I’m excited to announce–Organized Artistry has a YouTube channel!

It’s something I’ve been considering adding to my business model for a while. YouTube is a great vehicle for reaching those in need of organizing assistance outside of my Northern New Jersey area. I thought it would be a creative marketing tool for my residential and virtual organizing services as well as for my book and any books I write in the future.

Slowly in 2018, I created the channel, added a banner, uploaded a few FaceTime videos but I wasn’t putting a ton of time and effort into it. Why? What held me back? A few things…

Time

As a business owner, parent of two, and volunteer for business and religious organizations, did I really have time to pursue something new?

Knowledge

My son told me it was easy to make a YouTube video. He said to me, “My friend from middle school and my camp counselor have YouTube channels. How hard could it be, Mom?” I tried to convince him that Mommy’s YouTube channel had to be a bit more professional than teens playing Xbox together and videotaping it. I’m still not sure I’ve convinced him…In order to have a professional-looking channel I was going to have to figure out the ‘How-To’ part.

Doubt

Was anyone going to watch? Could I fit creating, optimizing, and uploading videos into my already tight schedule?

Bad Hair Days

Yes, if I’m being honest, bad hair days kept me from making videos. I don’t have the most predictable hair and it doesn’t always look as professional as I’d like it to look. Kinda silly, but true. #honesty

What I know about owning a business is that it has to always be moving forward and keep up with the ‘times’ in order to survive. Many articles I read this past year pointed to video marketing as a game changer for 2019. I decided if I really wanted to make it happen, I had to schedule it, learn what I could, deal with doubt, and my hair. Here’s what I did…

Time

I decided to block out time in my day to brainstorm ideas, write scripts, and film the video (when I’m not working with clients). Mornings after I drop my son at school until noon are my ‘Power Hours’–the time of day when I’m most alert and motivated. This time management technique worked for me when I was writing and self-publishing my book, too.

Knowledge

Do you know the best place to learn about starting a YouTube channel? It’s YouTube! I started watching ‘how-to’ videos while on the treadmill, while getting dressed/putting on makeup, and when I was cooking dinner (it’s the perfect accompaniment to chopping vegetables). I took notes on the videos and created a section in Evernote for them. I also purchased an online course to speed up the process–it’s proving to be a good investment so far.

Doubt

I still have my doubts but I moved forward anyway. I’ve been in this place before as a business owner and realize that anything new is going to stir up feelings of doubt. I decided I wouldn’t let it stop me.

Bad Hair Days

Almost a year ago, I started following the ‘Curly Girl‘ method of caring for my hair. My hair is healthier, looks better and is now (in my eyes) more ‘video-worthy.’ And I bought some products to cover my ‘roots’ so I can film my videos and camouflage some gray hair and hairline without having to run to the salon as often.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been working diligently on the ‘Channel Trailer’ for my channel–it’s the first video people will see when they come to my channel if they’re not subscribers. Want to check it out? There may be a few pics of me as a little kid in the video if that piques your interest…You can watch it here or click the video below. Feel free to leave a comment, hit the ‘Subscribe’ button, and remember to click the little bell next to it to get notified when I post a new video!

If there’s an organizing challenge you’d like me to make a video about, let me know at .

Keep an eye out on the Organized Artistry YouTube channel for organizing tips, organizing hacks, and decluttering know-how. My videos will help you to get organized and gain more space in your home, more time in your day, more money in your wallet, and less stress in your life.

How’s that organizing project going?

I’m sure you’ve started at least one this year. If you’ve been getting organized and you feel successful, that’s great! Give yourself a well-deserved  pat on the back. If not, I’m here to assure you that it’s OK. These things happen. Maybe you need to tweak a system you created. Maybe a part of your life changed and what you’ve done so far is no longer in alignment with that change–it’s all part of the organizing process.

I don’t want you to give up, though. It’s easy to throw in the towel when processes like getting organized don’t work out the way we want them to.

