A few weeks ago, I returned from the 2022 NAPO Conference in Baltimore, Maryland. It is the 12th conference I’ve gone to since joining NAPO back in 2002. It’s a time to learn, a time to connect with colleagues and make new connections, and a time to disconnect for a few days from a sometimes hectic #momlife.
It’s been three years since NAPO gathered in person for a conference. I had the privilege of attending in Dallas/Fort Worth in 2019. And in the short time I was there, I observed that yes–everything is bigger in Texas…
Then we all know what happened.
Just as I was getting psyched to join my organizing colleagues in the ‘Happiest Place on Earth’–ORLANDO in 2020, the world shut down and our conference was cancelled.
In 2021, our NAPO Conference Committee did an extraordinary job of creating and executing a virtual conference. Some of the benefits of the virtual conference were that you didn’t have to spend time and money traveling and you only had to look professional from the waist up (thank you, yoga pants). Some of the drawbacks of the virtual conference were not being able to connect in person with colleagues and the challenges of reminding my family that although I was physically in our house–please pretend that I’m not unless absolutely necessary…
The big question was–would we be able to safely hold a conference in 2022 and where would it be? The answer turned out to be YES and the location–drum roll, please–was Baltimore, Maryland. I got very excited–I can easily drive there from New Jersey! I did it when the conference was hosted there in 2012 (the only conferences I’ve been close enough to drive to).
Now, truth be told, I was a little nervous about going to the conference. I had spent the last two years in my house and wearing a mask when out in public. I had only eaten in a restaurant twice and I had not been in a client’s home since March 2020 (three cheers for Virtual Organizing!). I was definitely stepping waaaaay out of my two-year-long comfort zone.
I decided to play it safe by driving (avoiding public transportation), packing a few masks (I bought a purple one to match my Organized Artistry purple brand color) and wearing them except for when eating. I’m so glad I did and I’m so glad I went. I came home healthy and filled with organizing knowledge!
There are usually six workshops (in addition to other learning opportunities) throughout the three day conference with five choices in each time slot–something for everyone!
Here are the workshops I selected and my biggest takeaway(s) from each one:
How to Diversify and Increase Your Income with Ten Different Revenue Streams
The speaker for this workshop was Cassandra Aarssen of HGTV’s Hot Mess House. It was a packed room and her workshop was jam-packed with ideas for creating passive income based on our skills, interests, and how much time we wished to spend on it.
Biggest Takeaway:Cas advised us to think about the different income streams she presented. Which one or ones resonated with us? Devote yourself to trying them one at a time and add each revenue stream like ‘bricks.’ That’s how you ‘build’ passive income…
The Proven Formula for Using Free Webinars to Build Your Business
Alan P. Brown is a productivity/business coach and TEDx Talk speaker who shared everything we needed to know for conceiving, creating, and marketing a webinar to grow our businesses. Developing a webinar for my business is on my list of things to consider for the future so I thought I’d check out his workshop. I’m not sure I stopped taking notes for the entire ninety-minutes. All I’ll have to do is apply some thought to his Webinar Formula and the gobs of easy-to-follow information, tips, and advice he gave us and I’ll have a bouncing baby webinar in no time!
Biggest Takeaway: The title and subtitle of your webinar is critical to attracting people to sign up for it. Put time and thought into formulating it–use ‘pain and gain’ points to elicit emotion. And, thanks for the *freebie* bonuses, Alan!
Learn to Love Linkedin
NAPO member, Kathy Vines took us on a guided journey through Linkedin and how we can enjoy the platform and become efficient power users. Not only did she do that, she also gave us tips and helpful hints for ‘beefing up’ our profile and connecting on the platform. I had been neglecting Linkedin for a while, but this class inspired me to carve out some time in the early morning after my kids have left for school to become more active on the platform.
Biggest Takeaway: The best days and times to post on Linkedin? Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday between 8am-10am. Don’t ‘post and ghost!’ Stay on the platform and engage.
Power Up with Facebook Groups
I am a member of a few Facebook groups and love what they’ve had to offer. On my ‘work’ bucket list is to think about creating a Facebook Group for readers of my book, The Organized Bride’s Thank You Note Handbook. It’s barely in the ‘idea’ phase but I thought taking this class would give me some insight as to what is involved in creating and maintaining a Facebook Group. NAPO member, Melynda Weiland broke it down into easily digestible and manageable chunks of information (that’s what organizers do!) so any one of us could start a Facebook Group without pulling our hair out from frustration…
Biggest Takeaway: Facebook loves GROUPS more than it loves PAGES! Someone with a Facebook Page and a Facebook Group gets more visibility via the algorithm.
