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Paper Doll Explains Your Health Insurance Explanation of Benefits

Posted on: October 9th, 2023 by Julie Bestry | 19 Comments

[Editor’s note: This post originally appeared on October 9, 2023. Some content has been added or modified to provide more robust explanations.]

In more than two decades as a professional organizer, I’ve found that people have disorganized papers because they don’t create and maintain working systems for organizing what they need and letting go of what they don’t. Eight years ago, I talked about how fear plays a huge role in what people decide to keep (or fail to decide, and thus end up keeping).

If I ask someone, “Why do you have this?” whether “this” is a document or a never-worn article of clothing or a piece of broken furniture, the answer often betrays an unspoken fear. Sometimes, that fear may be related to anticipation of an unpleasant emotion — if you give away the itchy sweater (in a color that makes you look like you have the flu) that Aunt Gertrude gave you, will you eventually feel you are betraying late Aunt Gertrude?

Other times, particularly with papers, people hold onto documents long after they’ve served any useful purpose out of fear of what might happen if they need, but don’t have, that paper. This is why I developed Do I Have To Keep This Piece Of Paper?

I can tell you that that the item I see clients keep the most of, and the most often, and the longest after they’ve ceased being necessary, are health insurance Explanation of Benefits documents.

Sometimes, organizing clients ask, “How long do I need to keep these?” but more often, they don’t ask at all. Explanation of Benefits can often seem mysterious or scary. People know they aren’t medical bills, per se, but they don’t know what they are, or what they’re supposed to do with them. Understandably, if you don’t know why you have something, you’re going to be afraid to let it go. But that way, madness lies.

EXPLAINING THE EXPLANATION OF BENEFITS

First, I should clarify that while many insurance companies call these pieces of mystery mail “Explanation of Benefits” (EOBs for short), they go by other names. Depending on your insurance provider and your region of the country, the title of the document may be any of the following:

Explanation of Payment (EOP) — Used interchangeably with EOB — a document explaining the payment or coverage details for a healthcare claim.
Explanation of Review (EOR) — This serves the same purpose as an EOB or EOP.
Benefits Statement or Statement of Benefits — Either term emphasizes the benefits of one’s health insurance policy re: covering (or not covering) a specific healthcare claim.
Claim Summary or Claim Explanation — Some insurance providers use these terms to describe how a medical claim was processed, including the payment details and any patient responsibilities.

You might also see payment summary, healthcare summary, coverage explanation or remittance advice. Whatever they’re called, the purpose is to inform you about how a medical claim has been processed, including what portion of the claim is covered by insurance and what you (may) owe.

It’s a summary of the whole process from what the provider charged to what each responsible party owes, and it’s supposed to make it easier for you to understand what has happened. The problem? EOBs are often designed to be as clear as mud.

What does an EOB show?

These documents are designed to convey the following:

Who received treatment or service — This could be you or anyone included on your policy, like a spouse or child.
The date of a medical service or procedure — Your child may have had a well-child visit, or perhaps you had the yuckies and needed a full workup and blood tests. If you had an appendectomy, not only will your surgeon’s actions be listed, but so will the services of the anesthesiologist and other specialists in attendance, plus medications, tests, and other details of your hospital stay.
The name of the physician, lab, clinic, etc. — You may not recognize the name listed if your medical provider sends blood or tissue to a lab for analysis, or an X-ray, CT scan, or MRI requires review.
Non-covered codes — Not everything done for your health is covered by your insurance policy. In a perfect world, whatever your provider felt was necessary would be covered, but (sigh) that’s not how it works. There may be random letters or numbers indicating why something wasn’t covered due to a wide variety of circumstances, including
- a provider, clinic, or hospital is not in-network for you (meaning, not on a list of pre-approved providers).
- a procedure or treatment not included among the items covered by your policy.
- a procedure or treatment requires pre-approval but you didn’t get it pre-approved — This may not be covered even though, if you had asked for it to be pre-approved, they would have approved it and covered it (that is, paid for it).
- a procedure or treatment is allowed, but only so often in a given time frame — For example, mental health appointments or physical therapy sessions may be limited to (for example) 10 sessions in a calendar year.

Also, while some appointments may be allowed at any time in a given year, others must be scheduled 365+ days apart. So, if you had your eye exam or mammogram 363 days ago, you may be out of luck in terms of your insurance company paying.

The A1C blood test allows physicians to track blood glucose levels over a rolling period of time; most insurance companies require 90+ days in between tests. Sometimes, medical offices are good about making sure your appointments aren’t scheduled closer than 90 days apart so that you can actually get your A1C test done (and covered), but as a patient, it’s in your best interest to know what your policy covers, and how often, so you don’t pay extra.

The total charged by the physician, clinic, lab, hospital, or pharmacy.
The network savings — OK, I get it your eyes have glazed over at this point. If you’ve never had much reason to see lots of doctors, go to the hospital, have a baby, or just use much of your medical insurance, this may be one of the mysteries that causes you to toss your EOBs on top of the microwave or stuff them in a drawer. I promise you a sidebar in a minute to answer all of your questions!
The amount the insurance company paid your provider — This is self-explanatory, or it should be. If there are no codes in the “Non-covered codes” section, then you should be able to eventually match up all of your numbers to see why your insurer paid your provider as it did. We’ll get back to that.
Your co-pay — Your policy might require you to pay a specific amount for each medical visit or pharmacy purchase. It’s common for there to be one level of charge (say, $20) for your primary care physician and another (perhaps $60) for specialists; similarly, you may have different levels of co-pays for generic, preferred, and non-preferred prescriptions.
Your co-insurance — Co-insurance is the percentage of your medical healthcare costs you share with your insurance company, usually after meeting your deductible. For example, if you have an 80/20 co-insurance, once you hit your deductible, your insurance company will pay 80% of covered (that is, allowed) costs, and you’ll pay the remaining 20%…until you hit your out-of-pocket maximum.
Other insurance — Depending on your stage in life, you might only be familiar with having one kind of health insurance at a time. However, if you have (for example) Medicare, you might also have a secondary health insurance policy that covers a percentage of what’s left over after your primary policy (or Medicare) pays.
“You owe(d) provider” — This is usually the bottom line, and it tells you what, all-told, you should have to pay your doctor, the pharmacy, the clinic, the lab, or whomever. In a perfect world, the bill you get matches that amount, it’s what you expect, and everyone’s happy.

Still with me? Health insurance in the United States can be confusing, though many insurers try to make it more comprehensible.

But how does it all work?

Here’s how you imagine it works. You have a tiny booboo and you have insurance. You go to your doctor and she fixes your booboo. You pay the doctor your co-pay of $20 and you leave. After you walk out the door, someone who works for your doctor does the typey-typey thing on a computer, relaying codes for the procedure you had done, and the insurance company pays the doctor the rest of what the doctor charges, and everyone’s happy. Right?

Well…not necessarily. Things may be more complicated, and you may find yourself lost:

If the typey-typey person types the wrong code, perhaps for something your insurance doesn’t cover, then you may get an EOB full of “Nuh-uh, we’re not going to pay for this!” codes and then you’ll get a bill from the doctor for hundreds or thousands of dollars you weren’t expecting.
The typey-typey person may not get around to billing the insurance company, or the insurance company may be pokey and not pay them as fast as they want, and you might get a bill for the whole amount. This is why, when you get a bill you aren’t expecting, you must always:
- Look at the bill to see if it lists the insurance company’s paid portion
- Look at the EOB to see if the insurance company is saying they paid something that the administrative office (the typey-typey folks) haven’t yet processed.
The numbers don’t add up. Before you get stressed about this, it helps to know how insurance works. Too often, I hear clients say, “I hit my deductible already this year, so I don’t know why the doctor is sending me a bill” or “The amount the insurance company paid the provider plus the amount I paid doesn’t add up to what it says the doctor is charging.” Both of these are easy to explain, but because they don’t teach any of this in school, most people don’t learn it until or unless they experience serious medical situations.

“Why am I still getting billed if I’ve already hit my deductible?”

The deductible issue often confuses people. First, you pay a monthly premium (think of it like a subscription) to have insurance. Only instead of getting to watch the newest juicy goodness on Netflix, your premium gives you some benefits.

Along with the premium, you get may get certain things for which you don’t have to pay extra, like a flu shot or an annual exam. But for lots of other things, like doctors’ appointments and procedures, you will likely have a copay or co-insurance, as we discussed above. All of these charges add up until you hit your deductible.

Your deductible is the amount you must pay out of pocket for covered healthcare services before your insurance plan starts to pay. Once you’ve met your deductible, then your insurance plan will usually cover a percentage of the remaining costs as defined by your plan.

Then, if you keep racking up medical expenses, there’s a point at which you may hit your out-of-pocket maximum. As you may have guessed, that’s the maximum you’ll have to pay out of your own pocket, after which (not counting your monthly premiums), the insurance company pays for everything…until you hit the end of the year. And then on January 1st, everything re-sets to zero.

Happy New Year by Sincerely Media on Unsplash

Let’s say your deductible is $1000 and your out-of-pocket maximum is $5000. That means that until you hit your deductible (and paid $1000) you will pay providers whatever your insurance policy says you must pay up to that amount. That includes co-pays and co-insurance for doctors, pharmacies, and everyone else.

Once you’ve paid $1000 (either in one lump sum or in a bunch smaller payments), your insurance kicks in, and from the next dollar of medical expenses (so, $1001) up to $5000 (your out-of-pocket maximum), your insurance company will pay a percentage (often 80%) and you’ll only be responsible for the remaining (often 20%) until you reach your out-of-pocket maximum.

But why don’t the numbers add up?

Remember those “network savings?” Insurance companies and the providers in their networks have a deal. Their contractual agreements say that if their policyholders are serviced by these doctors (or hospitals or pharmacies), there’s a limit on how much they can charge.

