The 17 Best Inventions to Get Organized and Save Time (Part 1)
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The Most Versatile Inventions of All Time – 8 Ways to Get Organized and Save Time
Sensitive personal information has become the new gold. Thieves are on the lookout for people’s Social Security Numbers, financial account numbers and other important information, which they sell to make a buck. While cybercrime and hacking are so rampant, you Can reduce the risk of identity theft by combining offline precautions with online precautions and online safety. These eight gems will help you protect yourself from online scams and cybercrime, get organized and save time too.
As you know, cyber criminals and hackers are on the prowl for your information. That leads to identity theft. Which leads to financial losses and losing money.
Fourteen years ago, I was the victim of identity theft. A cyber criminal (or a ring) opened four charge cards in my name – JC Penney, Toys r Us, J. Crew and yes Victoria’s Secret. Thankfully, they didn’t apply for a mortgage in my name.
At the time, somehow I reached a fraud specialist from one of the charge companies who told me that many stores delete the security videos a few weeks after the videotaping date. I guess they use them to identify criminals who commit major, violent crimes, for example armed robbery (but I can’t confirm). Regardless, seemed counterintuitive to me.
On a practical level, I assume that the legal authorities focus their resources on trying to capture major cyber crime rings and don’t have the time or resources to pursue the ‘little guy’.
To me, that means that protecting our identity and money is Up to Us!
Most people would say that Silicon Valley – technology – has generated the greatest inventions and advancement of all time. We don’t need to go over the lengthy list. Be that as it may. . .
Sometimes going ‘Old School’ yields great benefits and saves the day!
When I left the marital residence (years ago in February 2006), to call it like it was, I was a mess! My house was a mess! My life was a mess. Thankfully, I was able to put all that behind me and I am bigger, better and stronger.
Papers were all over the place. It got SO Bad, there was paper all over the floor. In fact, sadly, we called it, “The Paper Carpet.”
Finally, a couple of years later, I emerged from the clouds and put these great no-tech tools to work for me and declutter my house [and my heart and mind]. With the added space, my mood improved I became more optimistic, happy and protected my identity. The Top 8:
Goodwill Box and Thrift Shop
Recycling Bin
Garbage Pail
Scanner
Stapler
Paper Clips and
Okay, so the paper shredder and scanner aren’t exactly no-tech because they require electricity and contain a little tech. But certainly low tech.
Gizmos #1 and #2 – Goodwill Box, Thrift Shop and Recycling Bin – can help you declutter your house, get organized and give to others. Oh and save time because you don’t have to spend time riffling through your closets to find your favorite outfit.
I like to donate things that I don’t want anymore or clothes that don’t fit but may be slightly worn. So the Goodwill Box and Thrift Shop are high on my list.
You can probably find a Thrift Shop nearby. And a Goodwill Box in a shopping center near you. In my town, there’s a Goodwill Box in the Trader Joe’s supermarket parking lot and one at a gas station.
When you frequent the Goodwill Box and the Thrift Shop, you may be able to benefit from a charitable deduction, which could reduce your income taxes. Be sure to consult your tax advisor.
The Garbage Pail is a great spot to discard junk mail and other stuff you don’t need or don’t want.
Although, I recommend that you shred any papers and junk mail that contain personal sensitive information.
I have a strong kinship with my Paper Shredder. I shred all documents relating to my work/business.
With remote working and hybrid working, I use a green canvas bag to accumulate business papers; and every so often, I bring the bag to work and pour the papers into my company’s paper shredder bin.
As far as personal documents go, I shred every document that contains personal sensitive information. I use a blue canvas bag to accumulate personal papers. I bring these to work and visit the paper shredder myself [after hours] and away they go.
Call me paranoid, but I’m vigilant about this and don’t take a chance. If in doubt, I visit the paper shredder.
Examples of personal sensitive information include:
Social security number (SSN)
Tax identification number (TIN)
Employer identification number (EIN)
Account number
Financial information – financial statements, notices from financial institutions, the IRS, government agencies, insurance companies, etc.
Tax information
Health information including explanation of benefits, prescriptions and prescription medicine bottle labels, which contain your name
Legal documents you don’t need anymore
Airline tickets and boarding passes; and,
Other documents which contain sensitive personal information.
While I’m at it, I shred everything that has a barcode too. I understand that often, these too contain yes sensitive personal information.
I’ve heard that people rummage through the garbage to grab documents that contain personal sensitive information. Crazy but better to be safe than sorry.
The Scanner is a wonderful tool that enables me to lighten the piles of paper in my house. You can digitize your papers and store them in your computer. That being said, to the extent your personal computer is connected to the Internet, a hacker could swoop in and try to snag your personal sensitive information.
I try to avoid storing financial statements in my personal computer, but in today’s era that can be a tall order. One way to combat this is to create designated subdirectories for important information and then purge them every so often. But remember, regarding tax information, it’s good to keep them for seven (7) years; then be sure to visit the paper shredder.
I think of the personal computer as a digital filing cabinet. To get and stay organized and locate your information relatively easily, create a series of subdirectories in your computer. Of course, creating categories can help you stay organized, find documents more easily and save time.
In my computer, I have subdirectories inside subdirectories. I use categories to store the documents (information) in a way that makes it easy for me to find the information related to ‘that’ subject.
And that brings me to my other favorites, the Stapler, Paper Clips and Binder Clips. For papers you are keeping, these no-tech tools can save time and reduce the clutter.
As they say, “If in doubt, throw it out.”
And it’s good to ‘prune the trees’ every few months to declutter some more. Every so often, I review my papers and discard reams. This helps me save time. There’s less paper to sift through and sort out and discarding creates a more spacious, airy feel.
Even though the garbage pail works like a charm often, shredding is a more prudent way to protect your sensitive personal information and your identity – and do your best to avoid identity theft and cybercrime.
Long live the paper shredder and its cousins.
Stay safe!
See you next week,
Arthur V.
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