels scary. Generated passwords alone are not the answer. May experts say it is not a matter of IF, but WHEN everyone will experience some sort of data breach, identity theft, or hacking. There are many secure ways to protect yourself. Install anti-virus and malware software on your computer, install updates, and set up two-factor authentication. Monitor your credit and social security number as well as locking all 3 of your credit files. Identity theft protection is the most proactive and comprehensive plan as it monitors your personal information, including social security number, in various online places including the dark web, and informs you as things show up like an application for a new account.

Everyone has slightly different opinions about these matters and there are pros and cons to all the ways of storing your sensitive information. Bottom line, if you take proactive steps you will be more protected and also more educated and empowered should you find yourself in a compromised situation.

This advice is not a substitute for legal counsel. Always consult your attorney with any questions or concerns. Stay safe out there!

Your Guide, Kate Fehr. I am passionate about teaching people the skills of clutter clearing, organizing, and simplifying.

Our Love Affair with Wunderlist!

by

Love lists? Dread lists? Try this cool tool!!

We are on fire about Wunderlist and we just have to share it!! We have known about it for some time, dabbled with it a bitand then got totally hooked. Because it is available across most devices, we always have our lists with us. We are able to MAP easily. We can share lists with other people through the app or by emailing them. We can also print and carry them around when needed.

A feature that we have just begun to use, but are very excited about is Emailing to Wunderlist. You simply forward the email to Wunderlist and it becomes a To Do. The subject is the Task Name and the body of the email gets put into the Notes. Even attachments are included on the To Do. Seriously? Thank you Wunderlist for giving us a way to clean out our inboxes!!

We are now running our whole business and our personal lives using this cool tool. We loves that it reminds us what to do and when to do it,  having one place to dump everything that we need to remember, and knowing can access it everywhere we go.

You can have lists for…

  • Places to visit
  • Personal To Do’s
  • Work To Do’s
  • Personal Projects
  • Work Projects
  • Books to read
  • Groceries – with sub categories for each store she shops at.

 

Check out Wunderlist on iTunes and Google Play. Go to the Wunderlist Website to download for other devices.

Wunderlist helps millions of people around the world capture their ideas, things to do and places to see. Whether you’re sharing a grocery list with a loved one, working on a project, or planning a vacation, Wunderlist makes it easy to share your lists and collaborate with everyone in your life. Wunderlist instantly syncs between your phone, tablet and computer, so you can access your lists from anywhere. Take a look at the possibilities in the picture below! All of this possible in the FREE version, but they do offer a PAID version with even more options.

Clear & SIMPLE, Wunderlist

We hope you embrace this fun and simple way to manage your lists! Let us know what you think.

Marla

Creators of the Clear & SIMPLE Way to get & stay organized!

The ART of Letting Go

by

Letting go is never easy, but it can be easier.  Read our 3 simple steps below…

As professional organizers we regularly witness the immense pain, struggle and hopelessness that comes from having too much stuff and not knowing what to do with it. As human beings we’ve also experienced these emotions ourselves. As a society we’ve learned to value things “because they belonged to grandma”, “they’ll be worth something one day”, “because we might need them in the future”, and so on.

Our beliefs are now shifting because we are overwhelmed with too much stuff. We no longer believe that anything is worth keeping if it causes us stress, depletes our energy or keeps us from living a good life. We deserve to wake up each day free of stress, smile with a grateful heart for the day ahead, a day filled with what matters most.

To get to this point takes practice and shedding layers upon layers; choosing into gratitude; releasing possessions, commitments and energy that no longer serve us; deciding that we really are the masters of our lives and our destinies.

If you are ready to begin this process, we invite you to read The ART of Letting Go by our own Marla Dee.

“This treasure of an ebook will give you inspiration and steps to clear the clutter that is dragging you down and keeping you stuck.” – Marla Dee

Excerpt:

Let’s explore the ART of Letting Go

Because the nature of clutter is heavy and dense, I wanted to simplify the process into three meaningful steps. I want you to hear that there are three stages we go through over and over again. Acknowledging that these three steps are the natural way will make the letting go easier. We will use the word ART to guide you through:

~ Acceptance ~ Release ~ Trust

ACCEPTANCE

All of our clutter tells a story and everyone has their own form of it in some area of their life. Accepting this fact is the beginning. Accepting that your environment is simply a reflection of your life up until now, a reflection of what has happened to you and what is going on inside you is vital. There does not need to be shame or blame in looking at this picture. That would only keep you in the role of a victim. In order to step into the power of change and growth you must be willing to open your eyes and look at it.

There is no purpose or healthy payoff in focusing on the clutter itself, on staying locked up in guilt – not for you or for others. However, there is great power in becoming accountable for the fact that you are the creator of your life and of your environment. Your old things, your old patterns, your old relationships reflect who you have been and what you have built or what you have avoided – it is YOUR PAST!

Download your FREE copy now to continue reading.

“I honor your willingness to reach out and seek help so you can let go of the clutter at last. As a Professional Organizer for many years, I have witnessed tremendous courage from my clients in their willingness to get real with the story their clutter tells; to let go of the past and welcome a new change. Letting go is never easy, but it can be made easier.” – Marla Dee

Your life is waiting for you,

Marla, Kate and Team