Just to be clear. Evernote is a very useful tool and Pinterest is still one of my go-to favorites, but SpringPad is changing the way I organize some personal and professional projects. After doing a whole lot of playing in SpringPad lately, I realized it has it quirks. Quirks aside. I really love the SpringPad app. It's well rounded.  Evernote and Pinterest were just not enough for some of my needs. Particularly in the area of collaboration, organizing my ideas, and visual design. 

Collaboration

With Evernote you have the ability to share a notebook with other collaborators, for a fee. However the collaboration aspect is a bit clumsy and it wasn't for the lack of trying to make it work. Evernote is not socially-focused like SpringPad. Which in my opinion is perfectly fine. It eliminates one major distraction to getting things done, but social can be helpful. Pinterest provides collaborative and socially-focused boards but the collaboration is limited to pinning and commenting on pins.

SpringPad allows you to add collaborators to your notebook. Collaborators can add springs, edit notebooks and create ongoing discussion in an organized fashion. In addtion, anyone can comment on a spring. Personally, I like this social approach.

Visual Design and Project Management

SpringPad provides visual bookmarking like Pinterest, but gives you so much more. Don't get me wrong. I LOVE Pinterest. It's clean. It's simple. It's one of the best solutions to collect inspiration, but SpringPad provides more tools for collaboration and customizing your collections. These tools include reminders and integration with google calendar, checklist, contacts, and many more. Pinterest does not provide these types of tools and Evernote is just not visual enough for my liking.

It is pretty easy to integrate your SpringPad efforts with many of your other accounts by using a great app like IFTTT.  That can also be said about Pinterest and Evernote. But that my friends is a topic for another day.

Idea Organizing

The corkboard-style planner layout (as illustrated above) is a joy for project manangement. Springs can be viewed in a number of formats. I don't have many public project management notebooks yet. I am a newbie on the SpringPad app. But I am loving what I have discovered thus far.

1. Labels to organize.
2. Images to inspire and inform.
3. Links to DIY and products needed.
4. Checklist for getting it done.
5. Email reminders to do things down the road.
6. Contact info for helpful people.
7. Easy and free collaboration.
8. Organizing and reordering springs.
9. Many ways to view a notebook.

A Few Things to Know.

SpringPad does have it's cons. For instance, I don't love the notebook cover designs. They're a bit chaotic for me. In addtion, backup of your notebooks is basic. SpringPad does provide a very simple back-up solution, but at this time no restore option is available. You would have to review your back-up springs in an uncategorized html browser page.Kinda ugly.

That's it. Go and do something that brings you joy!

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This tax preparation checklist will help you collect the records you need to complete your tax returns. Check papers off as you locate them. Cross off tax related items that don't apply.

If you use a money management program print a transaction report for this year. Review the report and highlight information you need to prepare your tax return. This will make your tax preparation much easier.

A few additional resources you may find handy.

• Goodwills Donation Value Guide
• Charity Navigators Tax Guide to Charitable Giving

The perfect spot for your Vital File or Important File in your home filing system will be chaos-free, secure and relatively easy to access. I know this advise is vague, but there’s no one perfect spot that will work for everyone.

The perfect storage container for your Vital File and Important File is totally your choice. Security, portability, and protection from theft, fire, and water should all be considered in your choice of filing containers.

Fireproof File Boxes: Portable fireproof file boxes will keep Vital Documents in one fire safe location. Some of these boxes tout water protection as well. Fireproof file boxes tend to be on the heavy side but are a good choice should you have to grab and go. This would also mean a burglar could grab and go as well. But most home thieves are looking for an easier snatch. Keeping your fireproof file box out of your master bedroom or home office will deter theft even more.

Expanding File Folder + Home Safe: A well-organized expanding file folder in a home safe is another option to consider. Bolted down safes do provide a good degree of theft and fire protection. A major disadvantage might be the time it takes to open the safe if you should need to leave in a hurry.

