Paper Doll on the NAPO Stand Out Podcast: Why Paper Still Matters
Today’s Paper Doll post is part confessional, part promotional, and part educational. But first…
Have you listened to any good podcasts lately?
I love sharing my research and philosophies of organizing and productivity here in the Paper Doll blog, but I know that sometimes it’s more convenient to listen to (or watch) material that interests you. To that end, back in May, I shared Paper Doll Picks: Organizing and Productivity Podcasts, a list of my favorite podcasts and podcasters in the realms of organizing and productivity. (If you didn’t check it out previously, now is a great time to find some new favorites!)
When I wrote Paper Doll on Planning & Prioritizing for Leadership, I even gave you a two-for-one, recommending you sign up for The Leader’s Asset, a July/August interview series I participated in, as well as sharing my interview on Dr. Frank Buck: Productivity for Total Control & Peace of Mind.
If you didn’t catch my episode, “Julie Bestry: Don’t Apologize…Organize!” the first time around, you can listen at the show link or via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or all your usual yummy podcast hangouts. (Consider it a summer rerun.) Given the high temperatures around the country, why should you have to struggle and run clicking around the internet dial? Here’s the YouTube version.
Casting a Backward Glance
I started my business twenty years ago, the year that the federal government started prosecuting Enron, the term “Axis of Evil” was coined, and Kelly Clarkson won the first American Idol competition. I joined what was then the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO) in the spring of 2002.
When asked what I wanted to do with my business, I said that while I was looking forward to working one-on-one with clients to make their spaces more organized and their lives more productive, my dream project was to have my own newspaper or magazine column.
I started blogging (which is kind of like having a column) in 2007, the same year I became a Certified Professional Organizer.
Over the years, I’ve written some ebooks and had a book (now out of distribution) traditionally published.
I have also been interviewed for a variety of media outlets , including newspapers and magazines (including, I’m always delighted to say, Real Simple), as well as on local television and radio, and on the podcasts in the Paper Doll Picks poast, linked above.
But what I really want to tell you about is a particular career highlight for me.
The NAPO Stand Out Podcast (and a Case of Nerves)
NAPO is still NAPO, but now that stands for the National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals. (As you’ve probably noticed, the focus of Paper Doll has also expanded to include more time management and productivity topics, along with paper and information organizing posts.) Since 2018, NAPO has had its own podcast, The NAPO Stand Out Podcast.
The NAPO Stand Out podcast invites organizers, productivity experts, and related experts to share their successes, challenges, best practices, proven strategies, industry developments, and fabulous anecdotes. Of course I listen, as it’s tailor-made for someone like me.
Near the end of last year, the host of the NAPO Stand Out Podcast, my friend Clare Kumar, messaged me to see if I’d like to be on the NAPO podcast.
Clare is a Canadian professional organizer, coach, and media darling, and as I’ve mentioned on these pages before, has a laugh that completely draws you in. She specializes in helping Highly Sensitive Persons (HSPs) optimize their professional performance, and she has her own podcast, Happy Space with Clare Kumar, all about helping HSPs find their own happy spaces. Clare is a force of nature.
Now, as you longtime readers know, I’m not exactly a shrinking violet. I’m always eager to talk (until the cows come home) about residential or business organizing, time management, Evernote, and everything else from notebooks to toxic productivity.
But the NAPO Stand Out Podcast was a different kettle of fish. One of its main audiences includes thousands of my professional organizing colleagues. This wasn’t a matter of talking to strangers who follow other people’s podcasts; this would be heard and seen by my peeps, including the professional organizing rock stars to whom I’ve looked up since I started my business.
The first-ever guest was Geralin Thomas, who is as fashionable as she is business-savvy, and has pivoted to training the next generation of organizing stars. The guest the week before I was set to appear was Harold Taylor, an absolute pioneer of time management and author of numerous books, including the seminal Making Time Work for You
and a time management blog that never ceases to deliver. (You might like The Return of the Checklist.)
From Geralin’s podcast episode #1 and Harold’s #102, the NAPO Stand Out Podcast interviewed powerhouse talents, from former NAPO president and absolute goddess Standolyn Robertson to author/TV star Peter Walsh to multimedia “happiness” guru and best-selling author Gretchen Rubin.
I mean, come on!
I have no trouble getting up to give a presentation in front of a room full of moms of preschoolers or accountants or CEOs because, as speaker training indoctrinates us, in that situation, the speaker is the expert. But a huge number of NAPO Stand Out Podcast listeners are professional organizers; they’re already experts.
“What could I possibly say that would be new or interesting to them?” I whined to my mastermind group. They were amused and not-at-all persuaded by my rare show of humility, and convinced me to have a Zoom call with Clare, who could sell galoshes to desert-dwellers.
Within moments of making delightful conversation, Clare was able to identify some very specific areas in the paper realm about which I feel passionate, and “organized” my anxieties right out of existence. (“Why paper still matters?” Just try to keep me from talking about that!) And then when I procrastinated week after week about actually scheduling the official interview, Clare appeared as if by magic to take the bull (or at least my bull-headedness) by the horns.
And this is the result. You can watch the whole, extended podcast here, via YouTube.
If you’d rather listen while walking (and don’t mind missing the secret squirrel video bonus material), check out the official NAPO Stand Out Podcast page for episode #103 for Why Paper Still Matters with Julie Bestry or the Why Paper Still Matters LibSyn podcast syndication page (with extended show note and links for literally every darned thing I mentioned). Of course, the episode is also available on various podcast platforms, including:
Over the course of the episode, Clare and I discussed how our relationship to paper has changed in recent decades, especially since the advent of smartphones. (We were promised a paper-free office after the advent of the computer revolution, but it didn’t really turn out as we expected!)
