We all do the best we can at any given time. This planning is different from what you may think. We look at your life from the lens of practicality, from protection and from a layperson perspective so you understand the administrative components of life and ways for you to “button-up”.
This real life perspective is proactive, empowering and turns off the noise. There are five topics we face throughout our lives, no matter our age! This week we’ll begin with People and Property. Have some fun and look for the “suggested action items” at the end 🙂
People and Property
You know what you have, what you own and who you know. Let’s frame this from “a day in the life of you” perspective asking you to think specifically about property and people from the standpoint of thinking if “someone needed to step in for you”, could they?
We live so much of our lives in “auto pilot”. Think about it, the things we just do without thinking. These are the things that others have no idea about! Often, we appreciate this. Actions with little thought propel us through the day. Yet, if for any reason we find ourselves in need of assistance, could those around us actually “step in” and help us out?
Ponder your life and ask yourself, could someone step into my shoes and act as me/for me if needed? It is from this place to begin considering the components of your daily life.
We’ll begin with contacts and schedules from a personal and professional perspective. Thank heavens for smartphones! They contain calendars which contains all appointments (personal and professional) along with thousands of contacts (names, phone numbers, email addresses and physical addresses). Yet, phones are typically safeguarded with a PIN. IF you need someone to contact people in your day-to-day life (family / pets) or associated with professional responsibilities, how might you consider contact access to others?
Options include designating “favorites” on your smartphone; sharing your schedule with designated people at home/work; creating a “call out” list for home and business life; counting on a personal assistant, family member or professional or doing nothing. It’s up to you. How you elect to store and pass this information is up to you and to those you designate.
Reminder: consider adding service providers to your personal list. Accountants, Attorneys, Financial Planners, Insurance Agents, Home Service Providers, et al are all people you know about. Others may need to know about them too!
Next is to consider your personal property. This is useful to have at any time. Insurance companies love people with this information in case of fire, tornado, hurricane, earthquakes (natural disasters) should we ever need to process a claim. This task can seem bigger than big when looking around your residence alone! Where do I begin is a question asked often. It’s helpful to break down the task into small enough “bites” to help your psyche! Consider one room a day, a closet a day, storage areas a day, your office one day and drawers one day – you get the picture (oh and remember the walls/pictures)! Some people prefer to have a home inventory – for me it is easier to video the “one area a day” and document what is completed on a private YouTube channel! How you do it and with whom it is shared, is up to you.
As you consider ways to document and share either your contacts and/or personal property, it is important to protect your information from “undesired eyes”, while allowing it to be accessed by those you designate. Some people prefer paper, others a USB flash drive, the cloud, private channel or stored in a vault. No matter what you choose, the key is to communicate with those you designate what you have recorded and where it is stored!
Take a deep breath – it’s time for Action!
I recommend the following follow-up action items:
- Create a list of personal contacts for you, your family and pets
- Create a list of business/professional contacts
- As a business owner or an employee create a list of frequently contacted people
- Create a home inventory of all tangible and personal property (written/video) ** ideally, inclusive of original cost and replacement cost/value for insurance companies
- Create a list of special personal items (heirlooms, legacy items)
- Create a list of fine art/antiques and/or all items that have been appraised
Next week we’ll continue personal life plans to get you started in 2019! Let’s discuss ways you can prepare for the upcoming year with your team or family about professional and personal readiness for anything life hands you.
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