Bank Safe Deposit Box: A bank safe deposit box could also be considered, but not for all of your vital documents. Experts advise not to keep your wills in a safe deposit box. Safe deposit boxes do come with a few risks. They are not FDIC insured and while they do provide some protection against the elements, they are not guaranteed to hold up in a major disaster. If you need to evacuate, it is likely you will need to leave your vital records behind. And as one Katrina victim pointed out on a public forum, the contents of a hurricane flooded safe deposit box could be a moldy, waterlogged mess.

Cloud Storage: While there are benefits to using cloud storage, serious considerations should be taken. Paul Stephens, an identity theft expert and director of policy and advocacy at the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse advised against storing records on online storage sites or in e-mail messages. And after reading a Wired article, Kill the Password: Why a String of Characters Can’t Protect Us Anymore, I am even more convinced that cloud storage of vital documents and important records is very risky. Pauls’ statement in the New York Times article was a breath of fresh air. There’s so much pressure to put our stuff in the cloud. The article goes on to state cloud sites could shut down or get hacked. Statistics seem to prove that. In the article, Paul recommends keeping paper records in a locked filing cabinet or safety deposit box. It also suggested electronic data on an encrypted external hard drive as a second viable option. I use both a locked filing cabinet and external hard drive for my important records. My hard drive of choice is the IoSafe Fireproof and Waterproof External Hard Drive*.

There are a number of factors to take into consideration when creating the Vital File or Important File in your home filing system. Your storage container and location are two of the most essential. Take your time and work through your concerns. Start by collecting your vital documents and important records. You can keep your Important Records in a dedicated bankers box and your Vital Documents in an expanding file folder until you decide the additional tools you need to keep your essential papers safe.

“One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain.” ~Bob Marley

The Exercise

Create a playlist of the most uplifting and joyful songs you love.
The music that makes your heart sing.
The lyrics that lift your spirit.

Play the entire list at least once a day.
Dance like a fool across your living room floor.
Go ahead. No one is watching. Besides, it’s great exercise.

Then breathe in the joy swirling around you.
Bask in all that is good in your life.

The Joy

Pure happiness and a totally uplifted soul.
Motivation to get stuff done.

Tools You Can Use

iTunes or Amazon and your mp3 player or smart phone.

Whats on my Feeling Joy Playlist.*

• Change Your Mind Sister Hazel
• Dream Big Ryan Shupe & The Rubberband
• Whenever God Shines His Light Van Morrison
• I Gotta Feeling Black Eyed Peas
• Move in the Right Direction Gossip

My digital backup provides so much peace-of-mind.

My trusted mac has gone a bit wonky on occassion. Yes, it's true. Last episode was some type of permissions issue. After a reinstall of the system and all my applications, things got pretty much back to normal. Lucky for me my computer files are backed up daily. On two different hard drives. I'm also glad it wasn't a computer hardware issue. My logic board and hard drive are healthy. But the the whole episode put a wrench in my week and a bit of fear in my heart.

So much of my life is on this computer.

My computer backup is a box. I have a hard time trusting the cloud. I mean really, the idea that everything in my life is floating around the websphere makes me queasy. Particularly digital files that contain personal information. I tried a cloud back-up a few years back. It didn’t work for me;

• My computer slowed to a crawl during back-up
• I had privacy concerns
• Files were not instantly accessible or even easily accessible
• Files could become unavailable due to company closures
• Files could be compromised due to poor management
• Web service outages could cause unavailable access
• It just didn’t feel right. Life details, all in one location, out of my control.

A box was a better solutions for me;

• I know where it is
• I can take it with me
• I can access it immediately
• Its not being backed up to servers in unknown locations
• It doesn't slow me down
• It doesn't cost me monthly
• I have two, so if one goes I’ve got the other

I am grateful for a few things that give me computer confidence every day.

1. My IoSafe Solo 1 TB  Fireproof and Waterproof External Hard Drive*
2. A second external backup hard drive.
3. Macs Time Machine - Digital History Back-up
4. SuperDuper - Mac System Recovery and Data Backup

The cost of the hard drive pays for itself daily. Peace-of-mind (if that is even possible with technology) is priceless. Here's a few additional resources regarding ioSafe. They are quickly becoming my favorite resource for digital paper peace.