Profitable Marketing
I’ve been in business almost twenty years but could always use a refresher course when it comes to marketing. Our speaker, Victoria Cook is no stranger to NAPO conferences–I’ve heard her speak on the topic of marketing before. She offered us a process for building a marketing machine for our businesses that attracts new prospects and keeps clients engaged with our products and services.
Biggest Takeaway: The Golden Triangle of Marketing (I call it the 3M’s): Market (Who is your market?) Message (How will you let them know you have the solution to their problem?) and Media (Where will you put your message so they can see it?).
Keys to Confident Growth: How to Create a Business that Stands Out
It’s never easy to be a speaker in the last workshop time slot of a conference. Most attendees are a bit tired and half of us have checked out of our hotel rooms and are babysitting our luggage during the session. The very energetic Ken Olan, co-founder of ExactMade and a NAPO Strategic Business Partner gave us the framework and the motivation to reach for the idea of ‘Continuous Improvement’ in our businesses.
Biggest Takeaway(s): 1) Consistent effort will move you forward 2) Don’t underestimate the value of what we bring to our clients 3) Patience + Action = Perseverance
And during our Opening Keynote address, I learned how to create a QR Code for my Linkedin profile! Go ahead–use your phone to scan it and let’s connect!
I got to meet members of my Authorship and Publishing Special Interest Group in person. We’ve been speaking to each other for years via conference call and recently via Zoom. We had a lovely gathering–it was wonderful to spend time with a group of people who enjoy writing as much as I do.
I think it was the NAPO Conference in Pittsburgh where a tradition of setting up a community coloring table first started. It’s a coloring party and everyone is invited! I’ve indulged in the allure of the paper and magic markers at past conferences but for some reason, I never made it to the one in Baltimore. It’s a wonderful way to meet other organizers and chat them up while coloring any stress you may have away. I must make the coloring table a priority at the next conference I attend!
At the Closing Event & NAPO 2023 Kick-Off, we found out that next year’s conference will be in LAS VEGAS! I’m not sure if I’ll attend–it’s a big year of milestone events for my kids occurring around the same time of the conference. And, I’m not great with jet-lag either. I’ve only been to one NAPO Conference out west–Los Angeles in 2015. We’ll see how the year goes. Maybe I’ll roll the dice and take a chance on NAPO 2023!
Twelve years of blogging! Could that really be true?
It feels like only yesterday when I attended the 2009 NAPO Conference in Orlando and signed up for a workshop called, “Become a Blogging and Podcasting Genius.’ I had no desire to start a podcast but a blog–yup, that was right up my alley.
I’ve always enjoyed expressing myself through the written word. I found writing to be an enjoyable creative outlet–writing about organizing was going to be FUN (and it still is…)!
Who would have thought there would be so much to write about on the topic of organizing?!? It’s twelve years later and I still haven’t run out of ideas. In fact, I keep a list of ideas in a file in one of my favorite productivity apps, Evernote. I’ll be checking my list over the next few weeks to plan out my blog post topics for 2022.
Happy blogiversary to me! As part of my blogiversary celebration, I set goals for my blog for the year ahead and I look back to see if I met the goals I set for myself the previous year. Here’s how I did…
Goals I had set for 2020-2021
Continue to Blog 1x a Month
I got off to a great start! Beginning with October of 2020, I published a blog post consistently every month and lined a guest blogger up for the month of March. Around that time, both of my parents became ill within a few weeks of each other. When a crisis occurs, it’s vital to focus on what’s most important and put non-essential tasks aside until the crisis passes and that’s what I did. They’re doing much better now and I started blogging again over the summer.
I also took time to complete three NAPO Specialist Certificates and a program that certifies me as a Certified Virtual Professional Organizer ( CVPO™ ). The timing was right so I put blogging aside to fulfill the requirements. Now that I’ve completed them all, I can focus more of my time on my blog. I’m looking forward to publishing my annual I ‘Heart’ Container Store Stocking Stuffer post next month!
Consider Using Tailwind
Due to the circumstances of the past year, I barely got to spend any time on Pinterest (insert sad face here). Thus, I didn’t even begin to think about Tailwind. It’s not totally off the table–it’s just not a priority. I’ll keep it on my to-do list and put a reminder in my calendar to learn more about it.
