The Living Peace team recently attended the National Conference for our trade organization, NAPO (National Association of Professional Organizers).
Professional organizers from around the US and the globe attended this year’s conference in Atlanta, GA to learn about trends and techniques in our profession.
There are many different types of organizers and I heard from fellow organizing professionals specializing in moving, senior (55+) moves, ADHD coaching, productivity coaching, photo organizing, student coaching, online training, speaking for fees, digital organizing/afterlife, home inventory, and more…so if you have something you want organized, there is likely someone out there who can help you!
Many of the clients we assist at Living Peace have diagnosed (or undiagnosed) ADHD. It was great to attend several workshops specializing in this topic from ImpactADHD and ADD Crusher.
A Few Great Take-aways, Insights and Tips from the Conference:
ADHD Workshops:
• Every ADHD person is different, so find appropriate organizing systems for the individual. Judith Kolberg is a pioneer in this technique. I would recommend reading her book Conquering Chronic Disorganization or visit her website for more information.
• ADHD folks tend to have only 2 Time Zones: Now and Not Now, so long-term goals might be 2 weeks.
• Organized doesn’t necessarily equal neat for some with ADD/ADHD. I think society has taught many of us that “being organized” looks a certain way (e.g. no visible piles), but that may not work or be true for our ADHD clients.
• For both organizers and the client, having positivity and compassion for themselves is an important aspect, and for the client to learn and have self-forgiveness is integral.
Organized Moving:
A few reminder tips were that kitchens take the longest to pack!, Board pets the day of the move so they aren’t stressed out and invest in quality packing tape if you are moving yourself.
Home Inventory Software:
I will be covering this topic and HomeZada in a later blog post.
Holistic Time Management:
see PROFOUND IMPACT
Personal Energy Management:
You can’t be more organized than your personal energy allows you to be. There really are only so many hours in a day, and we can only do so much.
We all live in separate realities. This is a great reminder that we have our own unique beliefs, assumptions, and perspectives, and our version is likely different from our families, friends, and coworkers. One person’s time management techniques may not work for another, so be open-minded to alternatives, and try not to judge others for being different.
Baby Boomers Research:
I am working on a future blog post about these great Baby Boomer topics: Health, Wealth, and Legacy. They are the 3 main areas that baby boomers need to organize.
Filing is About Retrieval
I often ask my clients “where would you go to look for it?” when trying to decide where to file something. Their filing system needs to be structured so it works for them, especially as aging seniors tend to start losing short-term memory.
I hope you found these tips interesting! Let me know what you think in the comments.
