WOW - That is all I can say!

What a day! I started at the gym having my butt royally kicked by Cate Grace from Leap2it. So was feeling very virtuous, checked my mail then hit the office.
I had already decided this would be a pivotal week in the business known as "Totally Organised" as I had planned to shake things up a bit, and really get this business humming.
Little did I know that it would become one of the most personally and professionally satisfying days in my career as a Professional Organiser. On checking emails and other online social networks, as I do, for me and the business. I opened the NAPO LA announcement for the finalists in the 2011 LA Organising Awards. Looking down at the names of some really amazing and revolutionary Organisers, Industry suppliers and others who work in the Organizing and Productivity Industry, my heart skipped a beat.


MOST INNOVATIVE ORGANIZER FINALISTS -
Dorothy Breininger
Wendy Davie Yep that is me :-)
Lorie Marerro
Monica Ricci
Beth Zeigler

What an incredibly illustrious list of industry champions and ME!!! I am amazingly humbled and honored to be on this list. So after my heart resumed normal rhythm, I took a moment to wonder. WHY AND HOW this honor had happened, so I decided to write down what makes me innovative in this industry. Here is what I came up with:

* New Zealands first and only Certified Professional Organiser (CPO (R))
* One of the earliest and longest running providers of Professional Organising services in New Zealand (Est. 2003).
* First Professional Organising Company in New Zealand to offer nationwide services with staff in main centres.
* Author of the book - "The Accidental Organiser" - 1st New Zealand book written and published about "getting organised at home"
* Innovator and designer of the Totally Organised range of Products.
* Introduced Organising by Party Plan - Selling products and solutions in fun group parties in homes and businesses.
* I enable people in New Zealand and Australia to start their own business selling organising products, that I source and design.
* Training and mentoring for those who wish to become Professional Organisers.
* The ONLY active founding member of the Australasian Association of Professional Organisers (AAPO). Was there when it was just a concept and still am actively involved in this association having served 2 terms as President (07-08-09)
* Appear in the media in New Zealand sharing Organising and Productivity strategies, so that people can not only become more organised but also to increase the awareness of the Professional organising Industry.
* Created "Global Organizers and Productivity Professionals" as a Professional Organiser only network where colleagues from all over the world can network, share and promote their business and themselves.

I love this industry and those in it. I love that we can be global without leaving home. Also I am a true believer that if something is not working or times are tough then go out and find a better way. That is how the product line came about during the Global Financial Crisis, I decided to make it easier for people to access organising products and information without needing a on One - on - one Consultation. The service side of the business was slow, but was I going to give up and shut down, HECK NO!!!!! I decided to come at it from a new angle, hence Totally Organised get-togethers was born, and my business now is in New Zealand and Australia with plans for expansion into the UK and North America.

So WOW, is all I can say to being a Finalist with four other innovative, inspiring and fantastic Professionals. It truly is an honor I will treasure forever and it will also be the catalyst for many more great things in the future.

The Things We Keep

Last night I had the pleasure to speak to a large group at "St Stephans" Anglican Church here in Christchurch. These were the ladies of AWA (Anglican Womens Association). They had invited the men folk to the evening in the hopes I would shed some light on Organising some of those "Man Caves". They were a wonderful, fun and interactive group and I really enjoyed the presentation.
One thing that really stood out for me though was the introduction. One of the ladies had found a poem and it was read before I spoke, I loved it so wanted to share:

The Things We Keep by Audrey Denning

Tucked away in a dusty cupboard,
Look at all the scores of things we hoard:
Pieces of pencil, bits of string,
Gracious, whatever is that thing?
Electric switches, scraps of wire,
A stick or two for lighting a fire.
Masses of paper, magazines too,
We'll never have time to read all through.
Balls of wool, some knitting half done,
A crumpled certificate one of us won.
Boxes of cardboard, boxes of tin,
Once were used for keeping things in.
Now what did we keep that old brush for?
It's hardly fit for scrubbing the floor
Right at the back there is a can of old paint,
Whatever it was, it truly now ain't!
What's this? A Firebrick? What a find,
In the middle of summer that's quiet well timed!
A pile of nails, some pincers too,
Needed for the odd jobs we don't do.
A left-handed glove, the head of a rake,
Why were they kept for Heavens Sake?
Masses of rubbish, full to the doors,
This was my cupboard - Now turn out yours!

Thanks you for sharing such a fun, visual and real poem. It made me laugh and reminded me of many a cupboard I have helped some people sort through.

Life Events that NEED a Professional Organiser!!!!