Create Canva Images for Older Posts
Started! I began blogging on the Blogger platform before I even had a WordPress website. WAAAAY back when, blog posts were more about the writing than the photos. Now, I’m starting to add images to some of those ‘vintage’ posts. Years ago, my website designer helped me migrate the old posts over to my new WordPress website. They have good SEO juice–they’re just not pretty enough yet for ‘prime time’ (Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook).
Continue to Tweak Content on Older Blog Posts to Make More Evergreen
Every so often, I’ll scroll through my blog posts to see if they need updating. I’ve made some tweaks along the way to ensure their status as ‘evergreen.’ In fact, the last one I tweaked was a roundup post I curated for Halloween.
Create a Second Blog Post Showcasing ‘Ted Talks’ on the Topic of Organizing
I did not get to write it this year, but I have been curating a list of Ted Talks on the topic of organizing that would work nicely for a second similar blog post. My first blog post titled, 3 Thought-Provoking Ted Talks That Will Inspire You to Get Organized was and still is very popular on Pinterest. It’s on my to-do list to create that second Ted Talk blog post for Winter or Spring of 2022.
Goals I’m setting for 2021-2022
Create a Round-Up Blog Post
I love reading ’round-up’ posts–so many creative and ingenious ideas all in one spot for the reader. I’m considering creating one for my blog in 2022–topic: To Be Decided…
Create Downloadable Printables for My Most Popular Blog Posts
My ‘Ted Talk’ blog post blew up on Pinterest and until a short while ago, it was my most ‘pinned’ post. Then, about nine months ago I started seeing a constant stream of people pinning my ‘Tales of a Town-Wide Garage Sale’ post. It seemed as if half the world wanted to read about my garage sale experience and use my garage sale tips. I get Pinterest notifications on our family iPad and at least a few times a week my son yells out, “Mom! More people pinned your ‘Garage Sale’ post today!”
In an attempt to gather more email addresses for my email list, I thought I’d create a *freebie* downloadable printable for this post. I recently created the printable and now I’m working on figuring out the technology part to make it downloadable and how to collect the email addresses. I hope to report in my next blogiversary post that I was successful!
Invite Guest Bloggers to Share their Posts
In the past, I used to invite guest bloggers to share their knowledge and ideas on my blog–usually around the times of the year when I’d be most busy with my kids (school holidays/summer vacation). I don’t recall why I stopped doing this, but I’d like to get back to it–perhaps having guest bloggers offering tips and advice on topics that are not my specialty. I had a very positive experience hosting a guest blogger in March–I think I’ll try it again this year.
Thanks for joining me on my adventures in blogging–onward to year thirteen!
Happy blogging anniversary to me! As of this October, I have been blogging for ten years.
I. Can’t. Believe. It.
Even though I’ve been a Professional Organizer for seventeen years (which I find astounding) it’s equally as astounding to me that I have been blogging about organizing for a decade. That’s a loooong time.
In the past, I have started off these Blogging Anniversary Posts with a few lines on how I started blogging. The short story is that I took a blogging workshop at the NAPO Conference in 2009 and started my blog a few months later after dropping my then three year old off at preschool. That kid is now thirteen.
A few days ago, he walked into my home office as I was writing this post. He asked me what I was doing so I told him what I was writing about and how I started the Organized Artistry blog. He laughed when I said that I waited until he was in preschool to compose my first blog post in silence!
Besides talking out ‘how it all began,’ I use this post to hold myself accountable for the goals I set for myself and my blog. This year, it was challenging to keep up with my blog. I had some major family obligations to put my energy towards and I had made the decision to start a YouTube channel. The learning curve that came along with it ate up much of the time and brain power I often allotted to blogging.
My 2018-2019 goals were to blog 1x a month, use the blog template I created for myself, and add Canva generated/Pinterest worthy images to blog posts. How did I do?
Goals for 2018-2019
Blog 1x a Month
OK, I dropped the ball on this one. Family obligations kept me from blogging this summer. Family first! My goal was to get back to blogging this Fall (and here I am blogging!). Also, in the beginning of 2019, I was putting most of my writing abilities into scripting my YouTube videos and had little left ‘in the tank’ for blogging. I did though, use the blog template. It focused me and saved me hours of ‘thinking time’ when I had a rare moment to turn my ideas into a blog post.
Keep Using Canva to Update Images on Already Existing Blog Posts
Did it! And I’m continuing to do it. I created a list of blog posts that need a Canva generated/Pinterest worthy image and every few weeks I design one and upload it. This has allowed and will continue to allow me to generate traffic to my website via Pinterest.