I felt inspired to write this post after a few experiences I had over the last couple of weeks. One just led to the other which then circled back to writing this post. Below are a few examples of people that chose to not give up and give ‘it’ one more try. The first one is me…

In January of 2015, I self-published The Organized Bride’s Thank You Note Handbook through Amazon’s CreateSpace. Due to the decorative interior design, the book files were not translating well in ebook form and it was challenging to get it to function properly. At the same time, my husband and I were beginning a home renovation that had us purging and packing our entire home. Needless to say that between technical difficulties and time constraints, the ebook never got published. Life became hectic and I basically gave up on ever seeing my paperback book as an ebook.

Fast forward to September 2018. I received an email from Amazon saying CreateSpace was merging with another division of Amazon–KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing). I transferred my book’s file to KDP and received an email about a helpful KDP 101 webinar. It fit into my schedule and would cover all I needed to know about KDP so I signed up for it. Little did I know that it would inspire me to give publishing my ebook ‘one more try.’

During the webinar’s Q&A time, another participant named Elaine asked the instructor a file-uploading question which made me think about the uploading issues I encountered almost four years ago. As crazy as it may sounds, I have a random stranger named Elaine to thank for being able to upload my ebook to Amazon/KDP. After the webinar, I revisited my ebook files and found that Amazon had added a new online feature that enabled me to check the formatting of my book and see how it would appear on a tablet or phone. It translated perfectly. I couldn’t believe it. I had given up over three years ago but decided to give it one more try–and it worked!

I saw Elaine as my ‘sign from the Universe’ to give it one more try.

If I had not been forced to move my book files from CreateSpace to KDP, the chain of events that followed would not have occurred and my ebook would still lie dormant on my desktop. Thank you, Amazon and Elaine wherever you are! My next task is to have a specific ebook file created that will upload onto Apple iBooks and Barnes & Noble’s Nook–my goal for early 2019.

I was feeling inspired and motivated by this series of events so I decided to write about it in my October newsletter. I always start my newsletter with a quote and found this one from Thomas Edison:

As if I hadn’t received enough ‘signs from the universe, ‘ I took some time before writing my newsletter to walk on my treadmill and watch a TedTalk. Most are eighteen minutes in length–perfect for the approximately twenty minutes I’m on the treadmill. I was scrolling through YouTube when I came across a TedTalk called: Is Your Stuff Stopping YOU? Since it was about organizing, I thought I’d watch. Elizabeth Dulemba had given up on some dreams of hers and when the Universe ‘spoke’ to her, she decided to try one more time and make them her reality. Is Your Stuff Stopping YOU? Tedx University of Edinburgh. If you have twenty minutes, I’d recommend watching it. You Never know what it might inspire you to try one more time.

But, the ‘Don’t Give Up–Give it One More Try’ message didn’t stop there…

My family and I enjoy watching The Voice. Contestant Matt Johnson made it on to the show after auditioning fifteen times during a seven year period. Matt Johnson personifies the quote by Thomas Edison. This guy NEVER gave up. Perseverance is his middle name! He kept trying. And trying. And coming back for another try. And the most incredible part of it all is that he was the last contestant to audition and went on to win the last spot available on the show. Success at last!

Isn’t it amazing how giving something one more try can lead to incredible events occurring?

And then, as I’m writing this post, an email from (Chicken Soup for the Soul’s co-author) Jack Canfield’s newsletter lands in my inbox and what is one of the topics? ‘Don’t Ignore Signs form the Universe’.

I think the Universe is telling me that this was the perfect blog post to write this week!

Giving up is easy. Moving forward to reach your goal is not. Just ask Thomas Edison about his lightbulb journey. Here are some ideas for eliminating the need to shout, “I give up!”:

Break down the process

Getting organized isn’t an easy task. It takes time, physical, and emotional energy and it’s rare to have all three at the same time. Break down the process of organizing a space or your time into easy tasks and micro-goals–making reaching the finish line more manageable and attainable.

