Saving You Time - Organizing with Address Labels

I look forward to November for the craziest reasons. Not for the turkey, cooler weather or the long weekend, but for the onslaught of charity address labels in the mail. What can I say? I am a sucker for new holiday address labels with my name on it. However, putting them on my Christmas cards and supporting a good cause, aren't the only reasons why I love them. Do you know how much time it saves me at the trade shows? Insurmountable time!
Instead of filling out all of the contact cards, sign up sheets, and "win a free cruise" slips I pull out my handy dandy address labels and put them on the card and off I go! Not only does it save me from filling out the card, but it also ensures I am not getting spam in my inbox over the next week. I may get junk mail in my snail-mail box, but at least it's keeping the store ads company.
Are trade shows the only place you can use these little wonders? Heck no! My family and I trade off books a lot. I buy a great book for my dad at Christmas and he lets Grandma borrow it, then Granny hands it off to Uncle Dirk, Uncle Dirk reads it and gives it to me and then I have to figure out who I need to give it back to. By using the address labels on the inside cover, I know that it belongs to my dad and I can give it back next time I head over to dinner. We could always write our name inside the book, but sometimes my Aunt Net in Washington ends up with them and this way she knows the address to send it to when I am whining about not having read the latest Clive Cussler book. (By the way, whoever has it, I haven't had a chance to read it yet!)
Movies are the same way, for a couple of years I had a wonderful roommate and we were both movie buffs. He would buy movies and I would buy movies. Some of them were self-explanatory, I had all the chick flicks and Disney movies, but we both bought copies of Lord of the Rings. When it came time for us to go on our separate ways the "movie" puzzle cropped up. Little did he know that on the inside of the DVD cover, I had placed my address label on the movies that were mine. A happy dance was definitely in order when we didn't have to wonder about movies!
We have even made special "address" labels for the kids. Their movies primarily consist of their name and email address, since they put them on their CD cases. This way if they lend it out to their friends, they know where they got it from. The same thing works when they borrow each others music. Many a fight has been diverted thanks to those little labels!
Bottomline, don't take it at face value next time you get some address labels in the mail. You don't always need to use them for your bills. You can use them for a whole hand full of other things as well.
Happy Organizing!

Suzanne McLoone
http://www.OrganizationalEmpowerment.com
"Leisure is a privilege enjoyed by the organized!"
For over 20 years, Suzanne has been helping corporations and small businesses organize their time so they can spend more time and energy doing the things that are most important to them. With a philosophy of "life is too short", she thrives on making the most of her time and trying to encourage those around her to do the same.
As an organizational consultant, public speaker, and former radio talk show host; Suzanne has been training administrative assistants and their executives on how to become a more efficient and effective team. You can find more tips and helpful suggestions on her blog at http://letstalkorganizing.blogspot.com
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