Goals for 2019-2020
Blog 1x a month
I created a YouTube video script template for myself (much like my blogging template) and the writing of my video scripts are now more streamlined, leaving me more brain power for blogging. I’ll continue to use the blog post template I created for myself last year–it enables me to concentrate on the task and saves me time. Besides composing a monthly newsletter, I’m going to try my best to make sure I compose a monthly blog post.
Tweak and Update Existing Posts
When you’ve been blogging for ten years–that’s a whole lotta content to keep track of! Not all of it is as up to date and evergreen as I’d like. So, I’ll be going back in to those posts to create Canva generated/Pinterest worthy images, update the text, check links, and delete any that no longer serve my readers.
Consider a Pin Scheduler such as Tailwind.
Using Tailwind is something I’ve been thinking about for a while. My blog gets a ton of traffic from Pinterest. There are only so many hours in a day for me to be pinning to my boards. Believe me, if I could spend a few hours a day pinning, I’d be a happy girl but I have clients to organize and dinner to cook! I’ll be putting more thought into using Tailwind this year.
Create New and Relevant Content
Even after ten years of blogging, there are still a ton of topics that haven’t been written about! I keep a running list in Evernote (one of my favorite productivity apps) of organizing topics I’d like to blog about. I’ll be consulting that list as I jump back into blogging.
And guess what happened this past year?
Look on the right side of this blog page under the ‘Categories’ list. In January, I became a Superstar Blogger of the Professional Organizers Blog Carnival for taking part in 25+ Blog Carnivals! Big shout-out to Janet Barclay of Your Organizing Business who created the the Professional Organizers Blog Carnival as well as a space for us ‘Blogging Organizers’ on Facebook. 🙂
I recently returned from the 2019 NAPO Conference held this year in Fort Worth, Texas. I always enjoy the conference–I get to take workshops, meet new Professional Organizers and reconnect with ones I haven’t seen in a while. The latest organizing products from NAPO’s business partners are on display and stepping away from my everyday responsibilities for a few days helps to ‘recharge my battery.’ The theme of this year’s conference was ‘Education is Bigger in Texas.’ Even my hotel room was big. It was so large, I could cartwheel through it. Not that I did–I’m just sayin’–everything is bigger in Texas…
As silly as it may sound, one of the things I look forward to at the NAPO Conference is the conference bag that’s given out every year. I have a nice collection of them by now running the gamut from a lovely red handbag-like tote (Lillian Vernon – Chicago 2004) to an amorphous recycle bag (New Orleans 2013) to a bag with a zippered top and water bottle/holder (Chicago 2018). I use the conference bag I received at the Orlando conference (2009) as the work bag I take to my client’s homes.
It’s important to me that everything I need to drag around with me during the day fits in the conference bag. After the not-so-fab New Orleans conference bag, I started packing an old conference tote (Minneapolis 2007) with me in case I didn’t like the conference bag been given out. But, this year, I did not pack the Minneapolis tote…
The night before I left for the NAPO Conference, I was thrilled to see that someone had posted a picture of this year’s conference bag on Facebook.
I was happy to see that it had contrasting colors and a little button closure–cute! It was roomy without being too big.
But, there are times when a bag can be too big and become a black hole for everything they’re carrying. When you’re at a conference, you need to use your brain power for learning and networking–not for searching and worrying about where all of your stuff is. You don’t have time to send a search party out to find your business cards and hotel room key!
If you or a friend, family member, or colleague are attending a conference in the future, here are 5 tips for keeping your conference bag organized so you’ll always be able to find what you need when you need it.
Tip #1 SORT
What items do you think you’ll want handy the day of the conference? Gather them and place them on a surface in front of you–couch, bed, desk, kitchen island–whatever works…
Then, take those items and sort them into categories such as electronics, items you’ll need to access quickly, note taking items, and most important–SNACKS!
Tip #2 CONTAINERIZE
Now that you’ve categorized your stuff, it’s time to put them in their own containers so they’re not floating around the bottom of your conference bag (eliminating the need for that search party mentioned above…) Pack a few pouches and small/medium/large Ziploc bags for this purpose. The size of the pouches and baggies are dependent upon the items you plan to carry in your conference bag.
I kept my necessities in here–phone, business cards, lip balm, pens, hotel room key.
Tip #3 RETURN ITEMS TO THEIR ‘HOME’
Conferences can be non-stop learning and networking events. You might feel rushed during your conference day and tired at night but it’s important for you to take the time to put items back in their baggies and pouches after using them. This will save you time later in the day and the next morning when you need to access your phone charger or hand someone your business card.
