Use a Tickle File

Okay, you say, what on earth is a "tickle file"? It's a reminder system that "tickles" your memory and makes it easy to remember what to do when.

What you will need for this system is a set of tabbed dividers or file folders from 1-31 for the days of the month, and a set of tabbed dividers or file folders for the months of the year. Here's the ones I use. (I've added an extra set of 8 tabs at the back for current projects.)

You can put these in a binder or in a desktop file holder or whatever works best for you. If you want to buy a tickle file already created for you, here's some options to check out.

• http://www.smead.com/Director.asp?NodeID=141&group=0&item=89235
• http://www.onlineorganizing.com/ProductsPage.asp?name=Accordion_Tickler_File_Sorter

Use the tabs 1-31 for the days of the current month. Put into each day a note re anything that needs doing that day, bills that need to paid that day, and so on.

Anything that needs to be done next month or some month later in the year, simply put into the appropriate month's section.

When the end of the month comes along, all your day sections should be empty. Now take all the items from the next month and put them into the appropriate days for the new current month.

Some people rotate the day and month files so that the current date or month is always at the front. That way they just need to grab the current date folder, put all those items in their inbox and away they go.

So what should or could you put in a tickle file?

• bills and invoices to pay
• birthday and anniversary cards (you might want to keep a monthly list of birthdays in your files too - keep each month's list in the previous month's file so you can prepare for the following month)
• tickets or reminders for events, shows or concerts
• reminders for any things that need to be done on certain days (for regular things like watering your plants - make a note on an index card and each time you use it, move the card to the next date that you need to do that item)
• travel documents
• checkbook for bill-paying dates
• warranties
• library book reminders
• home maintenance dates
• etc

Once you have your system set up, you need to add one more piece to the puzzle.

Set a regular time of day to check your tickle file. Maybe first thing in the morning, or last thing at night when you are preparing for the next day's schedule. If you do that faithfully, then you can trust your tickle file to remind you and your mind can relax because it knows now that it doesn't have to keep all of those things in its active file.