I’ll be there!  This is a free event, so come join us!

NAPO Oregon Presents the 2010 Pacific Northwest Organizing Expo

January 30, 2010, 10:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m.
Montgomery Park, 2701 NW Vaughn Street, Portland Oregon 97201

Admission is free.  For more information visit their website here.

It’s that time of year when we are wrapping up one year, and looking forward to the next.  We are making resolutions to be and do better in the coming year.  With that, I have a great little series of surprises, sponsored by ButtonedUp.  I’ve mentioned their products before, and if you haven’t seen them you are in for a treat!

First, the discount.

For a limited time, ButtonedUP has graciously offered a 25% discount to my readers for the above four products: Birthday.book, Greetings.stash, File.starter and Tax.filer.
(This discount is only good until 1/31/2010 so hurry!)

Here’s how you get it:

Go to their store: Shop ButtonedUP
Use discount code:  HO25OFF

It’s all over!  Be sure to visit ButtonedUp.com!

Enter the Giveaways!

I’m going to make this a little fun, kind of like a treasure hunt.  See those four products up there?  I’m giving all of them away this month!  There will be three chances to win*.  Look for them in the 8 Days of Resolutions posts (hint:  they will be highlighted in yellow boxes). Here’s prizes and the links to enter!

Prize #1: Birthday.book & Greetings.stash
Prize #2: Tax.filer
Prize #3: File.starter

These aren’t in any particular order, so keep an eye out for them over the next two weeks!  Watch the blog this month, follow the directions and you’ll be entered to win!

Good luck!

Congratulations to the winners!

—–

* You must be 18 or older to win, one prize per household.  Prizes can only be shipped to address in continental United States.  Winners will be chosen randomly.
(Disclosure: No compensation was received to offer the giveaway or discount.)

Resolving to get organize your home office this coming year?

Did you make the same resolution last year?  How did it turn out?  If your office isn’t where you want it to be, don’t beat yourself up.  There is something coming in early 2010 that can help!

VIP Membership is Coming!

If you’d like ongoing help to help you organize your home office and greatly increase the chances it will stay that way, come join me this week to hear more about it!  Don’t worry, there is no obligation whatsoever, just an invitation to grab a cup of coffee, dial into the call and ask your questions to determine if this group is right for you.

If you’re interested in hearing more about the NEW VIP Membership Group, sign up to get an exclusive invitation to the Preview Call this week! You’ll also be the first to know when we launch!

I’ll see you there!

Do you know it?  Love it?  I’m talking about Skype, and it’s time for another giveaway to my loyal readers.

What’s the prize?

(One) Skype Unlimited U.S. & Canada subscription plan voucher, which allow for unlimited calls to landlines and cell phones in the U.S. & Canada for three months

(One) Freetalk® Wireless Stereo Headset

I heart Skype.

I have been using Skype for about two years.  I use it to communicate with others around the globe in either a voice chat or a text chat.  I also have been working on my NEW podcast ( be sure to subscribe to my mailing list so you’ll know right when it’s released!) and conducted an interview with Pamela Recorder.  So easy and simple to do!

That wireless headset?  Skype sent me one to try out.  Love. It.  Have you ever stood up to walk away from your desk, and nearly gotten whiplash because your headset cord was still attached?  Yes?  Then you’ll know why I’m loving it.  (If not, you are one lucky person, and I’m sure your neck thanks you!)

Do you use Skype?  Do you want to?  Here’s the deal…

It’s easy to win!  Here’s what you do:

You can enter by either leaving a comment or writing a post (be sure to link back to this post) telling us:

1. What you use Skype for (or would use it for) and

2. Your favorite Skype feature

Get creative and teach us something!

Be sure to enter by the deadline, August 7 at 11:59pm PST.

That’s it!

Bonus points:

Re-tweet: Join me on Twitter.  After you tell your story or write a blog post:  retweet this status update about the giveaway.

Subscribe to my enewsletter (if you haven’t already).  Click here to do that.

Good Luck!

Some other details:

One winner will be chosen. Winner must be 18 years of age or older, only one entry per person.

Winner will be contacted via email, to “sender” email address used to enter the giveaway/contest, and the person receiving and replying to the winner announcement email will be considered the winner unless they specify another person within the reply email as the winner.

** Disclosure:  Skype sent me a headset to try out, and I have not been compensated to offer this giveaway.

Update: This giveaway is now closed.  Thanks for your interest!

Are you a subscriber?

Do you like free organizing tips, news, resources and tools?  Did you know that I have an enewsletter?  Did you also know that when you become a subscriber you get my free Top Ten Organizing Tips?

31 Days of Home Office Organizing Tips eBook Coming Soon!

Also, if you liked the 31 Days of Home Office Tips series, stayed tuned, because an ebook is in the works for The Home Office Organizer Shop.  So, be sure to subscribe to the enewsletter so you’re the first to know!