This video shows the durablity of the ioSafe Rugged Portable External Hard Drive*

This is one of many videos on YouTube torture testing an ioSafe external hard drive.

IoSafe is also developing a fireproof waterproof NAS/RAID - like an aircraft black box for data on your network - protect pictures, videos and business data. It's the best of both worlds—a private cloud. Find out more on this Fireproof Waterproof Private Cloud Storage

I’m a mac girl. Been one for twenty plus years. I appreciate technology and the convenience it provides. But, I do not take it for granted. I hope you don’t either. So, what’s your back-up? Cloud or box? What boxes do you love? What cloud products provide you with the most peace-of-mind and why? I would love to hear how you have taken back-up action. 

 Updated 2012 Sept

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Financial Account Record Keeping. Many records, including cash, credit and brokerage firm statements, are accessed online. Do you know how long those records are accessible to you?  If you needed access to records no longer available online, would there be a cost to obtain those records? How much? If you are relying on financial institutions to keep your records it may cost you a significant amount of time and money down the road.

Get Clear on Who's Keeping What and Where.
Cash, credit and investment account records support your legal, insurance, financial and tax needs. They are evidence records of income and expenses. If you are not keeping paper statements or downloading pdf statements, make sure you have access to your online accounts for at least 10 years after the account closes.

• List all your financial accounts.
• Visit the websites for each account.
• Find out how long records are available online.
• Find out how much it would cost to obtain records no longer available.
• Determine where you will store your important finacial records.

If you have that itchin desire to digitize your life even more and eliminate some of your paper clutter, a document scanner could be just what you need. Truthfully, I don’t think a document scanner is for everyone. Business owners should consider one, but if you’re just looking to eliminate some paper clutter, how about a shredder?

But I know, you dream of going paperless. You keep hearing glorious tales on how someone cured their paper problems in one fell scan. I get it. I got caught up in it and curious too.

How Document Scanners Can Eliminate Paper Clutter

High speed document scanners are pretty impressive. Because they hold a number of sheets, with a push of a button you can have up to fifty documents digitized, both sides, rather quickly.  A good scanner has software that will read the document (OCR), create a PDF and store it in a database. But that’s the easy part.

Document Scanners, The Ultimate Tool for Organizing Personal Records. Or is it?

Remember, a scanner requires your efforts to work. You have to scan the papers, create the digital organizational system, be diligent in using consistent file names and faithfully back-up your data. Faithfully. If that sounds like you, here’s what I can share.

What You Should Look for in your Document Scanner

Extended Compatibility

This feature is only important to those who plan on using the information they store as a source of information for another applications. Even though I have these particular features, I am not using them. For the simple reason, my personal finance software is much easier to use to enter this data.  Much. Not to mention, personal financial software is essential for anyone who is serious about managing their money and making tax time easier.

• Software Compatibility with your money management software
• Software Compatibility with your tax software

Scanability

• Scan to PDF     
• 600 DPI Optical Resolution     
• Two-Sided Document Scanning    
• Multiple Paper Feeds (Business Card, Letter Size, Legal Size)
• 50 Pages (seems to be the average)

Searchability

• Keyword Searchable  (this is generally not all it's cracked-up to be) 
• Text Recognition (OCR)     

Document Management and File Naming

• Easy File Naming
• Customizable Fields
• Customizable Categorization
• Export to PDF and JPG

Value

A number of document scanners on the market range from $100 to $500. This is a significant investment for many. Purchase wisely.

•     Easy software and firmware upgrades.
•     Smart user interface.
•     Features you will use.
•     Convenient for your use.
•     Good support via customer support or user forum.

Capabilities to import and export a PDF is essential. Because as your needs change you may want to consider another scanner and this feature will allow you to transfer your current database information.

Where To Begin Researching Document Scanners

Start by making a list of all the features you need. Make sure to include your operating system. Once you have your list, start checking out a few reviews on some the most popular scanners. I’m sending you to Amazon with the links below. Not because of the affiliate referral, but because the reviews are priceless. Read em. Again, this is a big investment. Then go check out the support forums. See whats being chatted about. See if peoples concerns are being address. The support forums are a good gauge on the companies customer service.