Let’s look at it in action.

If you have no insurance: Your doctor fixes your booboo and charges you $1000. You pay your doctor $1000. No coupons, no discounts. No paperwork.

If you have insurance, but haven’t hit your deductible for the year: Your doctor fixes your booboo and charges $1000. The insurance company immediately says, “Hey, Doc, we’ve got a deal. You aren’t allowed to charge our policyholders $1000. You can only charge $400!” The doctor grumbles.

The insurance company pays nothing (because you haven’t hit your deductible) but you get the benefit of a discounted total cost that is much lower than what the doctor wanted to charge. And everything you pay, including this $400, adds up until you hit your deductible.

If you have insurance, have hit your deductible, but haven’t hit your out-of-pocket maximum: Now, the insurance company pays a big chunk (like 80%) of covered costs and you pay the rest. Everything you’ve paid toward your deductible, plus everything you pay now, piles up as you head toward your out-of-pocket maximum.

If you have insurance, have hit your deductible, and have hit your out-of-pocket maximum: This is that weird circumstance where you’ve had so many medical expenses in a year (boo!) that you finally end up not having to pay for anything (yay!).

So, fixed booboos and tonsils removed and whatnot later, all of your out-of-pocket expenses reach your maximum, $5000. As of the next dollar of medical expenses, $5001, insurance pays for everything, and you shouldn’t even have to peek at the paperwork beyond eyeballing those great “You owe provider $0.00” lines.

WHY DO YOU NEED AN EOB?

So, now that you know what an EOB says and why the numbers are sometimes wacky, you may be wondering why you need them, and perhaps more importantly, how long you have to keep them. This is why, when my clients ask me, “Do I have to keep these EOBs?” or “How long do I have to keep these EOBs?” the answer is, it depends.

(Sorry, campers. With so much in the world of paper and information organizing, the answer is always some variation on “it depends.”)

As much as you don’t want to do it, as a policyholder, it’s really important to review your EOBs carefully to ensure accuracy so you understand your financial obligations related to healthcare services.

If you pay every bill the doctor sends, without checking it against your EOBs, you might be overpaying by either duplicating what insurance has already paid (or is in the process of paying) or paying more than the discounted rate you’re due because of network savings.

If you pay every medical bill w/o checking it against your EOBs, you might be overpaying by either duplicating what insurance has already paid or paying more than the discounted rate you're due because of network savings. Share on X

EOBs exist so that:

You can understand real healthcare costs. Your EOB breaks down what the doctor charged, what the insurance company actually “lets” them charge, and what (if anything) the insurance company paid on your behalf. When you see all the actual numbers, you may get a sense of whether you’re overpaying for health insurance (vs. the coverage you’re getting for your needs), and you’ll definitely have a better sense of how U.S. healthcare finances work. (Sorry. You’ll probably want a cookie or a nap to cheer you up after that.)

There’s transparency so the process doesn’t seem so opaque. Yes, unless you take delight in checking the math, just seeing the billed charges, allowed amounts, network savings/contractual adjustments, and your responsibility (including deductibles, copayments, and/or coinsurance) gives you the opportunity (whether or not you take it) to get a handle on what the real costs of your health issues are.

You can verify how a claim was processed — I’m sure most administrative offices for medical practitioners and hospitals are stellar professionals. But people make mistakes, and computers make it easy to make mistakes, and those mistakes can have real consequences for you as a healthcare consumer. If you get a bill that doesn’t match your EOBs, it gives you the opportunity to call attention to the discrepancy. EOBs help you verify that your insurance claims were processed correctly and that your insurance benefits (for which you pay!) get applied accurately.

Gavel: Creative Commons/U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Aspen Reid/af.milvv

You have documentation to help with disputes and appeals — Again, the EOB lays out the process by which a claim was handled. When you see in black-and-white that a procedure or treatment wasn’t covered due to a “non-covered code” that you don’t think is applicable, you can chase down the error to dispute it or work with your medical provider to appeal.

You get documentation for your medical and financial records. — You don’t need to keep your EOBs for tax purposes, per se. The IRS doesn’t consider your EOBs as proof of your medical costs; that’s because EOBs don’t say what you paid, but what the insurance company paid. Yes, an EOB indicates what the insurance company believes you owed the doctor, pharmacy, or hospital, but is not proof that you actually paid for those expenses.

EOBs document what healthcare services you received and the associated costs. As such, they can help you track information to accurately prepare your taxes with regard to healthcare-related tax deductions and remember what reimbursement you want to seek from health savings accounts (HSAs) or flexible spending accounts (FSAs).

You can use EOBs to help you plan your future healthcare expenses. Eyeballing your EOBs will help you estimate the out-of-pocket costs you and your family generally use. This might help you plan how you budget for anticipated medical expenses (especially early in each calendar year, before you’ve hit your deductible).

HOW LONG SHOULD YOU KEEP YOUR EOBs?

I find that almost everyone saves their EOBs much longer than necessary.

For Typical Individuals and Families

If your medical history is uncomplicated (and your insurance company allows you to access your EOBs online in your health insurance portal), especially if the EOBs are accessible for at least one year, you may want to request that they cease sending you paper copies.

If, in a typical year, you get one EOB after your annual checkup and another after you get a mammogram, and that’s about it, just check your EOBs online. If you like to keep your own records, download the digital version as a PDF you can keep in your own digital records on your computer or in the cloud. As always, keep your digital records backed up!

For most people, I recommend keeping your EOBs for about one year, or at least until you do your taxes for the prior calendar year. This way, you can track your healthcare expenses, compare them with any medical bills you receive, and ensure that insurance claims have been processed correctly.

Most of my clients will actually compare and contrast numbers when paper documents are set side-by-side; highlight, circle, or otherwise note important figures. Start the year with one folder, like “EOBs 2024.” If you tend to have a lot of medical bills (perhaps if you’re dealing with an ongoing health concern for which you have lots of medical appointments), make a folder for each calendar quarter.

For Complex or Special Situations

If you get involved in a dispute or lawsuit with either a medical provider or your insurance company, keep all of the relevant bills, EOBs, correspondence, and contemporaneous notes you take during phone calls or meetings until the dispute is resolved or the lawsuit is settled or adjudicated.

If you have difficulty wrangling these EOBs and bills, work with a professional organizer (like me!) who can make sense of paperwork. Find one near you (or who works virtually) at the National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals.

And if you have trouble resolving a claim, enlist the help of an independent Claims Assistance Professional (CAP) through the The Alliance of Claims Assistance Professionals.

When An EOB Is Not Really What You Need

EOBs are designed to track financial information about your medical experiences.

So, yes if you’ve got complicated or chronic long-term conditions, EOBs may help you track the history of your illness, the dates of important procedures, and the physicians you have seen.

However, I encourage clients to either scan older EOBs or use them to develop a log of the timeline and essential information in a spreadsheet before discarding the actual paperwork. Reduce the paperwork and streamline the data!

For more information on maintaining your health records, read Reference Files Master Class (Part 3) — Medical Papers.

No matter what, be sure to protect your (and your family’s) privacy and your personal information. Shred EOBs to prevent identity theft or unauthorized access to your health information.

As we reach the last quarter of the year, it’s helpful to review EOBs to get a sense of your medical benefit usage so you can plan whether it makes sense to have a procedure this year (if you’ve already hit, or are close to hitting, your out-of-pocket) of see if you’ve been over- or under-insured this year in order to plan next year’s coverage.

Stay organized, stay safe, and be healthy!

Paper Doll Organizes You To Prepare for an Emergency

Posted on: September 18th, 2023 by Julie Bestry | 14 Comments

September is National Preparedness Month.

The variety of emergencies to consider is mind-boggling. Last week, we observed the 22nd anniversary of 9/11 and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill experienced its second active shooter since late August.

Just this month, massive floods have overwhelmed Libya, Hong Kong, and Greece, and closer to hope, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and the festival-turned-city of Burning Man in Nevada were all overwhelmed by storms and floods.

A little over a week ago, a 6.8 magnitude earthquake caused devastation in Morocco. There always seem to be wildfires in the United States, while in the past year, smoke from Canadian wildfires drifted down through the U.S., causing breathing problems for allergy and asthma sufferers. Two weeks ago, there was a landslide into a grocery store parking lot in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, a few hours from me.

Fire and smoke, flood and blizzards, tornadoes and hurricanes — they can’t be ignored, and though this isn’t a forum to discuss global climate change, it is essential that we change and upgrade our emergency preparedness habits.

Organizing is a key principle in emergency preparedness. Without organization, there’s no way to communicate with loved ones, quickly locate what you need to protect yourself during the emergency and recover afterward, or get to a safe place and arrange for a secure location during the recovery period.

We can’t cover all aspects of emergency preparedness in one post. I recommend everyone visit the federal government’s Ready.gov to get started with emergency and disaster preparedness.

CREATE AN EMERGENCY KIT

Building an emergency kit involves is more than making sure that you have first aid supplies, although that’s important.

Start with the essentials

Water and non-perishable food for several days — Depending on how widespread the emergency is, you may not have access to restaurants, cooking facilities, or electricity. It’s estimated that you should have one gallon of water, per person, per day and note that while water doesn’t expire, those dates on bottled water refer to the expiration of the plastic bottle, after which the chemicals in the plastic begin to break down. Periodically through the year, replace your emergency water bottles with new ones and use up the old ones before the expiration date. For food, aim for high-energy, high nutrition things that your family will actually eat. Be realistic, not aspirational!
Can and bottle openers — If you have canned/bottled emergency food, please make sure you have a way to access it.
Dining supplies — An emergency probably isn’t the best time to be picky. Stock paper plates and towels, and plastic utensils and cups.
First aid kit — Stock your own if you’ve already got many of the supplies, or purchase a pre-made first aid kit from the pharmacy section of a Big Box store (Target has nice ones) or Amazon.

