Last week, you got a peek at 3 of my top product picks from the NAPO 2011 conference. Today, you’ll get to see my final three (in no particular order). Enjoy! …and if you use any of them, let me know what you think.

On The Go

Grid-It Organizer. If you carry around gadgets or other items on the regular, this product is for you. It’s a super easy way to store and carry your gear…tic tacs, pens, iPod, camera, cables…you name it, it can handle it, including one of my favorite products – ChapStick! =)

Grid-Its come in a variety of sizes and colors, and there’s even a version that you can put in your 3-ring binder (if you happen to still carry around one of those). ;) Did I mention that the company that makes Grid-It, Cocoon Innovations, won the Organizers’ Choice Award for Best Technology Product at NAPO 2011? …and that they gave away several products at the expo? =)

Office

Pendaflex Divide It Up™ Multi-Section File Folders. You’re only as good as your best folders, right? Probably not, but if you have a great folder that keeps all your important project docs all in one place – and in categories – you’ll find specifically what you want when you want it. That’s exactly what these folders do.

They are a great way to sub-divide all your paperwork for a given project or simply separate different documents that you need to act on.

Home

Pliio™ Clothing Management System. This product has been described as “the greatest thing to hit clothing management since the hanger.” It’s called Pliio and it will help you to fold ‘n file your clothing. Can you imagine filing your T-shirts? I thought that was a pretty interesting concept, so I stopped by their booth and chatted with Professional Organizer and Pliio spokesperson, Clare Kumar. Check out this demo and our quick interview to find out more.

Thanks to Krista Colvin, the phenomenal woman behind the camera.

The last time I attended the NAPO Conference, I shared highlights from the keynote speakers. The NAPO 2011 keynotes were just as fabulous, but this time, I’m sharing three (of six) products for your home, office, or when you’re on the go from this year’s vendors that I think you will love. I’ll tell you all about the other three products next week, so stay tuned.

Home

Sock Organizer. Stop losing your socks in the laundry! Use the new sock organizer by NeatFreak.com to keep your socks together as they meander through the laundry cycle. Yep, that means they can go in the dryer and stay connected in your drawer, too.

On The Go

Space Bag To Go. Travel lots? Need to make more space in your suitcase? These “to go” bags are a great way to group your similar items together and get more room…especially when you go to a conference and bring back goodies. =) They’re also air- and watertight and would be a good option for camping and road trips.

Also check out their travel cube.

Office

Dry Erase Hanging File Tabs. You know how sometimes you decide to label a file with one name and then you decided to use different name instead? Or, maybe you mis-spelled the word and need to re-write it? Perhaps you no longer keep certain papers and want to change the name of the label without having to find a new tab.

This labeling system makes it easy to handle all of those situations easily. Since you use a dry erase marker, it’s easy to make corrections and changes…and each tab has a protective tab cover so that once you finally settle on the right name, it won’t get wiped off. Nice, right? =)

If you have used any of these products, let me know what you think…and check back next week to see the other products I loved at conference this year. One of them was described as “winning,” but is waay better than Charlie Sheen. Sorry, Charlie. ;)

It’s NAPO Conference week in San Diego, CA!  While I’m off at this year’s conference, enjoy these short highlights from NAPO 2010, and click on the link below to read the entire post.

1. The good programming was really enhanced by the fantastic keynote speakers.  First up was Tim Sanders. If you looked up “funny,” “motivating,” and “knows his stuff,” you’d find Tim’s picture.  He inspired us to be better business owners and to change how we think about relationships.  Here are a few nuggets he shared:

• Networking is not giving out your business card.  That’s prospecting.

• Networking is putting two people together who need each other and getting out of the way. Networking is a verb.

2. Our second keynote was Gina Schreck, otherwise known as the Geek Chick.  Like Tim, she was hilarious! …and energetic and just fun.  She shared a few interesting stats and gave info on how we can use social media tools to brand our companies and get the word out.

• Facebook:  If Facebook were a country, it would be the 4th largest.

• Video:  Have a video over 10 minutes long?  Post it on http://blip.tv.

3. The third and final keynote was delivered by Monica Wofford.  Apparently, she went to comedy school with Tim & Gina. =)  She, too, was very inspiring and focused on how we can build our confidence.  She says that everything we do, say, think, and believe is contagious!

• Have you ever felt negative on the inside and tried to pretend to be positive on the outside?  Does it work?

• The next time someone doubts that you can succeed, say to yourself, “Watch me.” And mean it.