Be patient with yourself

Getting your file cabinet or your pantry organized can’t be accomplished if your exhausted, the kids are sick, or the hours in your day are not always your own. The time will come and you’ll be able to easily recognize it and use it to move forward.

Listen to the Universe

I know this sounds kind of ‘woo-woo’ but it’s important to be open to signs. Some will whisper to you and some will shout but please listen. Pay attention to and make note of recurring instances. I did that the past few weeks–signs of not giving up and trying one more time kept popping into view. I couldn’t ignore so many of them!

Reward yourself for hitting milestones

Remember those easy tasks and micro-goals I spoke about a few paragraphs ago? When you’ve completed one–celebrate! Honor your achievement however small. It’s a great motivator.

Remember why you’re doing this

Why are you getting organized? Do you want to be able to find papers easily? Get out the door with two kids without forgetting anything? Be able to get dressed effortlessly in the morning? If your ‘WHY’ is important to you, it will inspire you to not give up.

Thomas Edison and I are in agreement. Don’t give up–the way to success is to try one more time. Make that ‘one more time’ step a small one. Sometimes all it takes is a small change to reach your goal. You just may have a ‘lightbulb’ moment…

What have you given up on? Are you ready to give it another try? Has trying ‘one more time’ worked for you in the past? I’d love for you to join the discussion.  🙂

In 2015, I self-published The Organized Bride’s Thank You Note Handbook. I can now scratch ‘write a book’ off my personal Bucket List!

Shortly after it’s publication, I came across a quote that I now believe to be true: “If you thought writing a book was hard, try marketing it!”

It has been a challenge getting the word out about The Organized Bride’s Thank You Note Handbook, especially because it does not have much in common with my day-to-day home and virtual organizing business. I’m a Professional Organizer–not a Wedding Professional. With this book, I straddle the fields of organizing and weddings–marketing it has been quite a learning experience.

I’ve let the world know about my book via social media, Facebook Ads, giveaways, guest blogging, being included in ‘wedding product roundup’ articles, (and a little bit of begging–I’m not proud) and recently decided to give video a try. Articles on book marketing point to video as the way to go in marketing today. They say a book trailer is an important piece of an author’s media kit. I’ve done a few Facebook Live videos and I’m slowly growing my YouTube channel so I thought I’d give it a try. I had never used iMovie before but I thought, “If my twelve year old can use it, so, can I!”

It took about a week of learning from articles and YouTube videos and a few brainstorming sessions in solitude but I did it!  I created my first book trailer using Canva, iMovie, and some loyalty-free music from YouTube.

Presenting…the book trailer for The Organized Bride’s Thank You Note Handbook.

Thanks for watching! If you know a bride with a house full of wedding gifts who could use some writing tips and help with their wedding thank you note wording, please share The Organized Bride’s Thank You Note Handbook book trailer with them. For more information, go to the Organized Artistry website or Amazon.com.

Download Our Gift Tracker Printables!

Track your engagement gifts, bridal shower gifts, and wedding gifts with our *free* Gift Tracker printables! Click the image below to download and print three gift trackers and valuable tips for keeping your addresses and gift lists organized.

Your thank you note tracking is about to get so much easier…

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I’m not old but I’m out of the loop when it comes to certain things like Netflix, iCloud and Instagram. I think all that came out when I was in the middle of parenting two children under the age of five. Sleep deprivation and very little extra room in my brain didn’t allow for much more than me learning how to use Facebook and Pinterest (and oh, yeah–taking care of my little ones, too…).

Another new ‘thing’ I wasn’t familiar with was podcasts. I had heard of them. I knew they were recorded audio, not on the radio–but where were they? Were they in that ‘cloud’ I had no knowledge about either?

Embarrassing, but I had to look up exactly what they were and where I could find some.