Things that make stuff light up or go — That means extra batteries, chargers, and power banks. Keep matches in a waterproof container, or get a few long-handled lighters. Cell phones have flashlights, but you don’t want to wear down your phone’s battery if you don’t have access to electricity or your car in an emergency. Almost all modern cars have USB outlets for charging your phone, but if there’s a chance you’ll be in an older vehicle, there are chargers you can plug into a car’s cigarette lighter.
An NOAA Weather Radio — I recently tried to help a client with low vision set up her inexpensive emergency weather radio, and we were disappointed with the poor quality and the lack of intuitive design. CNN has a good article on The Best Emergency Radios in 2023. In addition to one that takes batteries, a hand-crank option not only relieves your fear of running out of power, but it gives elementary school-aged kids an activity to occupy them and make them feel useful.
Plastic sheeting and duct tape, in case you have to shelter in place, and masks (to prevent inhalation of dust, contaminants, and germs). If it was good for nothing else, COVID got most of us in the habit of having masks on hand.
Fire extinguisher — You should have these in your home and car anyway. At the very least, get the hand-held kind that look like bug spray cans. Consider emergency fire blankets, too!

Sanitation and hygiene items — Disinfecting wipes, hand sanitizer, and garbage bags with plastic ties (the latter in case you lack access to bathroom facilities) keep you healthy while you wait things out. Also consider what feminine supplies and other personal hygiene items you might need.
Whistles or other other noisemaking devices help you gain attention and seek assistance — If you don’t have a whistle, consider what else you or your kids might have handy, like kazoos or toy instruments.
Maps — Remember paper maps? If you have to evacuate your community when cell towers are down and your usual routes are closed, a paper map enables you to navigate to safety.
Comfort items — Depending on the type of emergency you face, you could be away from home for several days. Pack a complete change of clothes and well-fitting, sturdy shoes for each person, plus a sleeping bag or blanket for each individual.

If this is overwhelming, you may want to start with a ready-made 72-Hour grab & go kit.

If, however, you really want to built the ideal emergency Go bag, sites like Emergency Prep Gear have robust suggestions.

Another great resource is the American Red Cross Emergency Preparedness Checklist.

Remember items specific to you or your family members

Got a baby? Think through everything the tiny human might need — Formula and bottles, diapers, wipes, etc. If you normally pump your milk, make sure you have a workable backup in case your pump is inoperable or unavailable.
Prescription medications — I may be able to go a week without my Flintstones Complete vitamins, but not my diabetes medicine. Either keep a week’s worth of your meds in your emergency kit and switch them out each time you refill your prescription (so you’re never taking expired meds, and use the “emergency meds” right after you get a refill); otherwise, make sure your meds are grab-and-go ready at all times!
Non-prescription items — Know your pain relievers and which work best for different kinds of pains or fevers, and pack OTC meds for all manner of tummy distress. Don’t forget contact lens solution!
Pets are part of the family, so be sure you’ve got food, water, and meds for Fido or Fluffy

Don’t forget about papers, money, and things that work like money

If there’s a widespread electric outage in your community, credit and debit cards may not work, and if you’re used to using Apple Pay on your phone for most purchases, lack of data if cell towers are down may be a shock. Only you know how much cash on hand will make you feel safe, but consider getting the kind of under-clothing money belt you might use for international travel to keep your emergency funds hidden and safe.

If you can’t currently afford to keep any cash on hand for emergency situations, try putting away even one dollar at the end of each day in a cookie jar or piggy bank. Set an alarm on your phone to remind you daily to build up that at-home emergency fund.

During and after an emergency, you’re going to need to be able to access important family documents (or at least photographic evidence of them). Keep copies of insurance policies (at the very least, the page with your policy numbers, toll-free claim number, and declarations page).

You also want to make sure you have access to your family members’ ID and bank records. Secure them electronically in a cloud vault (for when there’s electricity); if you leave your home with paperwork (such as when you evacuate during a home fire or wildfire), be sure their secured in waterproof container.

Ready.gov had a great page for financial preparedness for emergencies. That link is a treasure trove of checklists, financial safety advice, instructions on how to built an emergency financial first aid kit, and a stack of PDFs and links to help you safeguard your financial situation during times of emergency and recovery.

The time to organize and prepare for an emergency is now, when there is no emergency. Brainstorm what you couldn’t do without. You’re not towing your house behind your car, but you do want to trigger any possible items you might not consider in the heat of the moment.

DEVELOP AN EMERGENCY PLAN FOR GETTING OUT OR STAYING PUT

Once you’ve got your emergency kit in place, it’s time to develop your emergency plan. Again, you don’t have to re-invent the wheel, as Ready.gov has a series of checklists for specific circumstance and needs:

People with Disabilities
People with Pets
College Students
Seniors
Working with your kids to help develop your emergency plans
Modifying your plan by location, because not all emergencies happen when you’re at home with your preparedness supplies. Have plans for when you’re at work and kids are school.
Developing Emergency Plans for Your Business

Create a Written Plan

Once you’ve gone through everything I’ve referenced here and everything at Ready.gov, you’ll be able to start developing checklists for what you need, whom to call, where to go, and how to get there. It may seem excessive, but a written plan will help you organize your thoughts.

Maintain multiple copies of your plan in various locations: in your glove compartment, on the bulletin board or in an uncluttered desk drawer at your office, and within easy reach of major household exits. Talk through the plan every so often with your family.

Teenagers and older kids should know what’s relevant to them (like finding their siblings and arranging to meet at an agreed-upon location) and might keep a copy of the plan in their lockers. Your elementary school-aged kids should have emergency contact cards so if they get separated from family members they can make sure the grownups around them can contact the right people.

Practice Makes Perfect

Practice fire drills and escape routes in your home and office, and don’t just talk about it, but walk through the route. Identify a meeting point outside, away from the danger and be sure to designate someone to count heads.

Mention your escape routes to overnight guests in your home. If you have a card in your guest room with the Wi-Fi password, put info about the escape route there. (Everyone pays attention to Wi-Fi info; it’ll catch their eye!)

Beyond your home, develop an evacuation plan that considers all possible contingencies. If you need to drive yourself and your family out of town, know your community’s civil defense procedures to ensure your plan doesn’t contravene the official route. Don’t get in trouble with the authorities during an emergency!

Talk About Talking (During an Emergency)

Identify a long-distance communications point-person — Grandma in Boca? Your college kid in another state? Make sure they have a copy of your emergency plan and they they know the route in case your family members gets separated, can’t reach one another, but can reach the at-a-distance person.

Plan communications alternatives if family or co-workers are far-flung or traveling. Funnel updates to your long-distance point-person to share.

While the most important thing is to organize your safety, everyone will operate more effectively if they can reduce the stress related to not knowing what’s going on.

Five Minute Warning

What if you had only five minutes to rescue beloved possessions?

Your emergency plan will help you safely evacuate your family and make sure you have the absolute essentials. But what about items of sentimental value or things insurance can’t ever replace? What could you safely gather and take with you if you had only minutes to leave?

Never delay a safe departure, but consider these issues now in case you face a situation where you will have little opportunity to safeguard items of sentimental value. (Tips for parents: if your tiny human has a much loved stuffed animal, get a duplicate to keep with the emergency kit.)

Baby & Teddy Bear Image by StockSnap from Pixabay

In an evacuation, you can’t bring all of your family photos and scrapbooks. (But do make sure each of you has one recent photo of every family member in case your family becomes separated.)

Start now by identifying, digitizing, and uploading the photos that you’d miss long after the emergency is over. Seek help from a professional organizer who specializes in organizing photos, either through NAPO or The Photo Managers.

One more excellent resource for helping you develop your emergency kit and all of your plans is my colleague Judith Kolberg’s book Organize for Disaster: Prepare Your Family and Your Home for Any Natural Disaster or Unnatural Disaster.

HAVE THE RIGHT INSURANCE BEFORE YOU NEED IT!

Do you have homeowner’s or renter’s insurance?
Is your insurance policy up-to-date?
Is your coverage equal to your recovery needs? Do you have replacement-value coverage? Do you know that replacement value is not the same as market value? Replacement value means insurance will provide funds equal to the pre-loss value, not the original value, of an item.
Have you included an insurance rider for any recently-acquired big-ticket items (including jewelry, collectibles, and electronics)?
Do you have a sewage backup rider? If your sump pump fails, things can get ugly…quickly!
Do you have flood insurance? This can only be purchased from the National Flood Insurance Program and is not part of homeowner’s or renter’s insurance. See how flood insurance risk is evaluated below, and enter your address in the FEMA Flood Map Service Center to see a flood map for your area.

GET AND STAY INFORMED

Download the FEMA app to your phone; then make sure everyone in your family does, too. (Don’t forget the seniors!) Learn about the kinds of alerts the government may put out, including wireless emergency alerts (WEA) and the Emergency Alert System (EAS).

Next, know what kinds of disasters might happen in your area. It might be obvious for a newcomer to California to read up on earthquakes, but other situations might be a surprise. If your home is far from a river or ocean but experiences surprisingly heavy snowfalls, warm spring rains could bring flooding.

Also, know how your community prepares. As a native of Buffalo, NY, the first “incapacitating” snowfall I experienced in Tennessee ranked up there with a typical Tuesday back home, but I quickly learned that unlike Buffalo, Chattanooga was not prepared to deploy zillions of snow plows and salt trucks. My city is flanked by mountains, and while snow and ice melt by mid-morning at my house, getting up and down the mountains can be treacherous or impossible.

Have that NOAA Weather Radio radio I mentioned above. And while it’s easy to assume that you’ll just know if there’s a potential hazard in your area because “someone” will call you, people will be dealing with their own issues. Make a habit of monitoring the local radio or TV news when inclement weather is approaching.