Read Entire Post | Visit my Facebook page to see more pictures!

On Saturday, I attended the 2010 Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference for Professional Organizers (MARCPO).  It was a great day with fabulous food and content-packed sessions, several of which were motivating and inspiring. Some of the key messages from this year’s conference: Be positive. Avoid perfection. You CAN be happy and successful.

I loved the opening keynote address, Ten Things Everyone Should Know to Be Happy and Successful, by Caroline Adams Miller. There were so many things she said that just made sense…some we’ve all probably heard before, but they were great reminders.

≡ Go outside your comfort zone every day. You may not like it, but helps you grow and flourish.

≡ To accomplish goals, you must start FIRST with the happy face.

≡ When you set mediocre goals, you feel mediocre.

≡ Nurture your friendships.

≡ People who pretend to be happy achieve the same results as people who actually are happy.

≡ When the brain is happy, you learn better.

≡ YOU are charge of your happiness level.

≡ Live life like you have grass stains on your pants…have fun!

≡ Stop focusing on what’s wrong.

≡ Success equals happiness.

≡ Prime your environment. You’re impacted by everything so must carefully choose what you accept in your life.

Caroline also mentioned that we don’t have to live in a perfect world to be happy. This goes hand in hand with seeing the good in ourselves and others. If you focus on the negative, then that’s what you’ll get. Put a positive spin on your life and pretty soon you’ll end up with a nice bucket of happiness. A little success + a little success + a little success still = happiness! Who says that all your successes have to be grand and ginormous?! Can you tell I was super motivated after this opening session? A good dose of inspiration was a great way to kick off the day.

Check out Caroline’s book: Creating Your Best Life: The Ultimate Life List Guide

We ended our day with Dorothy Breininger of A&E’s Hoarders. Her presentation, What Do Your Conversations Say About YOU?, focused on being mindful about the types of conversations we engage in every day. What are you talking about with the people you connect with on daily basis? Are you driving your success by talking about positive things that fuel your passions and connect to your personal values? Are you always talking about the recession? Job loss? Illness? The BP oil spill? Divorce? Someone you can’t stand (if yes, scroll up to read Caroline’s reminders)?

If you answered yes, to those final few questions, perhaps it’s time to change what you talk about and consider making your conversation more global. Think outside yourself and see how you can start having a more positive impact on those around you. Thinking of volunteering and donating your time to your favorite non-profit?  Start talking about that. Are you helping to prepare meals for your elderly neighbor? Start talking about that. Imagine if people started sharing and joining in your POWERFUL conversations…

Dorothy’s presentation was fun and upbeat, and, just like Caroline, she doesn’t believe in perfection. She proved it, too…whenever she was finished with a page of her notes, she threw it on the floor and exclaimed: “I avoid perfection at all costs!” Watch our interview below to hear more from Dorothy about her avoidance of perfection.

Check out Dorothy’s Book: Time Efficiency Makeover: Own Your Time and Your Life by Conquering Procrastination

Let me tell you why I love my husband. He’s got a fabulous sense of humor, he can get along with just about anyone, and he really does read Maxim for the articles!

How do I know this? A few days ago, he came racing down the hallway asking for a pair of scissors (yep, he’s a member of the husband group that has trouble finding things). He wanted to cut out an article he was reading in Maxim because he thought I would be interested in it. I had my doubts…

Obviously, Maxim is not on the top of my list of reading materials. Unless we’re talking about Maksim Chmerkovskiy (you Dancing with the Stars fans know who I’m talking about), I’m not really interested…until three days ago when I read Spring Clean Your Life and saw this:

Pay a professional home organizer to help clear all your clutter.  Find a legit one near you at napo.net [Your Chores]

I was sooo excited that NAPO got a shout out! …and this little tid bit was #4 on their list…

Peep these stats: It takes more than a minute to get back to work after responding to an e-mail. On average, workers respond to more than 120 e-mails and IMs every day. Add it up and so-called “multitasking” costs you 2.1 hours of no-tasking each day, according to Basex, an IT consulting firm. [Your Productivity]

Other mentions:

• Your Digital Self: Shed extra e-mail accounts; you only need one. Consolidate all your passwords with roboform.com.
• Your Money: Hire a flat-fee accountant.
• Your Galley:  All you need in your kitchen are 16 things.
• Your Desk at Work:  If you’re sentenced to the chair, you can still prevent back pain, eyestrain, and migraines.
•Your Hard Drive: Store your text files in Google Docs and photos on Flickr or Picasa. Back up your data with Web-based hard drive service carbonite.com.

