It’s that time of year when we’ll start being bombarded with incoming items related to filing our taxes. Though I am NOT the one you want to call if you need help with actually filing your taxes, I CAN help you get organized for that annual task, whether you do them yourself or use a professional tax preparer. Keep reading to see how I keep everything organized this time of year…
- Dedicate a folder for gathering tax-related items: This time of year, I insert a dedicated folder in my To-Do System. When things come in that I’ll need for preparing my taxes, I just toss them in there so that I can keep like items together ( and not have to look for them later). Don’t have a To-Do System? No worries. Just dedicate one specific place where all those things can gather as they come in (and don’t let anything else gather there).
- Create an appointment with yourself: Even if you have someone else doing your taxes, you’ll need some time to prepare the information they need. Be sure to schedule a chunk of time with yourself for the task so that you don’t have to scramble right before your appointment, potentially missing key information. And if you do them yourself, maybe consider two separate appointments: one for preparation and a second for actually filing the taxes so that you’re not doing it all on April 14th!
- Consider a Tax Prep Check List: So, this is where my daughter would call me “extra”. A long time ago, I put together a “Tax Prep Check List” for my own use. If you’ve ever attended one of my workshops, you’ve likely heard me talk about leaving notes for “future Janet”. That’s using my head! I just keep a list of everything I need to have/gather/do for my tax preparer. I then use this list during my own preparation time, helping me feel confident that I have everything ready for my appointment. As things change for us, I update the list with the new things I need to remember for next year immediately after my appointment (if not before).
Doing those three things above keeps things out of my head, helps me sleep, and gives me peace that I’ll get it filled correctly and on-time with no scrambling required! Even if you implement just one of those ideas, I think you’ll find it helpful and the task more manageable.
May you have blessings and balance,
Janet