So often we hear about what it is a Professional Organiser can do, what you can achieve with the assistance of a Professional Organiser and why you should hire a Professional Organiser. Yet there can still be confusion about just WHO could hire a Professional Organiser.
So to help clear up the confusion I have compiled a list of the life events that will be immensely simpler and easier with the assistance of a professional organiser. So if you or someone you know are experiencing any of the following, then a Professional Organiser will help you get it sorted:

• Having a baby
• Getting Married
• Moving House
• Retiring
• Doing your taxes
• Relocating
• Setting up a business
• Merging two households
• Having visitors
• Clearing a Deceased Estate
• Kids starting school or college
• Returning to the workforce
• Working from home
• Volunteering at a club
• Downsizing
• Upsizing
• Planning a party
• Rooms being used for the wrong purpose.
• Overflowing closets
• Employing new staff
• Renovating
• Selling your home
• When you get a Promotion or change of work (Thanks AnnMaree Ozanne from counting the Beans in Christchurch)

Any of the above are situations we can find ourselves overwhelmed by. Imagine having it sorted and simplified in a fun, productive and stressfree manner. It is possible, get a Professional organiser on board and feel the difference.
Please feel free to add any other Life Events that may be simplified with the help of a Professional Organiser.

So what does a Professional organiser do?

Today I discovered, thanks to twitter, a great website that lets the inner "Speilberg" or "Cameron" out. So I experimented with it and answered the common question.
What does a Professional Organiser do?? For a fun and cute explanation CLICK HERE
This is the first in "The Professional" a small series that will dispel some of the myths of organising and also give an explanation for some commonly used excuses we all use to stay disorganised.

NEW YEAR, NEW LOOK, NEW OPPORTUNITIES

Welcome to 2010, this is the year where life will change and things will never be the same, in a wonderful way.
The Organising Guru has (almost) been in hiding, working on an amazing project that will become an Internationally Recognised brand within 5 years. That brand is:

TOTALLY ORGANISED GET-TOGETHERS - Live, Laugh & Learn

If you have not seen the new us, here is your chance CHECK US OUT.
So "what's in it for me?" I hear you ask....Heaps.

* We have developed for you a range of products that will simplify your life 
* We have sourced other products that fit the company mission and vision.
* You have the chance to start your own business, if you wish (NZ Only at the moment, but working on expansion)
* It is all about "Live, laugh and learn" the Totally Organised way
* Products are avaialble for purchase at get-togethers.
* You learn to use the products you purchase

This is a whole new concept aimed at taking organising to the masses through educational and fun get-togethers. You asked for getting organised to be simpler and more accessible, Totally Organised is delivering that to you starting NOW.

So here are the opportunities for you:

* Host a get-together and earn great products and rewards, have fun with your family and friends and start the year learning how to be more organised.

* Start your own business in 2010 as one of the 1st ever Totally Organised Independent Consultants. This is an amazing opportunity for you to be in on the Ground level of what will become one of New Zealands fasted growing companies. The rewards are going to be AMAZING

If you are not in New Zealand, but interested in the opportunities then contact us today, as we have expansion plans underway and are planning to be "live" in Australia in April 2010 then the US and Canada to follow. So if you are interested, we are interested.

MAKE 2010 YOUR YEAR TO LIVE, LAUGH AND LEARN THE TOTALLY ORGANISED WAY

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Comfort Zone Be Gone!

It is amazing how often we are afraid to step out of our comfort zone. This is a task we should attend to daily. I found myself doing it twice today, and I am sure I had chest pain as a result, LOL.

First, I took some time out to learn about something I have always avoided. 

I spent the early hours of today at a seminar run by the fabulous Jennifer Moreton & Alexandra Dalzell of ABN-AMRO Craigs here in Christchurch. It was a seminar about finance, shares, bonds, fixed interest etc. All those things that usually make my eyes glaze over. However these two made it digestible even at 8am in the morning. I left there understanding allot more and feeling less afraid of opening the finance pages of the paper. I really went out of my comfort zone here, as I usually avoid "money" stuff like the plague.

This takes me to the second event. That was presenting a Business Plan to my fantastic husband. He is a CEO of a large company so knows his stuff and as much as I love being married to him, talking finance with view to getting finance for a new project with him really is not high on my list of comfortable activities.  I made it with the need for only one tissue, to wipe a stray stress tear. Oh and yes my eyes got that glazed over feeling when Excel spreadsheets, profit & loss, Cash-flow and projections where being talked about. 

 I even left after working on things a little more understanding some of the finer points of these financial terms that I have thus far managed to be ignorant about. 

 This new project is way bigger and potentially more lucrative than anything I have done before and requires finance to get it rolling, so I have spent today getting out of my financial comfort zone and learning some great things.

You know what it really is not as scary as I thought.

My challenge to you is to spend a little time today learning about something you have managed to avoid or have been afraid of for a long time. 

I thank my many Maths teachers over the years who never saw fit to pass me once for my fear of numbers, maths and spreadsheets. 

However I thank Jennie, Alex, DH and Kathy for making life a little simpler for me today.

Onwards and upwards, Tally ho!!