Is the idea of filing your 2014 taxes filling you with dread? If so, and even though it’s still January, you may want to start the process. As with de-cluttering, there’s a lot to be said for starting. It’s all about forward “mo” (momentum).

If you have all needed documents gathered together in one spot, all to the good. Congratulations! It will make the task much easier. If not, here are some tips. Suggested previously on this website, they may make your life easier. They’ve worked for me, as I near finishing mine.

It’s easy. Store receipts, etc., in a tax file. I keep one going all year long. It includes letters about charitable contributions and medical receipts. There’s a list about online purchases, so I can pay state sales tax. (Yup, I’m one of the honest ones!) Elsewhere, in the old-fashioned calendar I carry around and in a small notebook kept in the car, I log miles driven for all volunteer activities, including choral rehearsals and performances. I typically drive ~2,000 miles a year. At 14 cents a mile, it’s well worth it.

Admittedly, these suggestions are so low-tech as to be no-tech. They work, though. You might try them. When tax time comes around again, as it surely will, you may be grateful for your tax file!

Tax Time Again!