WEBVTT - Make it easier the next time

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio.

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<v Speaker 2>Good Morning. This is Laura.

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's tip is to

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<v Speaker 1>set up recurring tasks for efficiency so they are easier

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<v Speaker 1>the next time you do them. Many listeners in the

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<v Speaker 1>US recently filed their income tax returns, or at least

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<v Speaker 1>filed for an extension until October. If your finances are

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<v Speaker 1>remotely complicated, this can involve hunting around for a wide

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<v Speaker 1>variety of documents and then entering numbers on spreadsheets until

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<v Speaker 1>finally you or an accountant has it all figured out.

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<v Speaker 1>You then breathe a sigh of relief that it is

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<v Speaker 1>all done. But now that this chore is in the past,

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<v Speaker 1>this is a great time to consus whether you could

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<v Speaker 1>make this process more efficient next year. Once you have

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<v Speaker 1>filed your taxes a few times, you know what the

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<v Speaker 1>process entails, and sure, life may throw a few wrinkles

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<v Speaker 1>into the process, but for the most part, you know

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<v Speaker 1>what documents you need to provide and how you need

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<v Speaker 1>to organize them, so you can skip the chaos and

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<v Speaker 1>go straight to order the next time. No, I am

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<v Speaker 1>not saying you need to put everything in the spreadsheet

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<v Speaker 1>as you go. That doesn't actually save time. But if

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<v Speaker 1>you do keep paper records, why not set up a

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<v Speaker 1>folder or a gallon sized ziplock for every category you

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<v Speaker 1>keep documents for. As one comes in over the year,

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<v Speaker 1>you put it in there, and then when it is

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<v Speaker 1>tax time again, you don't have to go hunting for anything.

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<v Speaker 1>If you keep digital records, move them to the right

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<v Speaker 1>filing place as soon as you get them. Then all

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<v Speaker 1>that's left to do.

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<v Speaker 2>Next April is figure out another way to spend those

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<v Speaker 2>hours that you might have spent tracking them down. You

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<v Speaker 2>can make it easier next time for more frequent processes too.

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<v Speaker 2>You likely go to the grocery store about every week

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<v Speaker 2>or so, so I am guessing that you are familiar

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<v Speaker 2>with the place. If the lemons are near the limes

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<v Speaker 2>in your grocery store, why are lemons next to Greek

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<v Speaker 2>yogurt and cat litter on your grocery list? Put lemons

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<v Speaker 2>next to limes on the grocery list as well. Use

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<v Speaker 2>what you know about the grocery store layout to organize

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<v Speaker 2>your list more efficiently for next time. This can be

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<v Speaker 2>as simple as folding a sheet of paper to create

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<v Speaker 2>four quadrants and using one quadjant for let's say, produce,

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<v Speaker 2>and one for dairy and the freezer, and one for

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<v Speaker 2>meat and deli, and the other for grocery items on

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<v Speaker 2>the shelves in the middle of the store. Whatever works

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<v Speaker 2>for you. It doesn't need to be fancy, but it

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<v Speaker 2>will be enough to save you some time and annoyance

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<v Speaker 2>in the grocery store the next time. If you have

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<v Speaker 2>multiple kids in your family, or cousins or neighbors or

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<v Speaker 2>friends you share hand me downs with, you may have

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<v Speaker 2>a system for organizing clothes. A lot of families organize

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<v Speaker 2>clothes and bins for each size. For instance, you put

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<v Speaker 2>all the outgrown size eight clothes into a bin labeled

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<v Speaker 2>size eight, so when the next kid is wearing a

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<v Speaker 2>size eight, you know just which ben to get out

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<v Speaker 2>to find clothes that will fit. You have made clothes

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<v Speaker 2>gathering easier for the next time. When you do a task,

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<v Speaker 2>ask yourself if you anticipate doing this at some point

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<v Speaker 2>again in your life. Sometimes the answer is no, and

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<v Speaker 2>sometimes you will do the task so infrequently that there

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<v Speaker 2>is really no need to think about it much. If

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<v Speaker 2>I ever buy another house, I will figure out the

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<v Speaker 2>process again then. But helping a kid get a driver's

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<v Speaker 2>license or apply for college. I anticipate doing that five

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<v Speaker 2>times over the next few years, so it's probably a

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<v Speaker 2>good idea to take notes so it's easier the next time.

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<v Speaker 2>If you know you'll be paying some bills with checks

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<v Speaker 2>by mail every month for quite a while, it's probably

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<v Speaker 2>a good idea to create a spot for envelopes and

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<v Speaker 2>stamps near where you keep that checkbook. Make it easier

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<v Speaker 2>for yourself the next time, and you might just wind

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<v Speaker 2>up a little happier the next time as well. In

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<v Speaker 2>the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's

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<v Speaker 2>to making the.

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<v Speaker 1>Most of our time. Hey, everybody I'd love to hear from.

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<v Speaker 1>You can send me your tips, your questions, or anything else.

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<v Speaker 1>Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at

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<v Speaker 1>Before Breakfast Pod. That's b E the number four then

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<v Speaker 1>Breakfast Pod. You can also shoot me an email at

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<v Speaker 1>Before Breakfast Podcasts at iHeartMedia dot com. That Before Breakfast

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<v Speaker 1>is spelled out with all the letters. Thanks so much,

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<v Speaker 1>should I look forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast

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<v Speaker 1>is a production of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio,

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