A Brilliant tip from a New Client.

I love it when  I get new clients, it is a privilege to be invited into someones home and help them get it organised. For many clients it can be a scary and intimidating experience, however they very quickly learn that here at Totally Organised we get it, and it is OK!
Asking for help is often the hardest part, soon followed by letting a stranger (albeit a friendly one) into your space and to handle your stuff. Fortunately the experience ends in a great, fun, positive and upbeat manner.

It is always an experience when I also learn new things and add ideas to my plethora of tips and ideas. Yesterday was one of those days when I was shown the most fantastic idea that my New client had developed and put together since the earthquake. She has said it is OK to share it with you.

We all talk about our disaster kits and grab and go bags etc, everyone has differing ideas and thoughts. Much of the time the question of where to keep your kit is a biggie, and there are various ideas. However "Mary"* (Name changed to protect the brilliant), has hit the nail on the head.

THE WHEELIE BIN:

 Yes, brilliant I know and so, so simple and now we see it obvious as well. Mary has purchased a Wheelie bin that is a different color from the ones used for Rubbish collection (hers is red), and it is stored outside her home.

The wheelie bin is weather proof, large and on wheels. perfect for a disaster kit. In her wheelie bin Mary has, large water containers full with fresh water, first aid kit, blankets, gumboots (anyone who has experienced liquefaction will know why), shovel, torches, batteries, blankets.
Here is a list of other items that will fit:
* Blankets
* Sleeping bag
* Small tent
* Non Perishable food
* Solar Shower
* Wet Weather Gear
* Small gas bottle and cooker

The possibilities are endless.
It is perfect for the following reasons:
* Being able to store outside allows for the event of your home collapsing and your kit not being stuck inside.
* Does not take up valuable storage space inside your home
* Portable, regardless of how heavy it may be - water containers weigh a lot- you can still roll it.
* Large in size so you CAN store a lot in it.

So I am heading to the nearest storage shop and getting me one of those wheelie bins. I will store it close to the home, and fill it with the necessary items that we have come to know and love here in Christchurch, following our recent Earthquakes. I suggest you should go and do the same. Because you just never know when you may needs it.

A huge thanks to MARY* as well for your brilliance and ingenuity.

Is your Business REALLY disaster ready??

The last month has shown many people in both Christchurch  a whole new perspective of what being prepared for a disaster can mean. There is a lot of information out there on having emergency kits ready at home and plans for handling yourself and you family in the immediate days after a disaster.
Yet something that is causing a huge amount of stress, hassle and frustration for many in Christchurch is the impact this disaster is having on businesses.

On the 22nd of February 2011 at 12.51pm everything stopped, 4 weeks later coffee cups still sit on tables in Cashel Mall, food still sits on shop shelves, lap tops and computers lay open, books and files left in place, cars remain parked in parking buildings, luggage still sits in hotel rooms, cash registers still open and handbags sit in Cafes. It is like time stopped as people fled the buildings they had been in when the 6.3 quake struck.

The people who fled these buildings were the customers, tourists, staff and the Business Owners. Most of the tourists have gone home, the customers went home, the staff have no job and the business owners have no access. This is an incredibly damaging situation for a business owner to be in.

There is increasing rage and frustration from the business owners as they wait for the green light to reenter their business premises and contents. There is no money coming in to those businesses, yet suppliers still send invoices and some customers still query for services and product. It is a disaster driven sense of limbo. In Christchurch these businesses are not limited to just the CBD, but many suburban businesses are effected as well.

 Now business owners are blaming the powers that be for ruining their potential to reopen and salvage their businesses. Buildings have been demolished without business owners having the opportunity to reclaim contents, blame is being laid on the powers that be as well. However the true demon in this situation was a natural disaster a devastating earthquake, and measures need to be taken to ensure the future safety of our city and its citizens and visitors.

A natural disaster like and Earthquake, is a mean evil bastard that creeps up on you with no warning and kills indiscriminately. This immediate impact is shocking and destructive, but the longer term effect is what we all need to prepare for.

As a business owner I have made it my responsibility to ensure that if my office were to be inaccessible for any reason I could get myself up and running again with the minimum of inconvenience to myself, staff and customers. By doing so I have worked to protect a valuable asset, my business, however nothing though can prepare or protect anyone from the shock and disbelief that will be part of the process.

These are some of the things I have done:

* INSURANCE - A business must have insurance, this is not a luxury this is essential and not negotiable. Insure your business  premises, stock, assets, business interruption, income protection, equipment. Have it covered or risk losing it. If you cannot afford to insure your business you cannot afford to be in business.

* BACK UP DATA - I use a service in Christchurch NEXUS this is an offsite back up of all my electronic data. If I lose my computers or they get damaged the information is only a phone call away. I have called on this once when my laptop hard drive crashed. It was no hassle and worth he investment.