I don’t have a ton of time to listen to podcasts, but I decided to find some time in my schedule when I discovered a guy in Los Angeles who had a podcast on–you guessed it–organizing! The guy in Los Angeles, is James Lott, Jr. and his podcast is called The Super Organizer Show. He is a highly energetic person who truly loves what he does. One of his wonderful characteristics is that he believes in giving thanks out loud and living in gratitude–that’s how he starts all of his shows. Isn’t that great?

I found out about The Super Organizer Show on Facebook. James had interviewed Ellen Faye, the Past President of NAPO (National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals) and because I ‘like’ both Ellen and NAPO on Facebook, it came up in my news feed. I dug out my infrequently-used earbuds and carved out some time to listen to a few of the podcasts from The Super Organizer Show. I found them to be funny, fast-paced, and informative. On iTunes, I reviewed the list of past show topics and saw that there had never been a guest on the show talking about weddings. James is an author–I thought maybe he’d want to interview someone who wrote a book on a topic in organizing. I looked up James’ contact info and dropped him a line about me and The Organized Bride’s Thank You Note Handbook and the rest is history! He loved the idea of talking about wedding thank you notes and he booked me on his show for the day after he was attending his friend’s wedding.

How did I prepare for my first podcast?

• I read my book two times a few days before recording the podcast.
• I created an outline of my chapters.
• I flagged pages in my book that I thought James might reference.
• I brainstormed some stories and anecdotes related to my book I thought I might want talk about.
• I buried our home telephone under some sheets in our linen closet in case it rang during the recording of the podcast (I used my business line for the podcast).
• And yes, I used the restroom ten minutes before dialing in–I had no idea how long I’d be on the phone with James. Good thing I did–we were on the phone for an hour!

In a nutshell–I got organized to talk about organization! And (off mic) James even recognized and mentioned how prepared I was.

I had a ton o’ fun with James talking about my book, wedding thank you notes, sleep deprivation and it turns out we both have pen fetishes and love trying out different pens when we see a display in a store (ahhh, to be a writer…). He was engaging, came up with creative questions, and made me feel very at ease.  A very positive first podcast experience!

Wanna listen to the podcast? Here are three places you can find it:

On iTunes
On Spreaker
On You Tube (audio only)

For more information about James Lott, Jr. and The Super Organizer Show:

The Super Organizer Show on Facebook
The Super Organizer Universe (blog)

Thanks, James for having me on your show and for making my first podcast a very enjoyable one. Now that I know about podcasts, I guess now it’s time to carve out some time for Netflix!

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I just flew home from the NAPO Conference in Pittsburgh and boy are my arms tired! But, seriously folks…

Over a week ago, I attended the NAPO Conference 2017 in Pittsburgh, PA. Over 500+ Professional Organizers descended upon ‘The Steel City’ to learn, network, and talk organizing. I had a fabulous time doing all three.

The conference was held at the Westin Pittsburgh which is attached to the David L. Lawrence Convention Center–the two buildings are attached by a short sky bridge. Even though I sat for the workshops, I got a lot of exercise going back and forth between the two buildings (happy Fitbit). And apparently, the Heinz Corporation is headquartered close by. Look at what the NAPO-Pittsburgh chapter gave out to us–itty bitty ketchup and pickle pins. They will definitely be a part of my wardrobe during BBQ season!

After attending the Opening Keynote, I went to the first workshop which this year centered around three TED Talks. I attended the session based on Amy Cuddy’s popular TED talk: Your Body Language Shapes Who You Are and learned all about the idea of ‘Power Poses.’ Next, the EXPO–where organizing-related businesses/organizations showcase their products and services to the attendees of the conference. It’s the perfect place to find out about the newest innovations our industry partners have to offer.

