HAPPY NEW YEAR - 1st 2009 posting.

WOW, what a thrill yesterday to start my working year. The above picture is of my book "The Accidental Organiser" on the front Bestseller wall at Borders bookstore Riccarton

it was a real buzz to see it there ands thanks to Borders for knowing how wonderful my book is and making it easy for people to find.

I have been away for 3 weeks and we had an amazingly relaxing, eventful, action packed and fun family holiday. Yes all those in one holiday. It is amazing what can happen in 3 weeks while camping. 

My Son Ben and I left a day early and drove to Murchison (3.5 hours) we stayed in a great motel "Murchison Motels", had a great hamburger at the pub for dinner and then set off early the next day for Pakawau, in Golden Bay at the top of New Zealand's South Island.

This is our 4th Christmas vacation at the Pakawau Beach Park and we hope that the planned developments do not go ahead as it really is one of the last true paradise camping spots left in NZ.

It is always so quiet there for Christmas Day and then the people begin to arrive on the 26-27th December. But it still never gets to busy, that is why we love it. That and the camp site right on the beach......Bliss.

we have just bought a boat as many of you may already know, so Pete (DH) was excited to get that out and about in the Golden Bay area. Our boat, (Name still to be decided options include: The Eater, Bluey, Ginga Blue) certainly clocked up some hours and provided many great and not so great times during the holiday.

We fished and boated, the kids waterskiied. Also we were met my some amazing creatures as well Dolphins, Seals ands Orcas while out in the Bay.

Pete had a close encounter with a Stingray while windsurfing in the inlet, ending in 7 stitches and 2 fabulous scars on his leg and a great holiday story to dine on for years to come.

We were joined by some friends for some of the trip Michelle, her Mum Joan and Daughter Iliana from Christchurch as well as John, Pam and Lachlan form Wellington.

I unfortunately nearly met my demise on the final day in some very stormy seas of Pakawau Beach, all I can say is never ever go boating without a lifejacket. It certainly is the reason I am able to type this today. Suffice to say, I am a little wary of water at the moment, despite having been a lifeguard for many Years in my youth. It only takes one nasty experience to wipe away many years of fun. But I am working though it...........Therapy anyone, LOL.

So we all returned on Sunday with a few extra kilos, a great tan and a new zest for the coming year and what it can bring.

I hope you all enjoyed the Holiday Season and also are ready to have a fab 2009 and beyond.

Rudolph threw up on my Christmas Tree.......Bens been decorating!

As I write this it is a cloudy Sunday afternoon here in Christchurch, I am sitting a few feet away from my 9 year old son Benjamin. He has taken it upon himself to be our Christmas Decorator for the 2008 holiday season.

He has collected the decorations from under the house and is enthusiastically creating what is likely to be the most unique tree and decorations. Who am I to spoil his fun and insist on a "Architectural Digest" style of decorations? No chance, for me Christmas is for the kids in our house and he is happily singing as he goes through the decorations and even creates new ones from scratch.

This may surprise many of you who make the assumption that because I am a Professional Organiser I have a home that looks like it jumped of the pages of a magazine, and that I would have colour coded and matching decorations. No chance, I have a family home with family decorations made by the kids and safely stored in one box during the year in our basement.

So often people stress over the duties of Christmas and getting everything done, my advice is chill out and let it happen in relaxed time. Stop and think about the real meaning behind why we are decking the halls. For each of us there will be a difference meaning to Christmas and the holiday season. For many it is about the Birth of Christ a celebration of his birth, for others it is about being with family, maybe it is about helping those less fortunate in the world, in NZ it is often about Summer vacation and for me it is about reflecting on the wonderful family, friends, success and challenges of the year passed.

So when we do really sit and think about why we are "Decking the Halls" do it with the spirit of what this time really means to you. For me watching Ben try and juggle two gold baubles and being free to express his creativity is a much better reward than having a perfectly decorated, color coordinated tree and dressings.

Now he is moving through to the Kitchen with a tinsel tree and going to do his magic there, oh the results will be superb no doubt.

Just remember, enjoy this time regardless of your beliefs and religion, and take time out to just be. Life is not about getting it perfect, it is about enjoying the moment.

At the end of the Holiday season when we return home from 2.5 weeks of camping on the beach, we will pack away Ben's fabulous creations. They will go back into the box and stored under the house, where we all know to find it for next Christmas.

This to me is a truly organised Christmas. Where you can relax and enjoy even if it does look like Rudolph threw up on your Christmas tree.

Yes even YOU can have a holiday!

I was recently fortunate enough to be featured in an article in NZ Business Magazine about taking a break from your business. It was a great time to reflect on our place in business and if really are indispensable or not. 

It is often amazing how many people honestly believe that without them the world would stop revolving. I hate to be the one to break it to these people but reality is that, No the world will not stop revolving. Things will continue to tick over with or without you.

The same goes with business to a certain degree. If you have your systems well in place and working there is no excuse for a business owner to not have a holiday. There are things that need to be done to ensure that things continue to tick over and they are easy to put in place if you really are serious about having a break.

* Hire people that can do the job better than you. I am serious, that way you can relax in the knowledge that things are getting done in a way that allows you to stop micromanaging and hand over.

* Have all work and paperwork up to date, if you have fallen behind invest in a Professional Organiser to spend some time with you to get the paperwork up to date. that way there is not a scary pile waiting for you on your return.

* Have strong, workable and practical policies and procedures in place that are easy to follow and make the job easier.

*Train your staff to do the job in your absence. 

* Hire a virtual service, such as Admincorp to handle phone calls and book keeping etc. Well worth the investment.

Yes it is OK to relax and have a break, you, your family and your business will be better for it.

Happy Holidays.

PS: I certainly take my own advice here and have two amazing Organising Consultants in Jane and Clare, and yes I truly believe they can organise clients better than I can. 

PPS:

our  family packs up and escapes before Christmas and have a beach Christmas without all the stress of a big family day and trying to please everyone. This is a hangover habit from spending many years living away from family. So it is normal for our family to have a Christmas SANS extended family. Now don't get me wrong I love my extended family, however we find a pre Christmas get together far less stressful and meaningful for us. Then we can chill out on Christmas day on the beach or by a river (me, Pete and the 3 kids). I recommend everyone try it at least once in their lifetime.

We are not indispensable!

Someone asked me an interesting question today, it got me thinking. This is the best kind of question. 

It was for a tip for people who think they are too busy to take a holiday. 

My response to this is you should never be too busy to take care of yourself. In any way, shape or form. I learnt this when I decided to employ staff. People thought I would have trouble not being in control, they thought I could not hand over the reigns to someone else to do what I have always done. This was a great lesson because, I have employed two wonderful women (Jane and Clare, Thank you both) who do my job better than I could do it. I kid you not, I learnt that I am not indispensable and that there are people out there who are equally or even more capable than me to handle certain jobs within my business.

So if you think you are too busy to look after yourself or take a holiday, think again. There will always be someone who can fill the void you leave especially with careful planning and consideration. You should never be too busy to care for your biggest asset, YOU.

So next time you hear yourself say, "I am too busy", outsource and get over it, because you to are not indispensable.