If you are already a subscriber, thank you!  If not, enter your name and email in the upper right corner over there.  I’ll see you there!

Blog RSS Subscribers: Go to www.thehomeofficeorganizer.com/enewsletter and sign up!

I’d like to get to know you a little better.  So, tell me a little about yourself and what you’re interested in.

Hello fabulous loyal readers!  I’d like to know a little more about you, and what you would like to see here on The Home Office Organizer.  So, I’m doing a Reader Survey.  It just takes a minute or two, and I’m sweetening the deal a bit with a giveaway!  Participate in the survey (be sure to include your first name + email address*), and you’ll be entered to win one of five copies of my 101 Home Office Tips eBooklet!

Survey ends Friday, June 12 at 5pm PST.

Thanks to all who participated, and congrats to Sherry, Holley, Lelah, Marcie & Liz for winning 101 Home Office Tips eBooklet!

*Email will only be used to contact you if you are a winner.  One entry per person, must be 18 years or older to win.

This contest is now closed.  Make sure you don’t miss the next giveaway or contest!  Get this blog’s updates by subscribing via RSS or subscribing to my mailing list HERE.

______________________________________

Alright ya’ll, did you read my QuickBooks 2009 review?  Well, check this out:  Intuit has given me 5 copies of Quickbooks Pro 2009 to give away to The Home Office Organizer readers!  That’s a $199 value each!

So, now you can get your bookkeeping together and get your digits and customer information organized!

So, I bet you’re wondering how you win?  That’s easy.  Here’s how:

1.  Leave a comment below by the deadline, June 1, 2009 at 12:00pm (noon) PST / 3:00pm EST. (Be sure to include your email address so I can contact you if you win!)

2. Subscribe to this blog (if you haven’t already).  Subscribe in an RSS Reader by clicking HERE or by email by clicking HERE.

That’s it!

Bonus points:

Re-tweet:  Are you following me on Twitter?  Be sure to retweet this contest after you enter!

Winners will be announced Tuesday, June 2, 2009!

Please be sure to visit the giveaway sponsor:

They are running a Small Business Grant Contest – go and vote for your favorite HERE.  There are some great small businesses up for some serious prizes!  Also, check out the Intuit Twitter peeps: @SharnQuickBooks, @kirasw, @rkeuretig and @JaredRicardo

Good luck everyone!

Update, June 2, 2009:

Thanks to all who entered, and congratulations to the winners: Tom Cox, Kara, Danielle, Tracy S and Deborah Beatty!

Remember the Small Business Startup Kit Giveaway?  Well, I had a chance to meet up with Val, from Project Stand recently.  I am so excited about where they are headed!

Val drove down to claim the giveaway prize, and I am so glad he did!  We sat and chatted over coffee, and I could have talked with him for the rest of the afternoon!  Val and I share a passion for making positive change in the world, both locally and on grander, worldwide scale.   It was inspiring to talk with Val, and see how excited he (and his team) are about Project Stand.  I love that they are telling stories that need and deserve telling.  The world would be a much better place if we all took a moment to stand up for what we believe in!

I am excited to see where Project Stand is going, and I hope you are too!  Stay tuned for an update from them in the coming months.   I’m looking forward to hearing about it!

What do YOU stand for?

Additional reading:  Read the press release by clicking HERE.

Alright, reality check:  what’s the state of your home office?  If you look around and cringe, it might be time to do something about it.  Some of the best things in life are free, kinda like my upcoming teleclass!  Can you find most anything you need in 5 minutes or less?  Not so much?  Check this out…

What you’ll learn:

• tips and inspiration to create a home office that works for you
• my simple 3 part system to get organized, redesign your office and handle the paper flow
• a basic plan and inspiration to get going on your home office organization

If you’re feeling a little stuck, frustrated  and ready to make a change, come join me.  It’s free, it’s informative, and it just might be fun.  And it’s free, so what do you have to lose?

For more information or to sign up, click HERE.

See you there!

I’m pleased to announce that the winner of the Small Business Startup Giveaway is Project Stand!

I was intrigued by what Project Stand is doing.  There is so much negativity about what people are doing wrong, how they are hurting others, etc.  Project Stand is all about telling inspiring stories. Here’s a quote from their website:

Do you have a story to share about someone who took a stand for what they believed, and had a positive impact on your life? Did you know them personally, were they someone you heard about, or was it a well-known public figure? Send us your story, including details you’d feel comfortable with anyone reading, and in what ways that person made a difference in your life…

How cool is that?  I get goose bumps reading and watching their stories!  There are several videos on the the site, telling touching stories of how people are changing the world for the better.  It’s so exciting – I love when people are going out and making a difference!  Someone needs to tell their story, and that’s what Project Stand is doing.  Talk about inspiring!