This year, I had two EXPO favorites:

OXO. I Love this company. They are experts at combining good design with functionality. I’ve owned and currently use some of their kitchen products since receiving them at my bridal shower sixteen years ago. On display were two of my personal favorites: OXO POP Containers and their Expandable Drawer Organizer. But, two products that were new to me were their OXO Good Grips Over-the-Door Fold Away Valet and their Large Expandable Utensil Organizer. I love the idea of the retractable valet–great for putting together outfits or for hanging the dry cleaning before it goes back on good hangers in a closet (that’s a not-so-subtle reminder that you need to give those wire hangers back to your dry cleaner…). And, when OXO says ‘large’ they mean LARGE. The utensil organizer is one of the largest I’ve seen.

Rubbermaid. My favorite company for bins/totes. They are some of the sturdiest ones you can buy. On display this year were items from their ‘Auto Collection.’ I was oohing and aaaahing over some of the pieces. They had a small trash receptacle and a ‘wedge’ to place between seats for pens, paper and other slim items that might otherwise fall through the crack between the seats. Then I saw what I needed for my car–the Single Headrest hook. I’ll be looking into buying those for my kids so they have a place to hang their baseball hats, knapsacks, and neck pillows in the car.

NAPO Conference 2017 is more than the EXPO–there’s learnin’ to be done! Workshops I learned a lot from:

How to Prioritize When Everything is Important
I wasn’t going to take this workshop because I thought I had some pretty decent prioritizing skills. And I do. But, I learned how I can prioritize my work and life EVEN BETTER. I had seen this speaker (NAPO member, Mridu Parikh) at a conference a few years ago and greatly enjoyed her workshop then and now. So glad I decided to make learning about priorities, a priority!
Workshop Tip: If you need help focusing on your work, try using a Pomodoro app.

How to Succeed at Speaking for Fees
After having my second child, I took a break from public speaking. It’s been seven years, and I just jumped back into giving presentations. I was thrilled to leave this session with many helpful take-aways that will enable me to grow the public speaking part of my business.
Workshop Tip: Create a title for your presentation that is engaging, clear or intriguing, and shows a benefit to the audience.

How to Get and Keep Media Attention
Most of my media exposure has been in print and online. But, on the off chance I break out of my comfort zone and try to get on TV or Radio, I’ll be prepared thanks to this workshop. Lots of talk about the media and how to pitch them stories–my pen worked overtime taking notes in this session!
Workshop Tip: If you want to get on TV, start getting comfortable on video with You Tube.

If you thought all Professional Organizers like to do is sort and measure things, you’d be incorrect. NAPO Conference 2017 isn’t all work and no play–we like to party! Good food, good music, and a little Cha Cha Slide makes for happy organizers. I danced half the night away and got over 14,000 steps on my Fitbit (really happy Fitbit!). Here’s many of my NAPO-NNJ colleagues before we hit the dance floor–lookin’ great in NAPO blue and white!

I have to give a shout-out to the peeps of Pittsburgh because everyone I encountered–the staff at the Westin, the airport, the SuperShuttle, and restaurants, were SO NICE! Across the board–helpful, courteous, and pleasant. And boy, do they love their sports–Pirates, Penguins, and Steelers. Lots of people walking around dressed in yellow and black and it’s not because they love bumblebees…

A big thank you goes to my hubby for holding down the kid/homework/baseball/meals fort while I was in Pittsburgh. I could not succeed in my business without his support!

At our last lunch of the conference, 2018’s conference location was revealed. Next year, something new–a corporate retreat in Chicago. Did they say RETREAT? I’m all over THAT in a big way. I’m starting to relax just THINKING about it. Pardon me while I go register for the retreat…um, I mean conference. Then it’s off to do laundry and get back to organizing!

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When I started my business twelve years ago, I designed my own logo. I have a BA in Art/Graphic design so I knew I could put typography together and not offend anyone. I didn’t have the proper computer programs to create it so I took advantage of the computers at Kinko’s and created my logo there.

My old logo:

I liked the openness of the ‘Artistry’ font (Caslon Open Face) and that it contrasted well with the font I selected for ‘Organized.’