We also delved into the importance of finding a system that works for you, whether that’s digital, paper, or hybrid, and how different areas of our lives, from note-notetaking to capturing tasks, benefit from different approaches. I even got to put in a plug for my beloved Cornell note-taking method, which will be a topic of an upcoming blog post for the back-to-school season.
No matter whether you agree or disagree with my take on the beauty of an invitation addressed with calligraphy — I find it superior to an emailed save-the-date reminder — I think you’ll enjoy our hearty discussion of how and why paper still matters in many ways, from paper’s role in cognitive processes to its place in our hearts.
I hope you will take some time this week to watch or listen to the podcast and let me know what you think. Does paper still matter to you?
Paper Doll Post:
I will listen to this podcast tomorrow morning (Tuesday). I love Clare and agree that her laugh is truly infectious and disarming.
I also agree that paper still matters and everyone needs to have a system. My personal system is a hybrid – part digital and part paper. It’s important to know how to label both paper and digital documents so you can retrieve them in mere seconds rather than hunting.
Hunting for stuff is stressful and if you’re looking for a document chances are, you really need it. So why add stress to the equation?
Yes! Clare is like that first brightly colored flower of spring after a dark, grey winter!
And though I’m Paper Doll, I’m definitely a hybrid girl for the exact reasons you describe. You need what you need when you need it — why not make it easy?
Congratulations, Julie, on facing your fears and sharing your wonderful self on the NAPO podcast! This is a huge deal and I’m so glad you leaned in and embraced the opportunity. I listened to the beginning, but want to invest time in hearing the entire podcast. Can’t wait!
I still enjoy paper…A LOT! There’s something about writing with a flowy pen on a nice, smooth surface that captures ideas, doodles, and information. I ‘get’ the information more intensely when I write it down. While I type easily, the information doesn’t stick in my brain as well with that method.
And I still love writing a hand written note (or receiving one.) Email has its place, but there’s nothing quite like seeing someone’s handwriting as another point of connection and knowing.
You are an industry Rock Star and don’t ever forget it! Can’t wait to listen to you sharing your brilliance with us. Congrats again!
Linda, research really bears out exactly what you’re saying. We learn and remember better when we hand-write something because it forces our brain to translate the information; when we type it, we are transcribing what we hear instead of making sense of it. And there’s nothing better than getting a handwritten card or letter in your mailbox and recognizing that handwriting!
Thank you for your kind words and support. I was more nervous than I’d want any of our colleagues to be in the same situation, but Clare made it a great experience.
NAPO Stand Out podcast is one of my go-to podcasts! I will make it a point to listen to it this week. Congratulations!
Being a small business owner and bookkeeper, some of my papers are still physical, while others are digital. The process has evolved from 100% physical paper to only 10% physical paper.
The paper reduction process must be personalized for each person and their remembering process.
I couldn’t agree with you more, Sabrina. A system is only effective if it matches the needs of the individual. I have a hybrid system for everything from research to notes to calendaring, but when it comes down to making sense of the world, paper is my go-to!
Thank you for reading and sharing your thoughts!
I watched the podcast on Youtube and stayed for the bonus Qs at the end.
You were ab-fab!
I’m tickled pink to report that like you, I print, slice, dice, and rearrange my presentations/papers; been doing this since middle school. I *used* to use wig T pins on a cork board (long story for another time) but I’m mature now and use Washi tape ?
Also, one more “sensuality” tip… I spray my paper calendars with luscious scents because when I’m flipping through pages I enjoy a whiff of fragrance.
Thanks so much for the lovely shout-out! ?
I’m blushing, Geralin. Any praise from you is high praise, indeed!
And Washi tape is gorgeous; I wish I could say that I use it, but aesthetics almost always come second (or forty-second) when I’m trying to do something for myself. Words, words, words, words, function, and dead last is making things look pretty! And wow, I never even considered adding fragrance to my calendars. I may have to mention this when I talk about planners this fall!
Geralin, I’m never gonna, never gonna, never gonna give you up!
I can certainly understand your anxiety about being on the NAPO Stand Out Podcast. In this setting, you are addressing people who know their stuff. I’d be nervous for sure!
I look forward to listening. I have a long drive to my client today, so I’ll plug you in and soak it up. Clare is terrific, so I know it will be a winner.
I still love paper, and though I have a lot less of it, there are some situations where I think paper is just the best.
Hats off to you, my friend. I think you are a natural for this setting!
Oooh, I hope Clare and I provided an entertaining backdrop for your commute today. Listening doesn’t get you the bonus stuff, so you may still want to watch the last minutes of the video and see our goofy faces, but either way, thank you for taking the time.
And awwww, thank you for your kind words. You rock, Seana!
Julie, I made time today to listen to the podcast and the bonus section. Wonderful stuff! I use a hybrid system of paper and digital.
When you were talking about using the legal pads for your notes, I thought of one of my clients who is a psychologist and takes his notes on legal pads. At the end of each year, he changes color – going from white to yellow and back again.
I recently received a thank-you note from a nephew for a HS graduation gift (of money). He not only told me how helpful the money would be to him but also talked about seeing me at the last reunion and hoped to see me more now that he was moving back to the east coast. That boy is going to go far in the world!
Viva la paper … now to look up your favorite pen.