Be Ready for the Nationwide Emergency Alert Test!

Finally, on Wednesday, October 4, 2023, at 2:20 p.m. Eastern Time, FEMA and the FCC are planning a nationwide Emergency Alert Test of WEA and EAS capabilities. The government wants to ensure that the systems are effective for warning about emergencies, particularly at the national level.

The WEA part of the test will go out over all cell phones.

If your phone is turned on, you’re going to get this alert, and it will probably be loud! If you’ve got baby in your house, be forewarned and maybe put any cell phones in the garage for the hour surrounding the test or otherwise muffle the phone under blankets. (You could turn your phone off, but then you won’t know if it works for you.)

Starting at 2:20 p.m. ET, cell towers will broadcast the test for approximately 30 minutes during which time all WEA-compatible phones within range of an active cell tower should get this test message:

“THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed.”

(If your phone is set to Spanish, it will display: “ESTA ES UNA PRUEBA del Sistema Nacional de Alerta de Emergencia. No se necesita acción.”)

The EAS bit of the test will go out over radio and TV, just like the annoying Emergency Broadcast System tests we all recall. No big whoop.

Ironically, in case there’s widespread severe weather or some other major emergency, the test will be postponed from October 4th to October 11th.

Do you feel organized and prepared for an emergency? What do you wish you knew before you faced a weather emergency or other kind of disaster? Please share in the comments.

Paper Doll Says: Don’t Get Stuck in a Rut — Take Big Leaps

Posted on: September 11th, 2023 by Julie Bestry | 22 Comments

Are you feeling stuck? When you flipped the calendar to the new month and realized how close we are to the end of summer, and even the end of the year, were you struck by a gnawing feeling that you’ve been mired in the same place for too long?

Are your New Year’s resolutions the same every year? Do you make the same wishes, have the same complaints, and feel like you’re Groundhog Day-ing it through life?

At the end of May, in Organize Your Summer So It Doesn’t Disappear So Quickly, we talked about how the lack of structure, novelty, and sensory clues for the passage of time (along with lack of self-care and an excess of technology) can make us sluggish. We may keep doing the same things, over and over. We may not notice that sometimes we are very efficiently doing the wrong things.

Perhaps it’s time to stop doing some things, start doing other things differently, and to take bold strides on other things altogether.

Although most people think of professional organizers in terms of their possessions, I usually talk about how I help people manager their stuff. Stuff is more complex than just possessions. Your stuff may be what’s piled up on your desk or precariously balanced on your kitchen counter or squished into your closet.

Alternatively, the stuff causing you overwhelm may be the excess in your schedule rather than your space. The temporal, rather than the tangible, can also weigh you down.

However, it’s possible to be crowded out of your enjoyment of life by other than too much in your space and schedule. You could have so much going on in your brain that you can’t accomplish what you want.

The stuff in your head could be ADHD. It might be anxiety or clinical depression. And it certainly could be fear. In fact, several years ago, in Paper Doll Talks With Smead About Fear & Disorganization, I shared how fear holds us back.

Too much, or at least too much of what doesn’t serve you, can keep you from moving forward, from taking leaps. Today, we’re going to look at how to get out of a rut and then consider taking bold leaps forward.

HOW TO GET OUT OF A RUT

Investigate Your Life

Pull on your Sherlock Holmes deerstalker hat, twirl your Hercule Poirot mustache, jump in your Nancy Drew blue roadster, and think about what’s feeling stuck in your life. Let’s start by identifying the symptoms of being in a rut.

Have you lost your enthusiasm? If you can’t pinpoint obvious reasons (lack of recuperative sleep, diagnosed depression, a bed that’s just too comfy) for not wanting to get out of bed, you may be in a rut.

When someone asks you what you want — what to do, what (or where) to eat, or where to go, whether for the afternoon or for a holiday — do you mentally check out? Sometimes, when you’re in a rut, you can’t even imagine different ways of doing things.

You’re not broken. You’re probably in a rut.

The next step is to figure out why? Is it you, or is it what’s in your space, your schedule, or your head (that shouldn’t be) or what’s not there that should be? Understanding the root cause is essential.

It is too much of something? Is there clutter that’s keeping you from entertaining in your space or feeling relaxed enough in your home to pursue your activities? It may be obvious, as this is an organizing blog, but check your space for excess. Are you in a rut physically because you always have to move things off the counter to reach the microwave, or pull suitcases out of the closet to get to your clothes?

Do you have too many activities filling up your schedule? I don’t just mean work-related, though too many Zooms or in-person meetings can wear you down. Maybe your kids are signed up for so many after-school activities, which means you’re constantly schlepping them to-and-fro. Maybe you’ve been in the same clubs with the same people for what seems like forever.

Have you outgrown the life you’re leading? I’m not suggesting you need to take the 10:25 to Reno and leave your job and family behind. But there may be aspects of your life that no longer fit, like a too-small pair of jeans that makes you feel like you can’t really breathe.

It’s possible that you’ve grown out of the things you’ve collected. When my sister was in college, she had a few small elephant-themed items, and soon it became habitual for people to give her elephants in the form of earrings and knickknacks and stuffed animals. Somewhere after a few decades, I noticed that she wasn’t displaying the elephants. She was over the elephants.

And again, you may have things in your schedule that don’t serve the person you are, or the person you want to be. You calendar might not be overloaded, but the things in your calendar may no longer be giving you joy. Are you going to that book club because you’ve always gone or because you love the books and the people? (If you’re going just because you love the cheese plate, be assured that you really can buy that yummy cheese and eat it all yourself.)

Cheese board photo by Andra C Taylor Jr on Unsplash

Track the Clues: Routine or Rut?

If, while playing detective, you find it hard to actually detect what’s wrong, you may need to get more granular. Pick a random week (or start with a day if a week seems overwhelming) and take note of what you do and how your week (or day) flows.

Are there things you do the same way, over and over?
Does each day’s schedule blend into the next?
Do you have trouble differentiating between the average Monday and the average Thursday? (Does every day feel “average?”)

You may be thinking, “But Paper Doll, I have a routine! Isn’t the best way to make sure everything gets done to have a routine?”

Yes!

But also no, not always.

Routines and ruts are related concepts, but they have distinct differences:

A routine is a planned and organized set of tasks or activities that you regularly follow. Your laundry routine makes sure that you don’t have to send your tiny humans to school in Wonder Woman bathing suits under their clothes. Your morning routine gives you the centering, mindful energy, nutrition, and caffeine to keep you from smacking your annoying co-workers with a keyboard.

You design your routines to help you manage your time, reduce stress, and increase efficiency.

Conversely, a rut is a stagnant pattern, one that makes you feel unmotivated or unfulfilled. When you’re in a rut, you may find yourself going through the motions without any sense of intentionality. You’re doing what you’ve always done, getting what you always got. (The longer you’re in a rut, perhaps the less you get back?)

A routine is a deliberate; you structure the sequence of actions and schedule them to create a order in your life. A routine empowers you. By contrast, the stagnant nature of a rut — because you are no longer deliberately evaluating the success and productivity of the routine but just mindlessly abiding by it — may leave you feeling unfulfilled at best, and trapped at worst.

Ruts may occur in our diets, our personal activities, our careers, or our relationships. While Woody Allen isn’t exactly a favored source of inspiration these days, the movie Annie Hall has an apt quote.

While routines can be healthy and productive, ruts are usually associated with a lack of progress and satisfaction in life. We often consider “improvement” to be the key sign of progress, but in some cases, breadth, depth, or variety may also be evidence of progress.

Putting it all together, a routine helps you achieve a groove. But sometimes, treading that same ground, over and over, turns a groove into a rut.

The Magic of Intentionality

Once you see where your life is lacking progress, variety, or fulfillment, you can achieve more of what you want by intentionally making changes in various ways:

Subtract — Look at what’s blocking your energy and take those obstacles away. If you’re not doing your workout because there’s junk piled up in your workout room, use all the resources we often talk about to sort, clear the clutter, move things to more logical homes, and/or donate, sell, or discard what no longer fits your life.

If there are activities that no longer float your boat, jump overboard. You might have to relinquish responsibilities and it could momentarily inconvenience others to have to find someone to handle the role you’ve done uncomplainingly for far too long. That’s OK.

Offer to help your replacement with the transition, but stand firm on letting go of tasks that don’t nourish you personally or professionally.

Add — If you’re in a rut, just taking things away probably won’t solve all of your problems.

Having more empty space may mean you don’t have as much housework to do, or it could make you uncomfortable. If you finally eject all of your ex’s stuff from the house, the emptiness may make your space, and even your life, feel cold or lacking. Mindfully consider what you might enjoy having in your space.

Similarly, emptying your schedule of undesirable obligations may not be enough. Having all that extra time may initially make your life feel empty. You needn’t fill every moment all over again with different activities, but do open your mind to exploring what you may have not realized you were missing.

Start by adding self-care activities to slowly fill up a small number of those relinquished schedule slots. Remember to make time for sleep, mindfulness or meditation, exercise, nutrition, and uplifting social relationships. Feed your body and your mind to jump out of that rut.

Daydream and allow for possibilities you never previously considered. Just because you never considered yourself artistic or creative before doesn’t mean you might not explore a painting class or community theater. Maybe you’ll try to acquire new skills or knowledge relevant to your goals, but remember that personal fulfillment or enjoyment is a good enough reason to have new experiences.

Not everything is about productivity. Let joy be enough.

Prioritize — Once you know the negative effects of the rut you were in and have considered how you want to replace (or enjoy the absence of) the tangible, temporal, and cognitive clutter you had before, figure out what’s most important to you.

Do you want to work on your body? Your spiritual well-being? Your professional development? Do you want to taking dance lessons or spend more time reading?