* CLOUD COMPUTING - Store information in the "cloud", let others know where it is so if you were not available someone else can access it and get things up and running. I use this for simple but important things like a database of who my insurance is with, current customer list, supplier list, how to contact nexus etc. That way someone in another country could begin actioning things for me if I was incapacitated.

These are just three simple, effective and essential business disaster recovery items that everyone should be doing. If you have not got a Disaster Recovery Plan in place for your business, then make it number one on your to-do list. Get onto it because you could need it anytime, yet I sincerely hope you never need it.

Always remember though that lives and people are far more valuable than buildings and contents. Buildings and Contents can be rebuilt and replaced, however lives can never be replaced and the hole left by the loss of a person is far greater that that of losing material things. So prepare for the risk now so that you will not feel the need to take risks when it is too late.

EARTHQUAKE - Rethinking how we look at our STUFF!

The range of the 7.1 Magnitude Quake

As many of you know, we had a massive 7.1 Earthquake here in my hometown, Christchurch, on the 4th September 2010. It was an incredibly frightening and leveling (no pun intended) experience. Since the main JOLT we have also endured over 2500 aftershocks ranging in magnitude from 1.5 - over 5 on the Richter scale.

Suffice it to say, things in Christchurch have changed, it is no longer the same city it was before September 4th, and it's citizens also have been changed forever. As a Professional Organiser I have taken particular interest in the change of attitude to "STUFF", I am talking about material possessions we all have in our environment. I have observed and asked people about how they feel about their possessions, and if anything has changed. The responses have varied but their has been one common thread, that is that Stuff really does not matter as much anymore.
I know my own personal feelings in the days immediately following the quake included the desire to get a huge rubbish skip and strip my home of everything but the basic necessities. They were no longer important and in fact many seemed to be an intrusion on my space and home, I have spoken to many others who feel the same. One even said, "What is the point keeping all this stuff, when you can wake up in the morning and it is all destroyed?".
When I have spoken to people who have lost previously precious and sentimental items, many almost seem nonplussed about them now, where as there would be no way they would have discarded them prior to September 4th. They are grateful to have a bed to sleep in and a roof over their heads, as we have many displaced families now in Christchurch as a result of their homes being deemed uninhabitable.
Another this I have been seeking information on is how many people are rushing out to replace items destroyed and damaged in the Earthquake. Interestedly there are few who are shopping up big, they are using insurance payouts to replace items they feel are important in their home like re-framing pictures, replacing TV's, new bed and crockery etc. Most are opting not to replace "luxury" or "entertainment" items like Wii, Playstations, ornaments and the like.
As for shopping, people tend to be heading to the Malls less than pre-quake and retailers have been reporting a decrease in sales, as people spend their money on necessities rather than luxuries. Maybe the malls are underpopulated as the raw experience of the 7.1 magnitude quake make being in an indoor mall undesirable at the moment, this will change. Every aftershock over 4.5 rekindles a sense of fear in most residents, and it is something you think you are OK with then you have a big shake and you are emotionally back to square one (but that is a whole other blog post)
This has not been a scientific survey, just my observations of how people have managed STUFF in the past 2 months. As we lead up to the busy Christmas season it will be interesting to learn what the big selling items in Canterbury (Quake region) are and if the amount we spend at this traditionally boom time.
What is obvious though is we are all now looking at our STUFF in a new light, embrace it and simplify, this is a lesson everyone can learn from this experience.

Devastation in Australia

As an Aussie who is living in New Zealand, my heart is truly breaking for all those effected in what must surely be one of the most tragic weeks in Australia.

Victoria has been dealt deadly bushfire's that have killed over 170

 (the toll is rising) and in Queensland they are struck by flooding and drought. What a temperamental country Australia is. Beautiful but deadly as well.

In Victoria entire towns and a huge percentage of the populations of those towns have been completely wiped out by the fires. Approx 800 homes have burnt to the ground. For up to date figure and info CLICK HERE

In Queensland there are floods that are also taking lives and making this another disaster zone. For more inofmration CLICK HERE

As a Professional Organiser my thoughts have immediatly gone to what people can do to help in some way. The most immediate things that are needed are clothing and food. Lifes essentials that have been lost by so many.

If you or someone you know is in Victoria and can help, the radio stations are broadcasting where donations can be dropped off. I am listening to 3AW while working here in Christchurch, and they are broadcasting services that are available and where donations can be left. A fellow PO, Lysa Wheelen from Presenting Homes has advised me that there is a warehouse putting together relief parcels at Lot 7 Henderson Road, Rowville 0409 944 220 (Andrew), 8 -5 every day this week. Items can also be dropped at Unit 48, 1508 Centre Road, Clayton. Thanks to LINFOX transport for supplying the distribution centre. If you do donate items ensure the packages are well labelled so they can get to where they are needed.

As the President of AAPO I have put a call out to all our members to help where they can with time, donations and encouraging clients to donate items. This is a time when we all need to band together to make a difference.

I invite you to comment here with any suggestions as to how people can help and lets help where we can regardless of where we are in the world.