It was a good read (surprised was I), though I suggest that if you have sensitive eyes or a “OMG! I would never use that language!” frame of mind, you should peruse at your own risk. Honestly, I laughed out loud a couple of times. Click here to read the entire article. *Sorry, Maxim has since removed the article from their database.

So, now you know how to clear up all the clutter in your life (whilst avoiding a few scantily clad women as you flip through the mag), why I so love my hubby, and why I still let him read Maxim. ;)

The 2010 NAPO conference was great!   There were so many awesome elements of this conference, it’s hard to pick just one thing to talk about.  So, here are some highlights from my time in Columbus, Ohio…

Three AWESOME Keynote Speakers

1. The good programming was really enhanced by the fantastic keynote speakers.  First up was Tim Sanders. If you looked up “funny,” “motivating,” and “knows his stuff,” you’d find Tim’s picture.  He inspired us to be better business owners and to change how we think about relationships.  Here are a few nuggets he shared:

• Networking is not giving out your business card.  That’s prospecting.

• Networking is putting two people together who need each other and getting out of the way. Networking is a verb.

• Being helpful is the best marketing. Otherwise, it’s just noise.

• Grow everyone you do business with. Multiply their value.

• Integrate community into everything you do.

• Turn your clients into friends, not your friends into clients.

2. Our second keynote was Gina Schreck, otherwise known as the Geek Chick.  Like Tim, she was hilarious! …and energetic and just fun.  She shared a few interesting stats and gave info on how we can use social media tools to brand our companies and get the word out.

• Facebook:  If Facebook were a country, it would be the 4th largest.

• Video:  Have a video over 10 minutes long?  Post it on http://blip.tv.

• YouTube:  YouTube is a power tool. 24 hrs of video is uploaded every 60 seconds. Are you on YouTube?

• Twitter:  Be interesting, helpful, or be quiet.

• Twitter:  How are people listing you? Are you seen as an expert?

• Twiter:  Twitter is a FREE power PR tool – don’t follow blatherers! Follow 5 smart people.

• Make yourself easy to find.  Post your content everywhere.

3. The third and final keynote was delivered by Monica Wofford.  Apparently, she went to comedy school with Ti m & Gina. =)  She, too, was very inspiring and focused on how we can build our confidence.  She says that everything we do, say, think, and believe is contagious!

• Have you ever felt negative on the inside and tried to pretend to be positive on the outside?  Does it work?

• The next time someone doubts that you can succeed, say to yourself, “Watch me.” And mean it.

• It’s ok to not feel confident…but not for long.

• You are the average of the 5 people you hang out with the most, so surround yourself with people that have similar goals and thoughts…but, first, be clear about what you want.

• There is no substitute for you.

• If 2% of the population loves you, that’s over 1 million people and that’s enough. You can’t be all things to all people.

Want more info? Search #NAPO10 on Twitter.

Neat Company's Paper Monster

Connecting With Vendors @ The Expo

I ran into Jim, Lauren, and Erin at the Rubbermaid booth and caught up with the folks at Neat Company. Some of you might remember that I won a NeatDesk last year. This year, I got lucky again and won a Dymo Label Manager 360D Label Maker! I’ll be testing it out and will share in a later blog post.

Kim Oser, Liz Jenkins, & Deb Lee

Catching Up With Friends

This was my second time attending NAPOCon.  It was so nice to catch up with “old” friends and to connect with people I’ve been tweeting with for a while.  Here’s one of my favorite pics…

Visit my Facebook page to see more pictures!

It ‘s NAPO conference time again! …and my second year attending. Last year, 700+ organizers gathered in Orlando, FL for the annual conference of the National Association of Professional Organizers. This year, we’ll be in Columbus, Ohio, and as I write this today (Tuesday), I’m sitting in a very comfy Southwest Airlines seat alongside my colleague, Kim Oser.

What’s so special about NAPO conference (a.k.a. NAPOCon)?  It’s the only place where so many pro organizers get together all in one place at the same time, and we often get to see new organizing products (and some old favorites, like Rubbermaid).  There will also be a few TweetUps and I’m sure a some attendees will live tweet from the sessions they’ll be attending.