Spend some time writing down everything that was missing from your life when you were in a rut, and what you want to experience instead. Then pick your top two priorities.

Why two? If you are working on just one priority, and achieve it, turning to the next on your list will make you feel like you are starting from scratch, which can be demotivating. Focusing on one priority, but having a backup that gets a little attention, means you always have an proactive alternative to consider when you need a pause.

Why only two? Focusing on changing more than two areas of your life simultaneously usually leads to overwhelm. The goal is to lighten your life, not weigh you down.

Break it down — Once you figure out what you want, figure out what gets you there.

Let’s say your rut was dietary. No matter how much you love tacos, having Taco Tuesday every week, with no change in the ingredients or dining companions or cooking responsibilities can be a bit much. Break your proposed life changes down into small steps and reconsider everything.

Maybe your spouse will cook more often; perhaps your family will experiment with group meal planning and grocery delivery, eliminating Thursday shopping trips (and the need for a babysitter).

Reinvigorate your routines — Remember what we said about the difference between ruts and routines. It’s OK to have routines; just be intentional about them.

Getting out of a rut doesn’t mean abandoning all structure from your life and schedule. It doesn’t mean never cleaning the bathroom; it does mean giving yourself permission to delegate the task your teenager (either as a life lesson or in return for car privileges) or hire a cleaner.

It doesn’t mean never taking your kids to their activities, but it does mean exploring the alternatives — trading off with your co-parent, with other kids’ parents, or (if your kids are old enough) arranging for a car service — so the time you spend going to your children’s activities are more often related to seeing or participating in those activities (as a supportive audience or coach) because you are now more fulfilled.

Use the time management skills you’ve learned from this blog and elsewhere to use the Eisenhower Matrix to put more of your attention on tasks with high importance and/or high urgency and reject or lessen the things with lesser value to your life.

Replace the bad stuff with good stuff — This is a follow-up on the advice to add and subtract. If you were in a nutrition rut, you might eliminate the purchase of empty calorie foods. If your life has been filled with the equivalent of empty calories, eliminate the distractions of app notifications, clutter in your workspace, and interruptions from people and relationships that don’t fit your greater good.

Stay flexible — If you’ve been in a rut for a long time, empty space (in your home, your schedule, or your mind) may feel scary. You could be tempted to create lots of new routines with just as little flexibility as before, and you’ll find yourself worn down again. Leave yourself open to adapt to new possibilities. Nobody gets out of a rut overnight. Have patience with yourself.

Welcome support — Reach out to supportive friends or family for help brainstorming, noticing habits, or seeing new pathways. Professional organizers and productivity coaches can help you find new ways to make changes in your space, schedule, or thoughts. If you’ve been weighed down by more problematic thoughts or feelings, consider how a therapist can provide valuable perspective, guidance, and support. You’re not alone.

For more on excaping a rut:

You 2.0: How to Break Out of a Rut (Hidden Brain podcast)

How to Get Out of a Rut in 8 Steps (Master Class article)

How To Get Out of a Mental Rut, According To Psychologists (Well+Good article)

Getting Off the Treadmill: Six Ways to Break Out of a Rut (Science.com article)

Finally, and especially as we’re approaching the Jewish New Year at the end of this week, I encourage you to revisit Organizing A Fresh Start: Catalysts for Success for motivation and support.

HOW TO TAKE A BIG LEAP

The opposite of a rut can be a leap.

Sunset Leap by Kid Circus on Unsplash

Once we figure out what to stop doing, and start examining what we’re going to do differently, we give ourselves permission to think on a grander scale.

We have lots of reasons why we don’t take leaps, and they are similar to why we stay in ruts. Why make waves? Why risk new problems? We generally step back from taking leaps because of fear, and those fears may or may not be warranted, but they definitely keep us in limbo, wanting but never trying.

I’m a cautious person by nature. I suspect that’s true of many professional organizers. We’d rather prevent problems than have to fix them, even though our arsenal of skills helps us do both.

In college, I never took Italian because I feared doing damage to my GPA, and I was a decade out of graduate school before I realized that never once after I left academia did anyone, ever, ask about my GPA. Studying Italian these five years has brought joy to my life; my only regret is that my introduction came from the cartoon characters in Duolingo and not the the professors and fellow students at Cornell 35 years earlier.

There’s no wrong time to take a leap. There are certainly wrong ways. Selling your wares for magic beans isn’t smart; giving up your well-paying career to become a professional surfer when you’ve lived your entire life in Iowa probably won’t yield a secure life. But I’d like to share the advice on leap-taking I’ve gleaned from a few articles I’ve read lately.

Regrets, I’ve Had a Few

In Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda: The Haunting Regret of Failing Our Ideal Selves, the author looks at the published research of Cornell University professor Tom Gilovich and former grad student Shai Davidai in The Ideal Road Not Taken: The Self-Discrepancies Involved in People’s Most Enduring Regrets.

They identfied three elements of our sense of self, the:

actual self — the attributes a person believes they possess.
ideal self — the attributes people would ideally like to possess (including their “hopes, goals, aspirations or wishes”)
ought self — what a person feels they should have been, based on duties, obligations and responsibilities.

Through six experiments, Gilovich and Davidai looked at two areas of discrepancy — what they call ought-related regrets and ideal-related regrets.

When people look back at their lives, they cope fairly well with any discrepancy between what they thought they ought to have done, in terms of duties and responsibilities, and what they actually did. Basically, we forgive ourselves when we feel like we ought to have dieted and exercised, we ought to have been more attentive to our studies, or we ought to have been better at managing our money.

Conversely, when we fail to take actions that could allow us to become our ideal selves, those regrets remain unresolved; we don’t get over our failure to act to become whomever we might have been.

Most tellingly, Gilovich said, “In the short term, people regret their actions more than inactions, but in the long term, the inaction regrets stick around longer.”

This brings to mind two of my favorite quotes:

“It is never too late to be what you might have been.” ~ George Eliot

It is never too late to be what you might have been. ~ George Eliot Share on X

“The life you have led doesn’t need to be the only life you have.” ~ Anna Quindlen

The life you have led doesn't need to be the only life you have. ~ Anna Quindlen Share on X

Risky Business

Do You Rarely Take Risks? Maybe it’s Time You Do, talks about how mindful risk-taking can be extremely rewarding. As we age, we’re more likely to settle into our comfort zone, and that coziness of comfort zone can easily leave us mired in a rut.

The article shares the advice of clinical psychologist Carla Marie Manly, who warns that as we age, we tend to turn more toward fixed mindsets than growth mindsets, narrowing the new opportunities we give ourselves. Manly advises that we first work to be conscious of the fact that we’re prone to lock down, which enables us to be aware of our fear and then deal with the related discomfort.

Manly argues in favor of acknowledging our discomfort but choosing risks that we find compelling. They don’t have to be big risks; the “riskiness” might be as small as ending up with a meal you don’t love as much what you usually order. But organizing your life to experience things that are new, different, and outside of your comfort zone increases the chance that you will increase the size of your comfort zone!

Respect Yourself. Don’t Reject Yourself.

One of the best things I’ve read lately related to taking leaps came from this article from Ness Labs entitled Turning Fear of Failure Into Increments of Curiosity.

So often, when we fail to take a leap, we do it out of fear of failure, particularly the fear of others judging us, especially if we fail.

The focus of this excellent piece is that we should approach bold strides as if we were scientists. The scientific method says, “Hey, let’s try this and see if it turns out the way we expect.” And if it doesn’t? Science says, “That’s cool, too! Because now we know!”

The article recommends making small moves and iterating again and again, creating bigger growth loops. It’s a short piece, and I recommend reading at least the end, where the author walks through the steps of an intentional life experiment for getting past the fears that keep us all from moving forward.

But my favorite part of the piece was near the beginning. The author, Anne-Laure Le Cunff, recalls being ill at ease about applying to a selective academic program abroad; she feared she would not be accepted. Le Cunff’s mother noted, “It’s not your decision to make.”

This was a “wow” for me. When we hesitate to take action out of fear that we will not win, or be accepted, or hired, or loved, we are taking the opportunity to reject or accept us out of the hands of the panel or the company or the person whose decision it should rightfully be.

The Big Leap — It’s Your Decision

Nobody can make the decision for you as to whether you will make bold strides, or when, or how.

The following short film examines a dilemma at the top of a ten-meter diving tower: to leap or to risk the embarrassment of climbing all the way back down. I think you’ll find it worth the price of admission. (Note: Almost all of the dialogue is in Swedish with English subtitles, but there are a few English profanities. Consider yourself forewarned.)

Fortune favors the bold, or so goes an ancient Latin proverb. Would you leap?

Paper Doll Explores New & Nifty Office and School Supplies

Posted on: September 4th, 2023 by Julie Bestry | 13 Comments

There’s something about the start of September that makes many of us hearken back to our youth and the rich potential of a fistful of new school supplies. Cast your mind back and I bet you can recall your favorite crayon. Mine was periwinkle, more for the funny name than the demure hue. (As you might imagine from my wordy posts, and as Paper Mommy will quickly confirm, I’ve never exactly been demure.)

It doesn’t matter whether you’re in kindergarten or graduate school; it doesn’t matter whether you’re being forced to return to the office after a few years of remote work or ready to embark on setting up your own home-based workspace, there’s something powerfully motivating about new office supplies and decor to help you get and stay organized and enthused.

The point of today’s post is not to encourage you to purchase clutter and pile unnecessary items up around your workspace; nor is it to give you lists of supplies you and/or your tiny humans already have. Rather, it’s an opportunity for you to see the potential of your space in a new way and consider what features or colors might boost your enthusiasm.

STICKY NODES

Post-it® Notes are fun and colorful, but they’re not entirely environmentally friendly, even when recyclable. Dry-erase (and wet-erase) boards are better for the planet, but they’re usually drab white and lacking delight.