The above logo has gotten a ton of compliments over the years which always made me feel happy and that my design skills had not gone to waste. But, after 12 years in business, it was time for a change. I hired the talented Kate McMillan of Outbox Online Design to move my company, brand and logo forward into 2014.

I was nervous–what ideas would Kate come up with? Would I like them? Change isn’t easy–even for Professional organizers!

My new Logo:

Here’s the vertical design…

It’s Spring! And after weeks of Spring Cleaning, de-cluttering and purging, you may be ready to host a yard sale.

When my husband I got married and joined households years ago, we had a yard sale. It was a fun and exhausting 2-day event that took weeks of preparation. We had a lot of stuff! We made enough money to buy a eight-person patio set for our backyard and anything that didn’t sell was donated to the Vietnam Veterans Association.

A few months ago some of my yard sale tips were featured in an article on SheKnows.com called ‘Tips for Holding a Successful Yard Sale.’ The article offers good advice and ideas on how to price, market, display and negotiate. If you’re thinking of hosting a yard sale, I suggest you take a few moments to read it–you just may pick up a few tips to make your yard sale not just successful–but profitable, too.

I have returned from the NAPO 2012 Conference in Baltimore, Maryland!

It was non-stop learning, networking, note-taking–very little rest. Like I said in my pre-conference blog post, ‘this was no vacation.’  But despite the brain overload and the seven hours of driving I did in three days, I am energized and motivated to put in place the wealth of information I learned.

Our view from the Baltimore Hilton–so close to Camden Yards!

Not only did I learn a ton, I also collected a tote bag full of information (and samples!) from our Product EXPO.  Large companies such as Rubbermaid, Smead, 3M and Staples as well as smaller companies such as NACKit! and The Tote Buddy were represented. (I did something with Smead that I’ll be blogging about soon…) Besides collecting information, I saw demos of different products and learned how to install and remove a Command hook without ripping off a layer of paint or wallpaper.

The workshops I took will be instrumental in moving my business forward in the coming year. Besides being good for my business, the ideas of the ‘Clearing Clutter the ‘Fun’ Shui’ Way’ class I took are already being put to work in my own home. Before I started writing this post, I took a block of time and did some de-cluttering in my home office which has become a repository for items having nothing to do with my business.  The instructor told us that “Clutter blocks the flow of prosperity.” I’ll be doing some more de-cluttering after lunch…

I’m looking to move forward with the social media part of my business so I took workshops on YouTube and Blogging. I learned how a presentation is like a hamburger in a public speaking workshop and discovered the ‘ABC’s’ of organizing photos.

But the BIG news is about the local NAPO chapter I belong to–NAPO-Northern New Jersey. This year NAPO National partnered with Soles4Souls–an organization that collects new and used shoes to distribute to those in need. They offered all NAPO chapters a challenge–who could collect the most pairs of shoes? Nationwide, over 100,000 pair of shoes were collected by over 30 local chapters. But who won the competition? NAPO-Northern New Jersey–collecting a whopping 24,561 and beating out chapters double in size!

NAPO-NNJ showing off awards at the NAPO 2012 Conference in Baltimore

Our ‘Queen of Sole,’ Diane Thomson (2nd from left above) collected 10,000 pair of shoes! She collected the most shoes out of any other NAPO member (and there are over 4,000 of us). All of her hard work earned her a trip to Haiti to help distribute shoes. We are so proud of her extraordinary accomplishment!

I could go on and on about this amazing conference–the people I met, the fun I had, but it’s time to go back to de-cluttering my home office the ‘Fun Shui’ way. Gotta let that prosperity flow…

This Sunday I’ll be speaking at the second annual Queen Esther Tea at the YM-TWHA of Union County, NJ, hosted by the Women’s Campaign of the Jewish Federation of Central New Jersey. The topic is: ‘Organize Your Space…Organize Your Life.’