I’m particularly impressed with the way the conference organizers distributed this year’s program book.  It was all digital. Each attendee received a special code to open the digital notebook, and we had the option to print all pages or just the ones we were interested in.  I might suggest that they make it a little less circuitous to get session information.  None the less, it was easy to use and a green way to distribute the info we need. Somewhere out there, a family of trees is breathing a sigh of relief. =)

Kim took a different approach by going “high tech” with paper, well, as high tech as one can get with paper.  She created an 8.5×11 Circa notebook filled with the pages she printed.  She also copied/pasted the agenda on annotated pages, added labeled tabs, and used the blue Circa disks to match the blue NAPO logo color!  Only an organizer would be this detailed (read:  anal) and only another organizer would be jealous that she didn’t do the same (read:  moi).  Between the trip to the Levenger store in Tysons Corner (she already knew what she was going to buy before going), printing, and putting the book together, Kim estimates that it took her a total of 2 hours from start to finish.  Not bad, especially since it will be a tremendous help to her and her roomie (me) over the next four days.

Another plus…though the conference bag was blue, it was also green…

Stay tuned for more updates from NAPOCon 2010. There’ll be lots more to share.  Ciao!

“We are part of an organizing craze…we love a great container, but what we really love is the transformation of our client’s lives.”- Kristine Oller, Professional Organizer

[Of Ramen, Fat Bastards and Professional Organizers · Time Magazine · Lisa Cullen · January 9, 2007]

Image Credit:  Google Images

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I spent the last few days with 700 (or so) new and old friends in Orlando at the annual conference hosted by the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO).  It was soooo much fun meeting organizers that I had only talked to on Twitter for the first time!  I also soaked up some knowledge (but not enough sun) with the fantastic educational sessions that were offered.

One of those sessions, “Are You Media Ready?,” was presented by my organizing colleague in Portland, Ellen Damaschino (“Ms. Damn-Machine-Oh”), who offered tips and tricks on getting, well, media ready.  Know what one of those tips and tricks was?

Wear makeup. Anyone who knows me knows that most times my makeup consists of moisturizer and chapstick (grape flavor, thank you very much).  I mentioned this during the session, and received LOTS of encouragement to get over myself and slap some paint on my face, especially since I’ve got this media thing coming up (more on that later).  I took that advice yesterday and paid a little visit to the MAC cosmetics counter at a local mall in Pembroke Pines, FL.

So, here’s my makeover…tell me what you think…am I media ready?

This is me before MAC

Half way there...

Lip Service

The Big Reveal! Here I am with my MAC makeup artist, Lori. Think she did a good job? Lemme know...

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Hey, did you know that January is Get Organized Month, otherwise known as GO Month? That’s right, my friends, it’s time to make good on some of those resolutions, especially the one about regaining order in your home, office, or car. Organizers are not the only ones on this bandwagon.

This morning I read Top Way to Waste Money on AOL’s Money & Finance page. AOL polled their readers (3rd year in a row) to find out what they thought were some top money wasters. The responses ranged from buying pet clothing and swimsuits to renting movies. I’m not sure I can get on board with letting it all hang out at the beach, but I totally agreed with what this AOL user had to say:

Duplicate Spending Due to Disorganization

AOL User waterboils Says: “[The biggest waste of money is] whenever I buy something, only to find out in a few days or weeks that I already had whatever it was I just bought. My complete failure to have any real organization system in my life is so bad, I don’t even know half of the stuff I have. I recently gathered all the audio/video cables from the 20 different places I stored them and realized I own enough of them to open a Radio Shack.”

Does that sound like you? Doesn’t it sound better to be organized AND save a few bucks while you’re at it? Well, now’s your chance to start off 2009 on the right foot. Jump on board with Get Organized Month. It’ll set the tone for the rest of your soon to be more organized year. Just keep one thing in mind, well, two actually: (1) choose one or two priorities for the year and (2) tackle them a little bit at a time.

So, what’s your organizing goal for 2009? Leave a comment to let me know.

Oh, one more thing, NAPO-WDCis doing their part for GO Month, too. Several chapter members have volunteered to help organize the offices of 40 Plus of Greater Washington, a non-profit that offers peer support and training to those who are unemployed and want to re-enter the workforce.

So, what will this mean for 40 Plus? They will be more efficient, improve their systems, and have easy to find and organized supplies. If they are more organized, then their efforts to help others will be that much greater.

Here a few NAPO-WDC members at a recent open house at the Container Store. Aren’t we a lovely bunch? Can you find me in the picture? If you do, there might be a prize in it for you!