Tip #4 MAKE IT YOUR OWN
Whether there are fifty or six hundred and fifty conference attendees, almost everyone will be carrying the same conference bag. You’ll want to ensure that no one accidentally walks away with yours thinking it’s theirs! Make it stand out with a large pin, decorative ribbon, or brightly-colored scarf that no other bag will have. You’ll always know which bag is yours!
Since I saw a preview on Facebook of what the conference bag looked like, I packed a color-coordinating scarf to tie around the handle. I always knew which conference bag was mine!
Tip #5 PURGE
Purge your conference bag at the end of the day of items you no longer need–used tissues, energy bar wrappers, and the free swag you couldn’t resist putting in your bag. Getting rid of what you no longer need makes room for the items you will need the next day.
If you’re a visual person like me, click on my YouTube video below to see the 5 steps and get a sneak peek at this year’s NAPO Conference bag:
These 5 tips are going to ensure you have the most organized bag at your next conference–I guarantee it!
Are you heading to a conference soon? What item would you need most in your conference bag?
If you watch HGTV or read Real Simple magazine, you’ve probably heard of’ ‘Professional Organizing.’ It is the art of helping people create and maintain systems and processes using basic principles of organization.
But have you heard of ‘Virtual Organizing?’
Virtual Organizing is the art of helping people create and maintain systems and processes using basic principles of organization–virtually. When I say ‘virtually,’ I mean helping people get their space and life organized via the phone, Zoom, FaceTime, email–as opposed to working with them in person.
Virtual organizing has evolved over the past few years. Although there are thousands of Professional Organizers in the United States, not every Organizer lives in a densely populated area that might provide them with an adequate amount of clients. Not everyone wanting to hire a Professional Organizer has one in driving distance of their home. Thus, a new way of organizing was born.
If people could use technology to communicate with friends, relatives, and business associates, why not use it for helping people get and stay organized?
Why I started offering Virtual Organizing services…
I have been doing Residential Organizing since I formed Organized Artistry in 2002. I love rolling up my sleeves and working side by side with a client to help them reach their organizing goals. I work with clients within a 30-minute radius of my home and wished to somehow widen that radius without having to travel far. With school-aged children, I also wanted the option of working close-to-home.
At the 2016 NAPO Conference, I attended a workshop given by a veteran Professional Organizer about how she added Virtual Organizing to her business model. She did this so she could work with people around the country who were in need of her specialized skills. She had developed a tele-class in Virtual Organizing and offered it to colleagues so they could learn to organize virtually, too. A few days later, I signed up for it. I successfully completed the course and now offer Virtual Organizing as part of my list of services. I still work with local clients in their homes but I’m excited to organize those in different regions and time zones, too.
I’m excited to announce that in the Spring of 2021, I studied with that same Professional Organizer to complete a new and cutting-edge certification program to become a Certified Virtual Professional Organizer (CVPO™)!
Have you been thinking about getting organized but didn’t realize that Virtual Organizing was an option for you?
Here are 5 Reasons Why You Should Try Virtual Organizing:
• You don’t have a Professional Organizer in your area
Although there are thousands of members of NAPO, you may not have a Professional Organizer in your immediate area. Maybe you need an organizer with a specialization or particular skill set. That organizer is just a phone call, email, or FaceTime session away from helping you reach your organizing goals.
• You want/need accountability or support for your organizing project
You started organizing a space in your home but the project stalled for a multitude of reasons. That’s OK–it happens. Working with a Professional Organizer ‘virtually’ can provide you with someone to check in with, help get you back on track, and to your measure progress. They’ll be a cheerleader, resource, teacher, and provide ideas, motivation, and support. Consistently moving your organizing project forward is key to it’s completion–Virtual Organizing can make that happen.
• You don’t want a stranger in your home
There are hundreds of reasons why you may not want a stranger in your home. Maybe you have small children, a sick family member living with you, or maybe you have white carpeting and want to keep it as white as possible by having as few people in your home as possible. Or, you may have something in your home that you don’t necessarily want people to see (besides the disorganization).
Virtual Organizing is a way of inviting a Professional Organizer into your home without actually having them walk inside.
