CreativeSteph13: June 2016

Why wait for the New Year to get all organized?
Pull this from your "I'll get around to it someday", "sitting on the back burner" list and "get 'er done". Tackle this project in just 4 steps and help yourself avoid drama, drama, drama when an emergency smacks you right in the face and you are UNPREPARED!

I thought about (and researched) what would I need to know if someone I loved got ill and I had to manage their life for a while. Or, in the worse case scenario, manage it after they're gone.

Especially with aging parents, this is so important.

Ask yourself...

What if something happened to you or someone you love?

Could you, your spouse, or someone else, step in and help with the day to day things?

Would you have access to the important info?
Would you even know where it was?

Wouldn't you rather think about and gather these things now,
instead of frantically searching for them later?

Setting up your Emergency Book

The ICE Checklist is a guideline with all sorts of things to think about when you're putting your Emergency Book together. Customize it to make it fit your life. You can keep it super simple with just the basics or take additional time to gather more details. Do What Works Best for YOU.

The main thing to remember is to ask yourself,
"what do I need to know if I couldn't ask (my mom, dad, spouse, etc.)?"

Download ICE Checklist

Your Emergency Book can be a simple notebook/folder/box. I played around with a few things but eventually ended up adding a few sections to the notebook that holds my Trust documents.

Step 1

Type up an Emergency List

Contact info for your immediate family/friends + accountant, lawyer, etc.

Contact info/Account Numbers/Passwords for Banking, Insurance, Mortgage, Home Services, Investments, Subscriptions, Social Media, etc.

Safe Deposit Box List

Step 2

Important Papers

Keep copies of certain papers at home instead of in your Safe Deposit Box -

Medical Directives, Power of Attorney, etc

Step 3

Duplicate Keys

Gather all your duplicate keys (or have copies made) and label them.

As I had multiple keys, I put them in little snack bags, labeled them and
placed them all into a sheet protector in my notebook.

Step 4

Wallet Contents

Copy all contents of your wallets. Throw them on the copier (front and back).
This is also helpful should you ever have your wallet stolen.

Add each of these components to your Emergency Book.

Another Option: You could also create your Emergency Book digitally. Just take photos/scan the important documents and wallet contents. Keys will need to be kept separately.
Keep the info secure on a USB drive, Evernote, etc.

So whether you choose a physical book or digital copy, make sure to KEEP IT SAFE.
This is very important should you choose to list confidential information such as passwords, social security numbers, banking and more. Password protect everything.

Once it's in a safe location, make sure the person you want to handle your things in an emergency knows where everything is and what the passwords are.

That way, in an emergency, when your stress level is through the roof, you won't have to spend anxious moments trying to find important pieces of info.

So a little bit of planning now, a lot less stress later on.

I ended up creating one for both myself and my mom. As I am now managing so much of her accounts and bills, etc. I'm glad I pulled all this info together in one place.

Here's to less stress!

Happy Organizing!

Love, Steph

When I left my corporate job three years ago, one thing I promised myself was to enjoy life more.

To jump off the never ending, always busy, no time to breathe, treadmill that unfortunately is most of our lives.

Rest, relaxation and fun was something you tried to fit in when the work was done (and it never was).

Oh the Places You'll Go - Dr. Suess

Blessed are the curious for they shall have adventure.

Happiness is a journey, not a destination.

One's destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things - Henry Miller

So I have since decided to try and make each day an Excellent Adventure. And make sure I schedule fun on my calendar, along with work, not just wait for "when things aren't so busy".

And you don't have to go anywhere to have an adventure. Adventures are big and small. Sometimes it's hitting the road to discover new places and sometimes you discover something in your own backyard or in a book or in a moment. It's just a matter of looking.

I would have loved to have learned this when I was getting ready to head off to college or start a new job. When our focus gets smaller and smaller until it's only the size of studying for our next exam or working on that next project, or staying later and later and later at our job, just to play catch up. (Hindsight is always 20/20).

I worked on this piece on and off for several months and just hung it on the wall in my office
(to help remind me to get out of my office).

Hope you have an excellent adventure this week!