Call to Action: What's in Your Laundry Basket?

I had a fun conversation with my sister on Skype this morning:
Lisa: Have you unpacked the boxes in your office yet?
Julie: Yes, the file cabinet is done
Lisa: *pat* on your back
Julie: Some stuff ended up in a laundry basket, though :-/
Lisa: I think the laundry basket thing is a disease
Julie: then it’s a GENETIC disease [our mom always used laundry baskets to organize projects]
Lisa: I know I think I’ve conquered it though
Although I just looked over and realized I have a laundry basket with junk in it
Alas
Julie: :D Not cured, then

Our marketing guru informed me today that our website needs to include a clear “call to action.” This probably isn’t quite what she had in mind, but it’s very relevant; many of our clients have come knocking on our door exactly because they were looking for a way to deal with the “laundry baskets” of their business.
 
What’s the laundry basket in your life or business? Is it a stack of unfiled papers, procrastinated data entry, a list of things to follow up on, a box or shelf of stuff to “take care of later”? The challenge: to get it all taken care of and cleared away by the end of next month (September). Here are some ideas to help you:
 
• Develop a better system. I often get behind in my filing because I haven’t yet created files for what needs to be put away. The system is always the first step.
• Read a motivational book. My favorite is Clear Your Clutter with Feng Shui, by Karen Kingston. I don’t believe in the magic of Feng Shui per se, but I believe strongly in the principle that your environment is a reflection of your state of mind, and that something that helps you improve your environment will have a positive effect on your life and spirit.
• Outsource if you need to. Sometimes you just won’t ever get around to it, and it’s time to ask for help. Even though it’s an additional expense, if it saves you time, stress, and money, it will be worth it.
• Suppress your OCD tendencies. If you have multiple laundry baskets, don’t try to do them all at once. The key is to stop while you’re still having fun! If you go until you are exhausted and you still aren’t finished, you won’t be able to pick it up again the next day. Pace yourself so your efforts will continue to be productive.
 
What does this have to do with bookkeeping? Everything. Keeping the books requires that you enter data, file, organize, update, double-check, and follow up on a pretty regular basis. If you let it go too long it will become a major source of stress in your life and in your business, as the work piles up and as you lose track of your finances.
I will check back later this month and I hope to find we are all doing a bit better! (I just put it on my calendar for September 17th.)