• You would prefer to do the ‘physical organizing’ when it’s convenient for you
Does your work schedule change often? Are you a night owl or an early riser? You may want to do the physical work of organizing when you have a pocket of time or when you have the most energy. This might not necessarily be when a Professional Organizer could come to your home (I don’t know many Organizers who start at 5am or see clients at midnight…). So, schedule your ‘virtual’ appointment with your Professional Organizer and block out time on your calendar to do the required sorting/purging/labeling/filing when it works best for you.
• You prefer to be comfortable. Really comfortable.
Organizing ‘virtually’ means you can organize in your PAJAMAS! No need to get dressed if a Professional Organizer won’t be coming to your home for two or three hours. Other Professional Organizers might mind, but I don’t care if you FaceTime with me in your pajamas or bathrobe. I, on the other hand will be dressed (unless we mutually agree on a ‘pajama day…’).
With today’s technology, Virtual Organizing makes perfect sense. Can you picture yourself getting organized ‘virtually?’ If the answer is ‘Yes,’ click here to see how Organized Artistry and Virtual Organizing can bring organization to your home and life from miles away.
Transform your home from the comfort of your home with Virtual Organizing.
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!
Vickie recently adopted a mascot for her business and her name is Ophelia. She even has her own Facebook page! Ophelia offers answers to people’s organizing questions and just started doing book reviews. When I saw her post looking for books to review I popped one in the mail for her to read. Boy, am I glad I did. Although my wedding organizer book is not exactly about the home, time, and paper organizing most Professional Organizers do in their everyday work, I think she still enjoyed reading it.
Her review…
“Oh how I wish I had this handbook when I got married! The Organized Bride’s Thank You Note Handbook by Stacey Agin Murray is the perfect guide for overwhelmed brides seeking assistance in the daunting task of writing thank you notes. Almost every bride I know has complained about this task specifically due to the amount of legwork and trying to think what to write to people. Stacey has it all here for you in this handbook down to keeping track of who bought you what present and for what occasion (engagement, bridal shower, etc.) to great examples that are personalized, thoughtful, and truly will show your appreciation for each of your wedding guests. I highly recommend The Organized Bride’s Thank You Note Handbook to brides out there or newlyweds who are dreading the thank you note writing task. This handbook will guide you through every step of the way and keep you organized with the built in charts. Please do yourself a favor and order your copy before starting your thank you notes!”
Thanks, Ophelia (and Vickie, too)!
I’ll be attending the NAPO Conference in Pittsburgh in April 2017 which is Vickie/Ophelia’s hometown. I’m looking forward to meeting them and thanking them in person for their lovely review of my wedding organizer book, The Organized Bride’s Thank You Note Handbook.
Have you read a book lately? Help an author by writing a review on Amazon or Goodreads–they’ll be grateful for your time and words.
I just had the opportunity to attend the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO) Annual Conference in Los Angeles, CA (can you imagine 600+ Professional Organizers in one place at one time?). Since my first conference back in 2004, I’ve stuck to the east coast and midwest locations. Jet lag is not my best friend but this year, I decided to not let that stop me. I heard the whispers…
“Go west, young lady!”
And so I did! Off to the 2015 NAPO Conference in sunny Los Angeles I went. And besides looking forward to learning and networking, I was looking forward to that California sun. The winter here in NJ was long and dreary and I needed some natural Vitamin D to jumpstart my body for Spring. The five hour flight provided me with time to indulge in a novel–what a ‘novel’ idea since most books I have read lately have to do with my business, my kids, or health. If you’d like to read a great book, try Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier.
This year, my Conference experience was a bit different. With two kids at home, it’s not easy to get away for an extended period of time. I usually get to the Conference as soon as it begins and leave as it’s ending. This year, I flew in the afternoon before and stayed an extra day to visit with my cousin. Took the red-eye flight and was home before 8am. Shout-out to my hubby for ‘holding down the fort’ so I could grow in my career and visit with family in L.A..
Also different about this year’s Conference: my book. I belong to a NAPO Special Interest Group (SIG) for people who are or wish to be authors. This year at our EXPO/Marketplace, our SIG had a bookstore and I jumped at the opportunity to sell my book, The Organized Bride’s Thank You Note Handbook in the bookstore along with more than twenty of my PO/Author colleagues. Besides having my book on display for purchase, I had a book signing which was a ton of fun. I signed books while wearing a tiara and veil–it definitely drew people to my table!
The Organized Bride’s Thank You Note Handbook
NAPO EXPO Authorship & Publishing Bookstore
Me (in the tiara and veil) and the first person to buy my book–she’s just got engaged!
