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!

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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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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.

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!

The Closetmaid 24″ Horizontal Stackable Organizer

Measure twice, make hole once!

Mini-mudroom dreams do come true!

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In a few days, I’ll be attending the National Association of Professional Organizers 25th Annual Conference. This year it’s in New Orleans. I’ve never been to ‘NOLA’–I’m very excited to go! This will be my fifth NAPO conference since I started my business back in 2002.

Last year’s conference in Baltimore was a blast. It was jam-packed with meeting new people, learning new ways to grow and enhance my business, and it started off and ended with my first lengthy solo drive (for 3.5 hrs each way from NJ).

This year, since the solo drive would be MUCH too long, I’ll be flying. I’ll be packing everything I need in a carry-on bag–this is where my skills as a Professional Organizer will prove very useful. I’ve decided that despite the warm weather report, I’ll base all my outfits around the colors black, red/purple/pink. I’m trying to limit the shoes I bring to three pair. The true challenge will be paring down my bag of medical/health/makeup products!

Last year, I took some ‘techie’ workshops–this year I’m focusing on some areas I have little or no knowledge of. The workshops I’m signed up for are:

Self-Confidence: The Secret Success Mindset (taught by NAPO-NNJ’s Chapter President, Cena Block)
Organizing: Eyes Toward Re-Design
Packages, Programs and Value-Based Pricing
Pinterest for Business
Becoming a Kindle Book Author
Turning ‘Likes’ into Paying Clients

There will be two ‘Ask the Organizer’ Panels – one of which will feature Golden Circle Members on the panel (those who have been in business over 5 years). I always learn something new from my colleagues at these panels.

In addition there will be three Keynote speakers, a NAPO Business Meeting and Luncheon, and a NAPO Awards Luncheon. If it’s anything like last year’s Awards Luncheon, it’s sure to be a three hanky affair…

And let’s not forget the place to learn about new and exciting organizing products–THE EXPO! Big names like Rubbermaid, Ziploc and 3M are there as well as small business that provide Professional Organizers with products to revolutionize our client’s lives (and ours, too!), If the Command Hook people are there, I’m going to have to stop by for a demonstration. I always forget how to use those hooks properly…

Stay tuned for my post-conference blog post!

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…

Let go of those lace-ups. Say ‘so-long’ to those slippers. People need them.

The National Association of Professional Organizers has partnered with Soles4Souls to collect new and gently used footwear for those in need.

According to their website, Soles4Souls, “collects new shoes to give relief to the victims of abject suffering and collects used shoes to support micro-business efforts to eradicate poverty.”

On Sunday, December 4, 2011 donate your new or gently worn shoes to Soles4Souls at Sports Authority of East Hanover or Clifton, NJ between the hours of 11am and 3pm.

Sports Authority
Location #1: 142 Rt. 10, East Hanover
Location #2: 415 Rt. 3 East, Clifton

Besides knowing that you’ve helped someone in need, what else do you get from donating your shoes on December 4th?

• Receive 20% off your entire purchase at either Sports Authority store that day.
• Receive a $10 off coupon from 1-800-GOT-JUNK?.

You can’t go wrong–especially if you have some shoes in your closet you don’t want anymore. Get 20% of a new pair of sneakers and consider using that $10 off coupon to haul away other items in your home you no longer need. It’s a win-win if I ever heard one…

Today, I’m pleased to welcome guest blogger Cena Block of Sane Spaces. Besides being a Professional Organizer and Mom-Preneur Clarity Catalyst, she is also the President of the Northern New Jersey chapter of the National Association of Professional Organizers. Cena’s talking about a key organizing philosophy—grouping ‘like’ with ‘like.’ Read on to learn more about what she calls, ‘one of the oldest organizing tricks in the book…’

Seven years ago, The National Association of Professional Organizers declared January as Get Organized Month. NAPO chapters across the nation organize public events to inspire and educate people to better organize their lives.

This year NAPO-NNJ (Northern New Jersey) is hosting a free ‘Ask the Organizer’ panel at Restyle Renew, a clothing and furniture consignment shop in Denville, NJ on January 22, 2011 from 11:30am-2:30pm. NAPO-NNJ members will be on hand to teach how to de-clutter and organize a closet and address all organizing needs presented to them.

Win a 4 hour home closet organization session scheduled in April including a $500 gift certificate to California Closets.

So drop on by, get solutions to your organizing challenges, and make 2011 the year you ‘Get Organized!’

Restyle Renew
27 East Main Street
Denville, NJ

On Saturday, January 30th over 25 Professional Organizers (including myself) gathered at the IKEA of Paramus to educate their guests on the benefits of getting organized with IKEA products in honor of ‘Get Organized’ Month.

It was amazing to see so many people coming out to shop and learn about organizing on such a frigid day. We met hundreds of people who wished for better organization in their homes and in their lives. We gave out tip sheets, did presentations and gave advice on helpful IKEA products.

A few pictures from the day:

Our Tips Table in the Cafeteria

Greeting IKEA guests

Organizing a Kitchen presentation

Helping out an IKEA customer

What will NAPO-NNJ do next year for ‘Get Organized Month?’ Who knows–but whatever our event may be, we hope it is a s successful as our day at the IKEA of Paramus in 2010.

If you’re still not sure what to do this Saturday, drive on over to the Paramus, NJ IKEA for the NAPO-NNJ event: ‘Organize to Economize’ in the New Year with IKEA Products.