PC & MAC - NeatDesk
PC - Fujitsu ScanSnap S1500
MAC - Fujitsu ScanSnap S1500M
PC & MAC - Epson WorkForce Pro GT-S50

IMHO. A document scanner has been helpful for me to create a backup of my support records and reduce some paper storage needs. I don’t use it as the only source for storing all my support records. Like with any digital software it helps to have a good naming structure outlined. Relying on search alone can get frustrating. I have the NeatDesk. I can’t say I love it. I am very disappointed in the search feature. It displays all the documents where the search term appears but it doesn’t actually display where the term is located in the document. I find it pretty useless. My file names are the only reason I can quickly find what I'm looking for. I need to export documents to my desktop and open in Acrobat to do a more accurate search. I do like the softwares ability to add custom fields. It make scanning heaps of old tax records less time consuming. But ya still gotta organize the papers before you start scanning too make the process more efficient. Quality of the scan is what it is.

So, do you use a document scanner? Which one? Was it worth the investment or did it lack features you desired? I would love to hear how you digitize your hard copies.

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Inspired people surround us. They’re everywhere. Modern tech puts these life changers in our face. A blessing that cannot be ignored. Especially when their words resonate.  Motivate. Inspire. Particularly when their words put fears into perspective, insecurities into context, or life into the now.

To each of you ladies, I send a heart full of appreciation. You do that for me.

Thank-you Danielle LaPorte for being utterly true to you.  For knowing, to your core, that you can do, be and create soulfully. Authentically. For modeling that knowledge and sharing it with crazy passion and creative wordplay. For inspiring sparks and starting fires. For helping me unwrap my JOYS and embrace what is genuine to me.

Thank-you Marie Forleo for being straight-up unconventional. For shining in sauciness, spirituality, and sometimes silliness. For helping me rethink my thinking. For turning up the heat to help me uncover the courage and confidence frozen in my insecurities.

Thank you Katie Tallo for being a quiet voice. For reflecting in everyday life and the simple joys of it all. For putting into words, poetic and real, how I feel about so many things in my life. For making it so easy to reflect on the challenges and bask in the joys of where I am right now.

Who's putting things into perspective for you? How are they doing it?

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“If you let go a little, you will have a little peace. If you let go a lot, you will have a lot of peace.”  ~Ajahn Chah

The Exercise

Stop doing stuff you dislike. The stuff that weighs you down. Steals your energy. Makes you grumpy.

List daily activities, chores, people, beliefs -- anything and everything draining your energy. Then, for each item listed, identify something more lovely that will replace it or someone more inclined to complete it.

If it’s something (or someone) you think you’re stuck with, find that one thing about it (or them) you can appreciate. It’s there. You can find it. Open yourself to that.

Be open to options, not focused on problems.

What are you willing to let go of to make more space for?
Who can you get to help you with chores and activities that bring you down?
What nagging thoughts (a.k.a. beliefs) need to be spun into something more positive?

The JOYS

The something you let go of will be replaced by something that will make you feel lighter, freer or help you breathe easier. Try it. You’ll see.

Tools You Can Use

• Complete the Let Go and Receive Worksheet for your Household Notebook.
• Read words of wisdom from the Tiny Buddha : 40 Ways to Let Go and Feel Less Pain.
• Follow @tinybuddha on Twitter.

“Love does not dominate; it cultivates.” ~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

The Exercise

Give the kids a few new responsibilities.

Teach your kids how to start organizing their own papers and possessions. Walk them through the steps required to complete their new task(s). Have them help you set up collection centers and explain how to use them and how they will make life at home a bit more peaceful.

This also works for grown-ups. If you have a guy, like I do, who is always emptying his pockets onto the coffee table and walking away, give him a collection center too.

The JOYS

Simple routines calm a chaotic home and teach accountability.

Tools You Can Use

Review how to Create Collection Centers
Use the After School Flow Chart
Read 12 Most Everyday Ways to Show Your Kids You Love Them