Meet Sticky Nodes — the best of both worlds — they’re dry-erase sticky notes!

Sticky Nodes are:

Erasable — Write with dry- or wet-erase markers, then wipe (or spritz and wipe) to start fresh.
Restickable — Affix Sticky Nodes to any smooth surface, reposition at will, and they won’t leave a mark. Sticky Nodes use a unique “smooth-stick,” adhesive-ree technology, so you don’t have to worry about damaging your paint job.
Reusable — Re-use face of the Sticky Node by erasing with a dry-erase marker or a damp cloth; re-use the whole Node by moving it to where it’s needed, over and over again.

Around the office, at school, or in your home, put them on file cabinets or walls, whiteboards or chalkboards, mirrors or windows.

Capture and organize your genius thoughts, scribble notes, brainstorm on your own or with your need, or mix-and-match to help you study or tech. At home, post the WiFi password of the day draw a comic to greet your tiny human at the end of the school day. Your kids can keep track of weekly schedule items in their lockers, and at the office, you can make clear when you’re available to be bothered or to be left alone. Stick Nodes have all the same uses as sticky notes, but you don’t have to fill your trash can.

Sticky Nodes come in three colors: blue, yellow, or green, and in three (unicolor) package options: 5 Sticky Nodes for $28, 10 for $49, or 20 for $84, and include a two-year limited warranty. Orders over $75 ship for free in the US. (Note: Sticky Nodes doesn’t accept returns, except when covered under the warranty.)

Personally, I’d like to see them add more colors to the line-up. (Periwinkle, anyone?) Additionally, it would be nice if they had mix-and-match packs; for example, if you got the ten-pack, you might prefer 5 blue, three green, and two yellow rather than an entire batch of blue.

If you’d like to try Sticky Nodes, they offer a sample kit, which includes one yellow node and one black fine-tip marker for $12, shipped for free in the US! (At that price, it might be more affordable just to get a 5-pack!)

No offense to Sticky Node, but Paper Mommy‘s drawings are better!

Sticky Nodes also recommends and sells fine-point Expo-branded dry- and wet-erase markers (scroll down at that link) but you can also easily find these at any big-box store or Amazon. Pick a wide-enough array of colored markers so that you can color-code your Sticky Nodes for your own purposes. Assign a color to each kid in your family, or give a color to each daily task or task-group (to do, to eat, to wear, to read, etc.).

POPPIN’ FRESH!

Some products are just motivationally magical, and Poppin’s line of office furniture and supplies accomplishes this through color (and high-quality).

Poppin’s desk collection includes monitor risers, stackers, letter trays, organizer caddies, desk-drawer organizers, mixed-use organizers, accessory trays, file sorters, and two of my favorites for stand-up organizing style, 9.75″L x 12.25″H x 3.75″D magazine file boxes ($21):

and 12.25″L x 9.75″H x 3.75″D lacquer-like file boxes ($26):

I’m also always amused by the 6.25″L x 2.8″W x 1.25″H Softie Grip Grass doohickey ($16.50), designed to hold pens, cards, and the random fiddly things on your desk.

The desk organizing color scheme includes white, blush, dark gray, aqua, slate blue, sage, and sky, with some products available in fewer colors.

But as cool as their desktop products are, I always seem to covet Poppin’s wall organizing products. Here’s a little video to introduce you to the variety of options in their Small Space Organization Collection, designed to make use of vertical space.

As noted in the video, products in the line can be affixed to the walls with adhesive or mounted (using screws), and some of the products are magnetic and can be used to attach the to metal items (like filing cabinets) or to other products in the line. Poppin has:

wall shelves ($25), measuring 3.25″W x 4″H x 12.5″D, in blush, dark grey, slate blue, and white

wall pockets ($25), measuring 12.5″W x 7″H x 2.5″D, in blush, dark grey, slate blue, and white

wall cups ($14.50), measuring 4.5″W x 4.5″H x 2″D, in white, blush, dark grey, and slate blue

Each of the above products in the line are made of sturdy plastic polystyrene with a matte finish and come with removable adhesive strips, magnets, and screws for mounting. The removable adhesive strips hold up to 2 pounds; the magnets hold up to 1 pounds, and screws hold up to 15 pounds.

Poppin also makes dark grey fabric pinboards in two sizes, a 12.5″L x 12.5″W x 0.5″D square ($29) and a 25″W x 12″H jumbo version ($55).

And, of course, they have a variety of pretty pushpins in assorted colors. But what I like best about Poppin’s “small space” line for making good use of vertical space is a product (actually three) they barely promote. There’s the white magnetic dry erase board ($26), measuring 12.5″W x 12.5″H x 0.5″D. But let’s face it, a plain white dry-erase board, even a magnetic one, isn’t that much to write home about.

But two other versions, with the same measurements and at the same price, up the ante. There’s the lined White Magnetic To-Do Dry-Erase Board:

and the lined White Magnetic Weekly Dry Erase Board, pre-printed with the days of the week.

Of course, Poppin has pretty magnetic holders for the dry-erase pens and matching-color magnets.

Can’t you see these doing triple-duty at home, work, or in a dorm room?

TIKTOK MADE ME BUY IT

OK, TikTok didn’t actually make buy anything, but that’s what the voiceovers on so many of the little “advertainment” videos say. But TikTok did help me find two intriguing products.

PrintRGo

The first nifty office/school supply I saw recently kept appearing in my TikTok feed. It’s a tiny printer, and while I’m not the kind to push gadgets, I immediately saw the appeal of the PrintRGo thermal pocket printer. (Make sure you use the menu in the top right corner to switch from UK to US pricing.)

The use case may seem narrow, but if you’ve ever taken a biology course and had to label parts of a cell — and remember that the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell — or an studied for anatomy class where you had to learn a complex series of muscles, you know that you learn by spaced repetition and visual support.

Free-hand drawing and labeling is a pain, as is making copies. This little 3.4″ × 3.5″ × 1.6″ printer uses no ink, so you never have to wait for the ink to dry; instead, it uses adhesive-backed thermal paper to print at a maximum resolution of 203 DPI. (It does double-duty, so it also works some fun magic as a low-resolution photo printer and a label printer.)

Unfortunately, TikTok videos don’t embed particularly well, but this link will give you an idea of how the PrintRGo works.

In each box, you get a PrintRGo printer, charging cable, one roll of thermal paper, and a user’s manual. PrintRGo works via Bluetooth using the Phomemo app, and functions Android and IOS devices. It’s wireless, so you just pair it with your phone (just as with other Bluetooth devices like a Fitbit or keyboard) and you’re ready to print!

Take a photo with your phone, use the app to print it from your PrintRGo, and it thermal prints to sticker paper (at a speed of 10mm per second), and once you have your little masterpiece, printouts can adhere to your notebook or study cards.

Full-price for the PrintRGo is $78, but it’s currently selling at the official website for $48.

If you’re not comfortable purchasing from a TikTok advertiser, Amazon has a number of similarly adorable options that seem to work on the same principle, using the same Phomemo app. One version is the Phomemo M02 Pocket Printer ($49.99).

Bookmate

The other TikTok school/office supply that caught my attention disappeared from my feed (as often happens) when I fat-fingered (fat-thumbed?) the corner of my phone. No matter, because my fabulous friend and colleague Hazel Thornton independently sent it to me in a private TikTok message with a note, “New product for a blog post?” Indeed, it is!

Bookmate from AchieversMust appears to be designed primarily for teachers and students, but really anyone who reads and tends to annotate, take notes, or mark pages for followup will find it useful for reducing clutter. Bookmate combines one magnetic case (which holds sticky tape flags for marking pages and pen loops so you always have a writing tool or highlighter handy) and a magnetic base.

The case allows for you to refill the sticky flags, and you can use any standard tape flags to refill the Max or Pro cases, or purchase the same specific colors from AchieversMust. (You can only refill the Lite version with their tape flags. FYI.)

You put the magnetic base inside the front of your book or notebook and the magnetic case (with your tape flags and pens) sticks to the front. (The company claims the magnet is strong enough to adhere through a hardcover book, but I’m a twinge dubious.)

Some photos show users hanging glasses or sunglasses from an outer loop. Again, TikTok videos are wackadoodle when it comes to embedding, but you can see Bookmate in action on the Instagram page.There are three versions of the Bookmate:

Max — has four pen loops (two on each side) and a 200-count of flags in ten different colors, for $39.95
Pro — has four pen loops (two on the left, two on the right) (two on each side) and a 100-count of flags in six different colors, for $33.95
Lite — has two pen loops (one on each side) and an 80-count of 2 different tape flags, for $19.95

They offer free shipping on all orders above $60. Also, from now through September 10, 2023, you can buy two at 10% off each or buy 3 at 25% off each. (There’s also a 30-day money-back guarantee.)

EVERYTHING OLD IS NEW AGAIN

I remember visiting my father’s law office when I was a child, and I noticed that every attorney’s desk had a serious-looking leather desk pad. As a student in the 80s, my real work desk was wherever I found myself — a library study carrel, my bed, a random table in an empty classroom. By the time I started working in television, the closest anyone seemed to get to a desk pad was a giant desk calendar.

Nowadays, nobody is using a desk pad for blotting a fountain pen, but desk protectors are back in style. I was roaming through a big box store this weekend, looking for a lightning cable to use in my rental car (as mine is still in my stolen, damaged, recovered, and still-not-repaired Kia), when I noticed a stack of what looked like miniature yoga mats.

It turns out they were oversized desktop mouse pads. The one that caught my eye was a 35″ x 16″ pink, flowered, onn.-brand (yes, it’s “onn.”) XL Desktop Mouse Mat with an anti-slip base. The style is called Surf. (It also comes in grey and rainbow-stripes.)

And it was only $9.88!

