Take the stress out of tax season

As you prepare for tax season it can be a mad rush to find all the appropriate receipts and calculate the numbers. Not to mention the overwhelming tax document that still needs to be filled out. Who wants to spend all that time and frustration doing taxes? While it may be too late this year to change the organization of all your tax preparation, start 2010 off right with these simple steps:

-Create a folder for your taxes. You can use a thick hanging file, manila folder or an expandable file. Any forms, tax documents etc. should go in here. Your finished tax return will eventually be filed in this folder.

-Create sub folders within the main folder for charitable donation letters, tax deductible receipts and any other tax information you find pertinent.

-To eliminate last minute reconciling, try to maintain a log or Excel spreadsheet tracking tax deductible expenses. At the end of the year you can simply tally all the numbers instead of going through all your receipts one at a time.

-Consider paying an accountant to do your taxes for you. It is much easier to hire a professional than to navigate the tax document yourself. As an alternative, consider using a software like Turbo Tax to do your state and federal taxes. It is reliable, much faster and allows you to not only print and save electronic copies of your return, but you can mail the return directly or file it electronically. Many of these programs can be purchased for businesses, too.

10 simple ways to organize your office and manage your time

1) Keep a master list of your projects. Draw weekly and daily tasks from this list. 2) To minimize papers on your desk, keep all current projects in folders, either in a filing cabinet or a desk-top file. Pull a file only when you intend to work on it. 3) Designate a time everyday to answer emails and return phone calls. This reduces distractions and the tendency to get caught up in lower priority issues. 4) Do not stuff a filing cabinet drawer. Filling a drawer to its maximum capacity makes the drawer nearly impossible to flip through. 5) Designate a place in your office for all supplies, electronics, multimedia, papers and desktop necessities so your office is divided into zones. 6) Make sure the supplies for the activities you do the most are closet to your desk or at least easily accessible. 7) Retain the information, toss the paper. 8) Utilize the vertical space in your office by using wall pockets, memo boards and shelves. 9) Use drawer dividers and trays to help organize drawer contents. 10) Tidy up your desk at the end of the day. This gives you a fresh start every morning, as well as allowing you to return everything to its proper home.