Invite Some Organization into Your Life

Invite Some Organization into Your Life What’s the last thing you would have thought of to help keep organized? Yep, All the Ways Excel can help organize your busy life.

“There’s not always an app for that.”

With the abundance of applications in the marketplace, this is becoming difficult to say.

Sometimes it seems as if so much time is spent managing our apps, software, and communication tools, that we have become less efficient and less organized than before.

Passwords are forgotten.

Your spouse can’t access what you need him to access from his phone.

The calendars never seem to sync.

Your apps aren’t “talking” with each other.

How do you become more organized?

How do you organize your information in the simplest form possible?

Consider using Excel.

Money management

Some people prefer using Excel for money management instead of budgeting software currently on the market.

Excel spreadsheets allow the user to customize how the information is displayed.

Excel enables users to create a net worth spreadsheet that takes into account all aspects of their finances. It keeps track of all savings, investment, and checking accounts. It keeps track of all debt from your mortgage, auto, and student loan. It even has built-in amounts deducted for future large expenses like new tires, a new roof, and an air conditioning unit.

Consider using an excel drop down list to make sure that each expense category had the exact same name. Without a drop-down list to choose from, expenses could be listed in several different categories. Dining out could be called “Food,” “Dining out,” or “Restaurants,” or “Entertainment.”

Using Excel helps get your finances in order.

Medical records

Use Excel to keep track of your medical records.

While some people are satisfied with an “all clear” call from their nurse each year, others are more diligent about keeping track of their medical testing results.

Using an Excel spreadsheet to track this information may allow patients to catch early signs of disease, even before the doctors do. Doctors are looking for target numbers when determining whether to evaluate the patient for disease. They don’t necessarily have time to evaluate number trends.

Pay attention to your medical tests. You may be able to catch the beginnings of a disease even before the doctor does.

Early diagnosis sometimes can be the difference between life and death.

Medications

As people age, the list of medications they take seems to increase.

This can be difficult to keep track of, especially if different doctors prescribe the medicines.

If you take several different drugs, or you are the caregiver for someone who does, consider making a spreadsheet with all the pertinent information for each medication. Printing out this spreadsheet each time you go to the doctor will help you fill out medical paperwork.

Consider the following categories:

• The name of the medication (brand name and generic name)
• The appearance and marking on the pill
• How many pills are taken each time
• How often you take them
• When you started taking the medication
• When you stopped taking the medication
• The reason the doctor prescribed the medication
• The name of the prescribing doctor
• Possible side effects

While we would like to think that our doctors and nurses can keep track of all the medication we take, it is impossible for them to do so for each patient they see. We need to monitor our own health. No one else is responsible for it but us.

Home inventory checklist

There are many reasons to keep track of the “stuff” that fills your home.

Not only could an itemized list be helpful in case of disaster, but it can also help prevent arguments with your spouse over whether you purchased your refrigerator in 2008 or 2010, and if you have had the vacuum over a year or not.

List your item, along with its serial number.

Describe where and when you purchased the thing, and how much it was. Record any warranty information you have for the product.

This list can be a helpful record to have in case of fire, theft, or natural disaster. It can also help you keep track of if your broken item is still under warranty or not.

Scan the receipt for each of these items, and include the image of those receipts in your Excel spreadsheet as well.

Why apps aren’t always a great idea

While many use a variety of apps to organize their lives, most apps require passwords and usernames that are difficult to remember. Most aren’t customizable.

Why use Excel

Excel spreadsheets can be stored “in the cloud,” and can be accessed from any location. Typing in one password can retrieve all your information.

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by Chris London of Pixel Productions Inc. The Everything Design Company