It’s been a long time since I looked for a mouse pad or a desk mat, so I was surprised and delighted by how many products, marketed as either oversized mouse pads or desk pads, were available to brighten up the work space.

Yes, the real purpose is to give you a larger space to roll your mouse while keeping your glass or wooden desktop free of scratches, spills, dust, stains, and all matter of the detritus that ends up crumbly and sticky and yuckified on your desk. But why not feel like you’re basking luxury while doing homework or eking out a living?

First, I found this Bubm Desk Pad Protector Office Desk Mat made of faux leather. It comes in three sizes: 23.6″ x 13.8″, 31.5″ x15.7″, or 35.4″ x 17″. The description stated that it was “waterproof and easy to clean, made of heavy-duty, durable PU leather,” and cleaning it is allegedly as easy as wiping with a damp cloth. Particularly nifty is that it’s reversible, so the version I picked, below, labeled “purple”

is actually light pink on one side and a mauve-y purple on the other. It comes in ten other versions with both soothing and oh-so-bright color combinations.

The price of the one above is $13.99, though other color combinations are about a dollar less.

Even if you only peruse Amazon, you’ll find a wide of color schemes to fit your workspace mood and decor, from the perky (one has a neon-themed scribble of “Good vibes only”) to more muted options like the one above. To close out, let’s look at French Koko’s 36″ x 16.5″ Floral Dream desk mat.

Isn’t that more inspiring than office grey, army green, or whatever your arms are resting on at your desk right now?

Do you find yourself looking for a refresh this time of year? Do you wish you were starting the year with a bouquet of freshly sharpened crayons? Are any of the above options appealing for you, or have you found a new favorite while you’ve shopped for school or office supplies lately? Please share your thoughts below.

Happy September!

How to Create Your Apple & Google Legacy Contacts

Posted on: August 14th, 2023 by Julie Bestry | 15 Comments

RECAPPING DIGITAL SOCIAL LEGACY ACTIVITY

Last week, in Paper Doll Explains Digital Social Legacy Account Management, we talked about the importance of your digital social legacy, and all the social, emotional, financial, and other reasons why you might want to set an official legacy contact or make sure your digital executor (or digital heir, representative, or designee) can access your digital content and preserve your legacy.

We also saw that most social media platforms have disappointing digital social legacy management tools. Facebook has an official legacy contact, but the instructions are out of date and wonky. Facebook owns Instagram, but there’s no Instagram legacy contact option.

Further, even though Facebook and Instagram, as well as LinkedIn (which also has no legacy contact) will allow you to memorialize your account, only Facebook allows you to name someone to access your data, share it with your family, or preserve your content anywhere other than on the social media platform. And Twitter (X) and TikTok don’t have any policies for memorialization.

Basically, with the exception of Facebook, unless you provide your login credentials to a loved one (which may be considered a violation of terms of service on some platforms, like LinkedIn), there’s no completely kosher way to ensure that your digital social legacy is preserved.

Luckily, Apple and Google are far more prepared to help you and your loved ones secure your digital legacy. Today’s post provides the lowdown on what you need to do to lock everything down now so that your preferred designee can access and distribute your digital assets the way you want.

Designating Your Digital Legacy Contact

Last week, we looked at your best bets for putting your digital legacy in the good hands of your digital executor (or digital heir, representative, or designee). I wrote:

- Whom do you trust to carry out your wishes, or anticipate your preferences if you leave no instructions?
- With whom will you still be in close contact by the time a digital social legacy has to be managed?
- To whom are you comfortable giving access to private conversations?
- Which of your friends is likely to stay current enough with technology to be able to handle your digital legacy?

So, yes, you have to trust that the person you pick will follow your wishes, just as a traditional executor of a will. By the time of your demise, you’ll still want them to be close to you.

Whereas social media content is already pretty public to begin with, your digital executor must be someone in whom you’re secure granting access to your whole portfolio of digital assets. Things get much more complicated when we’re also considering your photos, emails, text messages, documents, apps and pretty much anything you access by using your Apple ID or Google credentials (including any small business venture you run)

Finally, with regard to last week’s criteria, your pick has to have more specific technological savvy. If your digital executor has lived in a 100% Android world, will they find it frustrating to amble through your all-Apple neighborhood? On the other side, while most people have some experience with Google products, Apple folks may get stuck on Android mobile quirks.

Technology Confusion via GIPHY

CREATE AN APPLE LEGACY CONTACT

Simply put, an Apple Legacy Contact is the person you designate to have official access to your Apple ID/account after your death. This is not merely someone having your login credentials. Rather, it’s a secure method for giving your trusted contact access to the data stored in your Apple account once you’ve passed away.

Remember, your data covers more than pictures and notes; it’s literally everything associated with your Apple ID, from the content of your cloud accounts to backups and current materials on your Apple devices, whether via iOS, MacOS, or iPadOS.

Prepare to Add Your Apple Legacy Contact

My foregoing suggestions notwithstanding, your Apple Legacy Contact can be (almost) anyone you want. They don’t have to own an Apple device! They don’t even have to have their own Apple ID. (Though they will be assigned a special one later, but not until you make your untimely departure.)

However, your Legacy Contact does have to be at least 13 years old in North America. (Other nations have different age requirements, the same as those for being able to create an Apple account, ranging from 14-16).

In addition to picking your Legacy Contact, you’ll need to make sure that you:

Are signed into an Apple device (running at least either iOS 15.2, iPadOS 15.2, or macOS Monterey 12.1) with your Apple ID.
Have enabled and turned on two-factor authentication for your Apple ID.

How to Add Your Apple Legacy Contact

Now that you’re properly logged in, set up your Apple Legacy Contact using the following methods, depending on what kind of device you’re using.

On a Mac:

Click on the Apple  menu in the upper left corner of your screen and select System Preferences. Click on your Apple ID.
Click on Password & Security and select Legacy Contact.
Click Add Legacy Contact and follow the prompts.

Be ready to authenticate your access with Touch ID (finger on your keyboard) or by entering your Mac login password.

On iPhones and iPads:

Go to the Settings app and tap on your name. (You’ll likely see your face to the left of your name, “Apple ID, iCloud+, Media & Purchases” just below your name, and “>” to the right of your name.)
Tap Password & Security. On the resulting screen, scroll down almost to the end and tap Legacy Contact.
Tap Add Legacy Contact. After a resulting info page, you’ll be taken to your mobile device’s contact page. Just tap the preferred contact’s name.

Be prepared to authenticate with Face ID, Touch ID, or passcode for your device.

If you’ve ever used this process before to set up a Legacy Contact, once you get to step 2 (on any device), you’ll see the name/face for the person you’ve already selected. At that point, in step 3, you can add an additional Legacy Contact (you can have two or more) or tap on the name/face of your current Legacy Contact to see more info.

If you’ve just set up Taylor Swift as your Legacy Contact for the first time, or even if she was already there, the resulting page will say:

Legacy Contact:

Taylor Swift can inherit your data and use your Apple devices after you have passed away. To request access to your account, Taylor will need to provide the access key shared by you and a copy of your death certificate.

Then you’ll see two options:

View Access Key — This will give you a screen entitled “Legacy Contact Access Key” with a QR code and a multi-line series of letters and numbers. The screen has an option to print a copy for your records or your contact. (See below for informating your Legacy Contact.)
Remove Contact — If you click this, the contact will be removed.

If you want to remove a contact (for example, if you get a divorce from your former contact, or you have a “bad bestie breakup” with Taylor), be sure to assign a new Legacy Contact.

No matter which device you use, Apple will send you an email confirmation when a Legacy Contact is added or removed.

Inform Your Legacy Contact

The next step is to let your Legacy Contact know what’s up. (Most people would not consider this assignment a fun surprise after they’ve lost someone as dear as you!)

Print a paper copy to keep with your estate papers and/or will (perhaps in your safe deposit box) if the executor of your will and your Legacy Contact are the same person.

Alternatively, consider creating a PDF to keep on a secure flash drive with other instructions for your Legacy Contact. I gave a digital copy to my Appple Legacy Contact, but you might want to arrange for delivery only after your demise.

Upon creating your Legacy Contact, Apple gives you the option to print the access key or send a message. However, to send the access key via Apple Messages, your contact has to be using at least iOS 15.2, iPadOS 15.2, or macOS Monterey 12.1 or later. If they accept responsibility, their device will automatically store a copy of the access key in their Apple ID settings. Conversely, if they decline your Legacy Contact request, you’ll be notified that they noped out and you’ll be able to choose someone else.

If your Legacy Contact is using older versions of the Apple software, they’ll be prompted to update and then you can use the send a message option.

If they don’t use Apple devices at all, your only option is to give them the printed version or PDF of the access key.

What Your Apple Legacy Contact Needs to Do

Sometime, long (long, long) in the future, you will eventually pass away peacefully in your sleep. At a respectful point after that, your Apple Legacy contact will need to file an access request. They’ll need:

A copy of your death certificate. Because of this, you’ll want to make sure your Apple Legacy Contact is, if not also the executor of your will, then someone who has at least an amicable relationship with them. (In other words, if your bestie is otherwise ideal as your Apple Legacy Contact but can’t be in the same room as your spouse or executor without everyone resorting to fisticuffs, it will likely be hard for them to access a copy of your death certificate and set things in motion.
The Apple access key (paper or digital) you generated when you chose them as your official Apple Legacy Contact.

If they accepted the role as Legacy Contact when you shared it digitally, it’s listed under their own Apple ID. They’ll follow the same prompts as above for creating a Legacy Contact, but once they get to the Legacy Contact screen, they’ll see your name/face and will be able to tap to get further details, view the access key, and start an access request.

Your Apple Legacy Contact will use the access key to request access. Apple will review the request, verify all of the information, and (assuming everything is A-OK) give them access to your Apple account data.

“How?” you wonder?