The EXPO/Marketplace was abuzz with large and small companies showing off their organizing wares to the attendees. Some of the booths I found to have interesting products were: Forever, Time Timer, and of course–Pendaflex which gave out a bountiful goody bag to everyone who walked by. Who could resist?
The NAPO Conference is always chock full of interesting workshops. This year, I took classes in Virtual Organizing, Branding, Digital Photo Organizing, YouTube Video Marketing, and Using Technology to Increase Productivity. Learned a few things I didn’t know in an Evernote workshop, too. There was an ‘Ask the Business Organizer’ panel and an Opening and Closing Keynote. The Opening Keynote was done by two guys who call themselves ‘The Minimalists.’ If you haven’t read their blog and their back story (which was fascinating) check out The Minimalist’s website.
The Minimalists giving the Opening Keynote address at the 2015 NAPO Conference in Los Angeles
This has very little to do with organizing but I felt the need to snap a picture of this yummy dessert we were served at our last lunch of the Conference.. And yes, it was as good as it looks…
Mmmmm….
After three days of workshops, networking, and noshing it was time to leave the Westin Bonaventure and meet up with my cousin who is a life-long resident of Los Angeles. We had about 24 hours together and I got to see the highlights of L.A. including a quick trip to a beautiful place I must get back to someday–The Getty Museum.
Me visiting The Getty Museum
The day I returned from the NAPO Conference, my son was on Spring Break. This week I’ve been catching up with organizing appointments and meeting with prospective clients. Next week, I’ll be focusing on what I learned in the classes I took at the NAPO Conference and bit by bit will be incorporating the knowledge into my business. I’ve already got my sights set on attending the NAPO Conference in Atlanta in 2016. No jet-lag worries! Can’t wait–it should be just peachy…
The last week of November was a busy time in my household. It was Thanksgiving. It was Hanukkah. And it was also my birthday. Lots of food and festivities. Not a lot of downtime.
But, my hubby and I chose to carve out a small amount of time that weekend to make our home more organized. The colder weather was upon us and we had to come up with a solution to a recent organization problem.
We have a front door and an entry-way closet next to that door. Coats, shoes, umbrellas and accessories are kept in that closet.
Problem: My children and I enter and exit our home most days through the garage, not the front door. No mudroom or closet next to that garage entrance door. Instead, we have a tiny laundry room with an even tinier broom closet that we converted to a storage closet years ago. We installed a row of hooks across the top and at the bottom of the closet we store shopping and recycle bags of varying sizes.
On this closet door, we installed a 4-pocket organizer from Babies R’ Us which has proved to be an extraordinarily helpful organizing product. Each of us has a pocket to store accessories and one is for infrequently used items like snow gloves.
This worked well for a while. My children were young and had little coats and my jacket fit just fine next to theirs. Now, my kids are bigger and so are their coats. They have more hats and mittens, too. With all three of our winter coats in there, the closet door no longer stayed closed. And the hooks were so high, I was the person in charge of hanging everyone’s coats.
What to do?
I had suggested a hall tree for the room adjacent to the garage which just so happens to be my home office. It wouldn’t thrill me to have coats and backpacks hanging in my work space but it was better than having them spill out of the storage closet–especially when I was doing the laundry.
My husband did not like the hall tree idea for two reasons:
1) He thought a hall tree would have looked messy. (I agree)
2) The hall tree would have to stand in the space currently occupied by his grandmother’s table which he loves and it would not fit in our attic.
So, for a while we thought about it, spent the summer leaving camp bags in the garage but then Autumn came and the problem was back. Backpacks and diaper bags were dropped as we entered the house and coats were dumped on a couch that sits opposite my desk in this room. (No picture is available–too embarrassing for this Professional Organizer to admit!)
Besides the fact that it looked terrible, it didn’t exactly instill the importance of being organized to our two young children.
Once again we asked ourselves, “What to do?”
Solution: One day, my husband looked at me and said, “What if we move the ironing board and vacuum cleaner out of the laundry room and use that space as a mudroom? I measured the space. It was 24” wide. I was skeptical but I grew up in a 5’x12′ bedroom. I knew I could make this work.
Challenge accepted!
I’ll give my husband credit for thinking of utilizing this space. I probably never considered it because my husband likes to iron despite the fact he doesn’t do it much anymore (Yes–he does laundry, too. I’m a lucky lady…). We had not hung an iron in the iron holder since our first child started crawling six years ago. It was a great iron/ironing board organizer from Rubbermaid but it’s time was up. We relocated the real vacuum to the garage with the ironing board and the toy vacuum went to the basement playroom.
