Organizing Down Under

This weekend, I had the pleasure of meeting up with the beloved Wendy Davie, New Zealand-based professional organiser and founding member of the Australasian Association of Professional Organisers (AAPO) and is their current president. Wendy was on layover at LAX after the Midwest Chicago NAPO Conference where she presented a break-out session and took the CPO exam.

Pictured above is Wendy (right,) myself and Rosalind Lakomy joining the party at Encounter, the "new" theme restaurant at LAX.  The beloved Rosalind serves on my NAPO Los Angeles board of directors as Secretary and she's is also a native of New Zealand.  We all had lots to talk about.

Wendy Davie's notable contribution to the organizing profession includes authoring the just-released book, The Accidental Organiser, published by Longacre Press.  The book is only available through New Zealand at the moment via this link.  Davie's book is a extraordinary good read.  She's come up with "incentives and strategies for entering the murkier recesses of our homes and workplaces." Here's our summary of some of Davie's inventive incentives:

5 Big Benefits of Being Organized, from Wendy Davie, author of the Accidential Organiser:

1. You will not buy stuff you already have because you've allocated a home for all your possessions and know where they are.

2. People in cluttered homes often hate being there and want to escape.  By being organized, you'll enjoy your home more and stop wasting time at the mall.

3. No more late payments.. being organized will avoid overdue notices, late fees, reconnection charges if you've forgotten to pay, or lost the bill.

4. You will no longer lose DVDs or library books, which according to Davie, will save you a minimum of $156 per year.

5. Using store credits and not losing gift cards under the clutter will allow you to take advantage of these great opportunities.

Davie also believes that you can "avoid expensive takeaways and meals out" because your home is a place you actually want to be.  And a home you enjoy will encourage you to properly stock, plan your meals, shop with a list, and have a richer, fuller life with family and friends.

We want to thank our friend Wendy Davie for including OrganizingLA as a resource in the back of book!  Something we pleasantly discovered when we opened the book!

The Organizing Guru, Wendy Davie's blog

Totally Organised, Wendy Davie's website

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