Best Results Organizing

Recently, a loyal reader wrote in to inquire if I ever get tired of organizing paper, and wanted to know what other things are going on at Paper Doll Central when I’m not writing this blog.

As to the first question, I have to admit, I’m a geek. I really do love organizing all kinds of paper, and probably wouldn’t get bored even if I were setting up family filing systems every day of the week.

As for what else I’m doing during this wacky heat wave, you might expect that I’d be tempted to say “as little as possible” — but the truth is, Paper Doll has been wildly busy this summer. Consider today’s post an old-fashioned postcard for filling you in on my activities.

BIG ORGANIZING IDEAS FOR SMALL PEOPLE

July is Purposeful Parenting Month, and in support of that, I’ve been exceeding the boundaries of paper organizing in quite a few ways. For example, last week, I wrote about helping children get organized for Tiffany Merritt’s fabulous

Stuff Parents Need blog. The first part, Teaching Your Kids to be Organized (Hallelujah!!!), ran last Monday, July 18, and the second part, Getting Your Kids Organized, ran on Thursday, July 21.

For those of you unfamiliar with Stuff Parents Need, be assured it’s not the kind of product review site that encourages conspicuous consumption of things that turn into clutter. Fellow Chattanooga-based blogger Tiffany, the mother of an active and adorable two-year-old little girl, tests and evaluates products and isn’t afraid to speak her mind. She focuses on resources that she feels provide value to growing families and eschews those that just fill up space. No wonder we get along so well!

Stuff Parents Need also runs giveaways (like this one) fairly frequently. Paper Doll readers know that just because something is free, doesn’t necessarily mean it’s worth bringing into your space, but a detailed review offers insight into a product’s relative merits. Even if you’re not a parent or even a Savvy Auntie, you’ll likely be entertained by Tiffany’s charming narratives and frankly adorable pictures.

As for Purposeful Parenting Month, guest posting was only part of how I celebrated. I also worked with an organizing client to create systems in a truly progressive homeschool classroom (which actually inspired the post Paper Doll Adjusts the Vertical Hold: Space-Saving Solutions from a few weeks ago).

And by the time you read this, I will have just finished a presentation on organizing families of multiples for the Chattanooga Area Mothers of Multiples Club, a local chapter of a national organization providing resources and camaraderie for parents of multiples. (If you or someone you know has twins, triplets or a “higher order of multiples”, you might want to check out the National Organization of Mothers of Twins Clubs (NOMOTC) for support.)

SMALL ORGANIZING TIPS FOR BIG PEOPLE

Although much of July has been focused on organizing tiny humans, Paper Doll isn’t always thinking small. Sometimes, I’m thinking about small ways to make big changes, and in that way, I’ve enjoyed the opportunities I’ve had recently to participate with other professional organizers and similarly-minded souls as part of an ongoing project put together by Stephanie Calahan.

Stephanie has come up with a great way to crowdsource productivity tips and solutions. Just last week, Paper Doll contributed to Creative Uses for 3M Post-It Notes (you can see my response at #17), a collection of responses that serves as a great companion piece to Paper Doll‘s own post from last July, Organizing With Post-It Notes: Revenge of the Floozies! I really enjoyed sharing the spotlight with colleagues such as Ellen Delap, Lisa Mark, Janet Barclay (of whom, more later), and Cena Block.

Of course, this hasn’t been my only foray into playing in this cozy productivity sandbox. Please also peruse some other recent contributory/participatory organizing, time management and productivity tip-a-paloozas, including:

• Staying Focused and Avoiding BSOs – 31 Tips to Take You to Focused Success

• Mastering the Art of Re-Purposing Your Work and You’ll Save Multiple Hours — 50 Ideas To Get You Started

• Best Business Technology for Small Businesses & Their Owners

JOINING THE CAUSE, SPREADING THE WORD

This summer also included the fun opportunity of participating in the inaugural post of Krista Colvin’s new series as part of The SHEbang. In The Organizer’s House, Krista gives readers the opportunity to peek behind the curtain into the homes of other professional organizers. So, breaking from the expected, I posted not about paper, but about my junk drawer!

And if that weren’t enough to keep me busy, I wrote a (not-so) little testimonial for our friends at Rubbermaid. And no, it’s not about the fabulously Top Secret product I hinted about here (the launch for which my sources say will now be in October), but about Rubbermaid’s new Glass with Easy Find Lids. Click on the Reviews section to find my Fridge to Oven to Table contribution at the Rubbermaid site (which, although I submitted my name, lists me as an anonymous professional organizer) or you can see the review on Amazon.

I’D LIKE TO THANK THE ACADEMY

My favorite part of being a professional organizer involves helping others — whether that’s through the Paper Doll blog, hands-on organizing, my new foray into virtual organizing and time management services, public speaking (whether for specialized audiences like the Moms of Multiples or last Saturday’s presentation as part of Chattanooga’s Stress Away Day), or media appearances. But it would be disingenuous for me to say it’s not a little heady to have one’s work appreciated by others.

In that respect,  I’m proud to say that Paper Doll has been included in Tracy Myers’ Best 50 Blogs About Reducing Clutter, where I am in excellent company with many of my professional organizing colleagues.

Speaking of fine company, I am honored that Paper Doll was recently named a

Star Blogger as part of the monthly Professional Organizers Blog Carnival run by Janet Barclay of Organized Assistant. Star Blogger status is conferred once an organizing blogger’s posts have appeared ten times in the carnival series. Right now, I’m tickled to stand among the (currently) one dozen Star Bloggers. I’ve lost count as to how many Paper Doll posts have been part of the carnival, but I can tell you that the most recent was in July’s The Fun Side of Organizing.

So, although almost all of us are melting from the heat, be assured that Paper Doll Central remains active and engaged in the fight against disorganization. I’m gratified that you’re reading the blog, and there’s so much more to be found at Best Results Organizing, including the monthly newsletter, Best Results for Busy People.

Until next we meet, let me just say:

Having an organized time! Wish you were here!