I thought to myself, “Where am I going to find what I need to fit into a two-foot wide space?”
I looked in Home Goods and online and didn’t see much that would fit my tight secifications. Then one day, I was in Target and went to check out their Closetmaid collection. I’ve used their products in the past for organizing my kid’s toys and got to check out their new products at the NAPO Conference last year.
I walked down the aisle and not only did I see what would work for me, it was on sale!
The Closetmaid 24″ Horizontal Stackable Organizer
Twenty four inches wide, too! What luck! My plan was to have the boys keep their backpacks on the top shelf, store their sneakers on the middle and bottom shelves and since their feet aren’t too big, maybe there would be room for a basket to hold accessories.
Now, I needed to figure out the second half of the mudroom–a place to hang coats. There are so many hook choices out there from the simple to the whimsical. We just needed simple. And, we needed more than one set of hooks. One was to be placed at the top of the space for my coat/handbag/hat and the other was to be placed so my kids could hang and retrieve their own outerwear.
Before Thanksgiving, I attended the holiday party for the local organizer group I belong to–NAPO-NNJ. Besides a lovely dinner, we had a Yankee Swap. The table was filled with gifts and I had pulled the last number for picking. By the time it was my turn to pick, there was one gift left on the table. You’ll never believe what it was?
A SET OF HOOKS!
What else do you think Professional Organizers would bring to a Yankee Swap??? It was meant to be!
And, the person who bought the hooks hadn’t removed the price tag entirely. They were from Bed Bath and Beyond. You can’t imagine how giddy I was over a set of hooks!
The next day with my trusty 20% coupon in hand, I bought another set. I was ready for construction to begin.
We charged our electric drill, connected with our inner Bob Villa, and made Mudroom Magic. Hubby and I put together the Closetmaid shelf in less than ten minutes. We measured and hung the hooks making sure they were straight with the iHandy level on my iPhone.
Measure twice, make hole once!
My kids tried putting their backpacks on the bench–plenty of room!
Hooks were hung and so were the coats. The laundry room is tight–here’a a few pics of what it looks like now.
My kids have been using our mini-mudroom everyday–I am so proud of them! Sometimes I find my husband staring at this space with a big grin on his face. I love it, too. No more coat clutter. It looks great. It keeps us organized. Twenty-four inches of space. Challenge accepted. Challenge met. Challenge complete!
Mini-mudroom dreams do come true!
What organizing challenges have you resolved in your home recently?
Ever feel like you are constantly trying to pick up after them and maintain their stuff?
Hey, guess what–me, too. It’s kind of like shoveling snow during a blizzard.
At my first NAPO Conference in 2004 (a few years before I started having children) I took a workshop called ‘Organizing the Family.’ In that terrific workshop, I learned something that I still remember years later. I’m sharing this with you in the hopes that you will use it to make your life as a parent a little easier.
In the workshop, I learned the five steps to follow to teach your kids mastery of almost any task.
Woo-hoo! Hallelujah!
Write these five steps on a post-it and stick it where you can see it. Or, write them in an app on your smartphone. Jot them down somewhere you can access them easily. You’re going to want to refer to these steps often. Remember, they’re going to make your life as a parent easier (If you’re reading this and you’re not a parent, pass them on to someone who is!). Here they are…
To Get Your Kids to Master ______________ …
Step 1. Demonstrate the task you’d like your child to master
Step 2. Do the task with them
Step 3. Supervise your child doing the task
Step 4. Let them do the task alone
Step 5. Supervise your child occasionally
What are some skills your kids can master using these five steps?
• Putting away their toys
• Doing/folding their own laundry
• Setting the table for a family meal
• Using a knife
• Sorting and purging their school papers
• Household cleaning/gardening chores
Each step you teach your kids will take some time, effort and patience on your part but in the end, the investment of time will be worth it. And believe me–your future sons and daughters-in-law will thank you.
A blog by Professional Organizer Stacey Agin Murray bursting with cool products, 'gotta-tell-a-friend' ideas, and a whole lotta organizing know-how. Learn more...
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About Stacey
When you grow up in a 5’x12′ bedroom, you learn to organize pretty quickly! I chose to take that knowledge and turn it into a business helping people find what they need when they need it. I’m also the author of The Organized Bride’s Thank You Note Handbook–a book that offers wedding thank you note-related organizing tips and how-to’s plus 101 unique sample thank you notes (what bride can’t use that?).
Contact Stacey to Get Started!
