Do you behave like an ostrich?
By Judy Rough, Carefree Transitions, Scottsdale LIVING WELL Magazine
Year after year we make all sorts of resolutions, and some we stick to, although most are quickly discarded and we return to business as usual. There is one resolution we all need to make and definitely stick to, but avoid because we hate the idea. Who wants to add another overwhelming task to their lives? I am referring to finally, once and for all, “getting your ducks in a row” and having a system in place that will keep them that way!
It is time to set up a simple system to organize and manage all your vital records and documents, get your emergency and life plans in place, and follow life’s best practices so you will no longer feel overwhelmed or in a state of chaos.
If you are not a do-it-yourselfer, does this sound impossible to you? It doesn’t have to be. You can always seek assistance from professionals or set yourself up with a simple binder system for all of your life’s papers and plans. The most important part of a system like this is to communicate the information to your trusted representative(s): family, friends and professionals. Creating a roadmap to locate where all of your vital records, documents and plans are stored is the critical part of a successful system and one that your loved ones will be thankful to have.
Don’t wait until the day before taxes are due, the day you need to submit your marriage license for health benefit verification, the day your child needs the immunization record for sports sign up, the day you or a loved one ends up in the ER without the correct medical or Rx information or the day you become an executor and have no clue where anything is. These are just a few examples of the stresses we face far too often and the fact is, it is totally unnecessary.
Pull your head out of the sand, be proud and make 2012 the year you get all your ducks in a row!
Judy Rough, CSA, is owner of Carefree Transitions, LLC and creator of the Papervana system of record and document organizing and management. Judy can be reached at 480-200-3415 or judy@carefree-transitions.com
