Organizing is something that I have failed in since well forever. I clean and organize the house and then we go and get the mail and it gets laid on the counter again and well the disaster just starts over again. It seems that I’m not alone. A recent survey from Office Depot found that out of more than 1000 office employees, 93% said they feel being organized improves their performance, even though 81% admitted to keeping a disorganized workspace. I’m in the 81% for sure. My home office is practically none-existent because I’m so unorganized. The survey also found that 49% said they clean up clutter a few times a month or less. Again, that describes me! What should you keep organized? And how does being organized all year round help you out during tax season?

The survey indicates that the person’s desk, file cabinet and computer desktop are the three critical elements that need to be organized.

You can assess the mess and focus on three key areas: debt, savings, and your credit:

Gather bills and statements from all three categories and begin arranging them using labels, folders and other organizational tools

A shredder also comes in handy when you want to get rid of dated materials and personal information you no longer need. 

Begin looking ahead – make sure your messy desk doesn’t create messy finances, especially when dealing with tax-related paperwork, mortgage or rent statements, car insurance bills, warranties and other important documents 

I had the opportunity to submit some questions to Farnoosh Torabi a leading financial expert and she gave me some advice on how to be better organized. These are the questions I asked her:

We have a stacking issues in our house, we stack the mail we stack the papers, how can we get on top of stacking and keep our office clean?

What is the best advice you can give for preparing your taxes, where and when do I start organizing before filing them?

Where do I start when thinking about my finances?

Why does owning a house make such a difference at tax time?

More About Farnoosh Torabi:

Farnoosh Torabi is a personal finance contributor for Credit.com and Moneywatch.com. Her work and advice has been featured in national magazines and newspapers, including Real Simple, Glamour, Marie Clair Money Magazine, The Wall Street Journal and USA Today. The New York Times calls her advice, “perfect practical.”