Your Legacy Contact will be granted a special Apple ID (separate from your own Apple ID and theirs) that they must set up to access your account. Note: your own Apple ID and password combination won’t work anymore.

Your Apple Legacy Contact will only have access to your data for three years from when the legacy account request is approved. Whether they start accessing the account right away or not until months or years later, the approval date starts the three-year clock! After three years, your Apple account will be permanently deleted.

What Can Your Apple Legacy Contact Access?

First, be aware that if you have have more than one Legacy Contact, any one of them can independently access your account, make decisions about your data, and even permanently delete data (before the three-year mark when Apple will do it). So think critically before assigning two or more Legacy Contacts.

What what can your Apple Legacy Contact access? Just about anything stored in iCloud or a device’s iCloud backup. You can’t pick and choose and say your Legacy Contact can see your documents but not your photos, or can see your emails but not your text messages. Accessible data may include iCloud Photos, Apple Mail (but not non-Apple Mail platforms stored only in third-party sites, like Microsoft 365), and notes, contacts, calendars, and reminders.

They may also be able to access any iMessages backed up to iCloud, iPhone call history, files in iCloud Drive, Health Data app data, Voice Memos recordings, and your Safari bookmarks and reading list — not that you have anything embarrassing in there — as well as anything on your devices that you’ve secured in iCloud Backup, like App Store apps and all the content (photos, videos, documents, etc.) stored on your device.

However, your Legacy Contact can’t access any of your payment info on purchases made through Apple Pay or cards saved under your Apple ID, nor any of your in-app purchases. They also can’t get into Keychain to access Safari-based or Wi-Fi user names and passwords, internet accounts, or credit card numbers and expiration dates. If you want them to be able to see that information, provide it separately, outside of Apple channels.

For more, visit Apple’s Data That a Legacy Contact Can Access page.

CREATE A GOOGLE INACTIVE ACCOUNT MANAGER

While Google does not have a legacy contact, per se, it does allow you to designate an Inactive Account Manager. This lets you to grant your loved ones access your accounts and data once the accounts (and presumably, you) become “inactive.”

The Inactive Account Manager ensures that if you cease using your accounts for an extended period of time, there is a way for your digital heirs or others to prompt you to be active (if that’s physically, or metaphysically, possible) or to enable them to access accounts and data on your behalf.

(Somehow, Sleeping Beauty‘s inactivity seems more palatable than thing about a more permanent version.)

What Does Inactive Really Mean (to Google)?

You may have received an email from the Google Accounts Team this weekend. It said that as part of their efforts to protect data:

…We are updating the inactivity period for a Google Account to two years across all our products and services. This change starts rolling out today and will apply to any Google Account that’s been inactive, meaning it has not been signed into or used within a two-year period. An inactive account and any content in it will be eligible for deletion from December 1, 2023.

(…)

If your account is considered inactive, we will send several reminder emails to both you and your recovery emails (if any have been provided) before we take any action or delete any account content. These reminder emails will go out at least 8 months before any action is taken on your account.

After a Google Account is deleted, the Gmail address for the deleted account cannot be used again when creating a new Google Account.

To keep your Google accounts active, the letter pointed out that you can do anything from reading and sending an email (in Gmail), using Google Drive, watching YouTube videos while logged in, “checking in” on Android, downloading an app to an Android device, and more, as specified in their Inactive Google Account Policy.

The letter points out that you can download your data using Google Takeout, and plan for your inactivity (including any Divine Google Inactivity in the Great Beyond) by setting up the Inactive Account Manager.

Obviously, if you’re alive and kicking, you want to check into your Google accounts often enough in a two-year period that all of your account roots and tendrils won’t be pruned away. Google says it will send periodic emails to your account and any recovery email you have set up.

However, we have no way of knowing how good the Wi-Fi is in the Great Beyond, so if you want your loved ones to have access to the data in your accounts before Google deletes it, setting up your Inactive Account Manager is a wise next step.

Set Up Your Google Inactive Account Manager

Google’s going to consider you inactive after two years of inactivity, but you won’t want to cut it that closely. Choose a deadline for when the company should consider your account inactive enough — for example, after three months or 12 months of inactivity — to give your Inactive Account Manager a yoohoo. If you pass away and no longer use the account, that timeline will be triggered.

When you set up the Inactive Account Manager, you can choose to either share your data with someone or delete your account once the deadline has passed. You can also choose to share different data with different people. (So, Taylor Swift can access all YourTube videos for your family and write tribute songs based on them; meanwhile, you can designate America’s Dad, Tom Hanks, to safely review your Gmail and Google Drive.)

Log into your Google account.
Go to your Inactive Account Manager page. It’s initially very sparse, with some boilerplate language.
Click Start.

Google will walk you through a series of prompts:

State how long Google should wait (3, 6, 12, or 18 months) before considering your account as inactive and notifying your Inactive Account Manager. (Tom Hanks loves you, but he’s a busy guy, so let’s not bother him with false starts.)
Provide and confirm your own contact information: phone number, Google email address, and a recovery email address.
Identify whom should be notified and which of your content can be shared with them if you do not respond to attempts to contact you. You can select up to 10 people! For each, you provide an email address and select from a long list of sharable Google-related data (calendars, contacts, Google Drive, Gmail, YouTube, etc.). You can click “Select all,” “Select None,” or specific items.
Confirm the person(s) to be notified, and (if you wish) add a personal message that will be sent to them only after your account has been inactive for the period of time you’ve designated.
Create an optional autoreply message to go to anyone who sends you an email at your Gmail account after you’ve been “inactive.” (Be kind. Don’t freak people out after you’re gone.)

Revise or turn off your inactivity plan at any time.

Your Inactive Account Manager will have 3 months from the time you “go inactive” to download a copy of any data that you selected from your Google account. After three months, Google will delete your account and its activity and data.

Note: if you never set up the inactive Account Manager, your digital heirs will still be able to submit a request to access or close the account. However, they’d have to go through the same onerous (and unofficial) process we discussed last week when talking about closing social media accounts: providing photo ID, sharing a death certificate, and otherwise proving authorization.

RESOURCES FOR MANAGING YOUR DIGITAL ACCOUNT LEGACIES

There are only so many issues that can be covered across two posts regarding how to handle digital legacies. You may want to review the following resources to help you develop your digital estate plan, whether involving major operating system platforms or social media accounts.

Creating Your Digital Estate Plan (Kindle) by my esteemed veteran professional organizing colleague Judith Kolberg — Judith’s books are chock-full of wise advice and clarifying narratives. This book will guide you through the essentials of setting up a plan to make sure your digital estate and legacy is handled as you want.

How To Safeguard Your Digital Privacy (DeathWithDignity.org)

How to Prepare Your Digital Life for Your Death (PCMag.com)

Ask Help Desk: How to Set Up Legacy Contacts for Your Online Accounts (Washington Post)

How to Add Legacy Contacts to Your Accounts (NOLO)

What To Do With Someone’s Social Media Accounts After Someone Dies (MyFarewelling.com)

Digital Legacy Tutorials for the Public (Digital Legacy Association)

Social Media Will Template (Digital Legacy Association)

As social media continues to grow and software-as-a-service becomes a mainstay of 21st-century life, our needs for social legacy memorials, legacy contacts, and individuals to handle our digital estates will continue to grow.

Are there issues related to this topic you’d like to see me cover? And how are you coming along with setting up these kinds of contacts?

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Archive for ‘Paper Organizing’ Category

Paper Doll Explains Your Health Insurance Explanation of Benefits

EXPLAINING THE EXPLANATION OF BENEFITS

What does an EOB show?

But how does it all work?

“Why am I still getting billed if I’ve already hit my deductible?”

But why don’t the numbers add up?

WHY DO YOU NEED AN EOB?

HOW LONG SHOULD YOU KEEP YOUR EOBs?

For Typical Individuals and Families

For Complex or Special Situations

When An EOB Is Not Really What You Need

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CREATE AN EMERGENCY KIT

Start with the essentials

Remember items specific to you or your family members

Don’t forget about papers, money, and things that work like money

DEVELOP AN EMERGENCY PLAN FOR GETTING OUT OR STAYING PUT

Create a Written Plan

Practice Makes Perfect

Talk About Talking (During an Emergency)

Five Minute Warning

HAVE THE RIGHT INSURANCE BEFORE YOU NEED IT!

GET AND STAY INFORMED

Be Ready for the Nationwide Emergency Alert Test!

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Paper Doll Says: Don’t Get Stuck in a Rut — Take Big Leaps

HOW TO GET OUT OF A RUT

Investigate Your Life

Track the Clues: Routine or Rut?

The Magic of Intentionality

HOW TO TAKE A BIG LEAP

Regrets, I’ve Had a Few

Risky Business

Respect Yourself. Don’t Reject Yourself.

The Big Leap — It’s Your Decision

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Paper Doll Explores New & Nifty Office and School Supplies

STICKY NODES

POPPIN’ FRESH!

TIKTOK MADE ME BUY IT

PrintRGo

Bookmate

EVERYTHING OLD IS NEW AGAIN

Paper Doll Post:

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How to Create Your Apple & Google Legacy Contacts

RECAPPING DIGITAL SOCIAL LEGACY ACTIVITY

Designating Your Digital Legacy Contact

CREATE AN APPLE LEGACY CONTACT

Prepare to Add Your Apple Legacy Contact

How to Add Your Apple Legacy Contact

On a Mac:

On iPhones and iPads:

Inform Your Legacy Contact

What Your Apple Legacy Contact Needs to Do

What Can Your Apple Legacy Contact Access?

CREATE A GOOGLE INACTIVE ACCOUNT MANAGER

What Does Inactive Really Mean (to Google)?

Set Up Your Google Inactive Account Manager

RESOURCES FOR MANAGING YOUR DIGITAL ACCOUNT LEGACIES

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