Not only is the exciting rush of a wonderful Holiday Season behind us, but it's that time of year when we must start remembering to write 2010 instead of 2009, and it is also that time of year when I am left facing the one thing I hate the most...  TAX SEASON!

My desk and my files are a mess!  So where do I begin?

1) Organize - Make sure to separate all 2009 items from 2010, then separate by category, then put in order by month.

~Receipts - If you are claiming write offs, be sure to separate all cash receipts and make a spreadsheet by classification.  Go through your bank and credit card statements and do the same (some banks and credit cards separate by classification for you which can save you time).  

2) Supplies - Now that you have everything separated, you can see what supplies you may need to buy, but look around your house to see what kind of filing supplies you may already have.

~Depending on how much paperwork you have is how you will decide what type of filing system you need.  Suzy's Helping Hands uses a filing cabinet since we have paperwork for business as well as my personal.  At the end of each year, I purchase plastic filing bins and downsize important documents while clearly labeling the bins by year and as business/personal. 

One of my organizers uses a small file box for her ongoing paperwork and each year transfers everything to a binder since her paperwork is minimal.

3) File! - First place 2010 in your new filing system by categories.  This way you will be organized from here on out in case organizing 2009 is an ongoing project.

~Have a special holder and place for all your unpaid bills and then once paid, transfer them directly to your files.  I use a silver napkin holder in my supplies cabinet in the front room, so it goes directly from my mailbox, to my hand, to my special place.  
 
4) Say Goodbye! - File away 2009, hand everything over to your tax specialist or do your own taxes and then move to that special place where you have them safe, but hopefully never EVER have to see them again.