Packing & Organizing Conference

I just returned from my yearly National Association of Professional Organizers’ (NAPO) conference, and I have to confess I was packing at 12:30 the night before. The good thing was, I had just finished doing a big training program for a local credit union so it had been a very productive, yet busy week. But it didn’t feel good going to bed really late and having to get up really early to get my packing done. So much for my planning… What really threw me off was I wanted to get out my spring and summer clothes before I packed. So I did that on my one free morning instead of packing, but who wants to wear wool or black in late April?

Here are a few of the tricks I did have in place so I at least got some sleep that night. I keep packed a makeup/cosmetic bag all the time. Whenever I come back from a trip, I refill and replace everything so it is ready for the next trip. The other thing I always do is make a list out of the day/activity and then write beside it what I will wear. That gives me a chance to see how I can double up and not take so much. Since I was checking a bag, I had extra space, but then I remembered I would be getting lots of new goodies at our Expo. Plus I was now paying for the extra bag. I did take a carryon – bad memories of having my large suitcase lost in Paris for 6 months. Yes, 6 months!

Are you asking what do we do at an organizing conference?  Well, we talk organizing.:) There are sessions for new organizers, but for ones like myself who have been doing it for 15 years, there are also advanced sessions. I went to a session on Lean Organizing and also several on social media. I figure if I go to enough sessions about new technology, I will someday understand and be doing it all.

This was NAPO’s 25th anniversary, so that was exciting. It was fun to see Julie Morgenstern, Barbara Hemphill and other prominent individuals in our field attending.
I am eager to share what I learned with my clients.

Hope these tips help you enjoy your traveling this summer,

Mary

Organizing Tip 1: Keep packed a makeup/cosmetic bag all the time.

Organizing Tip 2: As soon as you return refill and replace everything so it is ready for the next trip.

Organizing Tip 3: Make a list out of the day/activity and then write beside it what you will wear.