Here’s a sample video from Project Stand’s site:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Congratulations, Project Stand!  We look forward to hearing your success story!

A sincere thank you to all who entered & helped spread the word.

There were so many great entries, it was difficult to choose just one.   Thank you!

PLEASE visit the participants & helpful people who helped spread the word about this giveaway.  Thanks to all who helped – you all rock!  Here’s where you can find them:

The Giveaway Comments

#officedepot Twitter Hashtag Updates

Special Thanks to Office Depot for sponsoring this giveaway.   Be sure to follow them on Twitter, too!

I’m looking forward to hearing Project Stand’s story in 6 months, aren’t you?  Be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss it!

Here’s to your continued success!

Update: The contest is now closed.  The winner will be announced shortly.

Thanks to all who entered,and helped spread the word!

This year is in full swing, and I thought it was high time for an out of this world giveaway!  What can you win?  Well, first let’s comes thanking our sponsor…

First of all, this giveaway is sponsored by Office Depot.   So, be sure to give them a little visit (and a little link love) when you need office products for your home office!  (Also be sure to follow them on Twitter.)

Alright, enough suspense, let’s get to the good stuff.  Here’s what this giveaway is all about.

What’s the prize?

The Home Office Organizer “Small Business Startup Kit”

This package is to help individuals start or grow a new business. It is comprised of all the essential components needed to set-up a small business:  a notebook computer, all-in-one printer, a shredder and a $100 gift certificate to Office Depot.  Excited yet?

How does the Home Office Organizer “Small Business Startup Kit” help you, the small businesses owner?

The Home Office Organizer Small Business Startup Kit gives potential small business owners everything needed to run a fledgling business. Smart,  practical business tools and technology can make all the difference in the world when a small business is trying to make a good first impression.  You’ve got customers to attract, advertising to do and marketing materials to develop.  This is vital when starting a new business!

What can you win?  Well, I’m glad you asked…

The “Small Business Startup Kit” has a retail value of $1,500 – $2,000 and includes these great products:

1 Toshiba Satellite® U405-S2911 Notebook Computer With Intel® Pentium® Dual-Core Processor

1 Fellowes® PS 79ci 100% Jam Proof Cross-Cut Shredder

Lexmark X 7675 All-In-One Printer/Copier/Scanner/Fax

$100 gift certificate to Office Depot

It’s easy to win!  Here’s what you do:

1.  Tell me why you should win in the comments, by the deadline, March 8, 2009 at 11:59pm PST:  Are you starting your dream company?  Pursuing a dream?  Tell your story!

2. Subscribe to this blog (if you haven’t already). Subscribe in an RSS Reader by clicking HERE or by email by clicking HERE.

3.  You also need to be willing to share your experience (which may be posted on this site) as the winner (within 6 months of receiving your prize).  We want to hear your story!

That’s it!

Bonus points:

Re-tweet: Join me on Twitter After you tell your story in the comments:  retweet my status update about the contest.

Good Luck!

Some other details:

One winner will be chosen. Winner must be 18 years of age or older, only one entry per person.

Winner will be contacted via email, to “sender” email address used to enter the giveaway/contest, and the person receiving and replying to the winner announcement email will be considered the winner unless they specify another person within the reply email as the winner.

Intuit’s Small Business “Stimulus Package”

With larger companies getting bailouts, smaller businesses are now asking “where’s mine?” – Intuit is responding by doing its part to give small businesses the support they need. The initiative, called “Small Business United,” will offer grants to small businesses and budding entrepreneurs, donations to nonprofit organizations devoted to the health of small businesses, free Intuit products and deep discounts on services to help small businesses get a leg up in tough economic times.

The offerings (detailed in the release below) are available at www.smallbusinessunited.com and include:

Totally Free Quickbooks Simple Start Software: Save money with accounting software: QuickBooks Simple Start Free Edition lets users easily tracking money coming in and money going out.

Free Website for Year : Get more customers with free Web sites: The Intuit Website service lets businesses quickly set up professional-looking websites to attract more customers.

Payroll Service, Free Six Months: Save time with free payroll service: To help small businesses accurately run payroll, Intuit Online Payroll service is available for free for six months.

Free Incorporation Service: Get incorporated with free incorporation services: Intuit is offering free incorporation and LLC formation services from MyCorporation until July 31, 2009.

Free Credit Card Processing Six Months: Get paid faster with free credit card processing: Intuit is offering credit card processing services free for six months through Intuit QuickBooks Online Terminal.

Cash Register Plus, Free Download: Manage cash flow with free retail management software: Intuit is offering its recently announced retail software, QuickBooks Cash Register Plus, as a free download.

If you live in the Portland, Oregon area:

Have lots of paper you need to shred?  Been putting it off?  If you’re in the Portland, Oregon Metro area, you may want to come check out this free event:

What: Community Shred Day

When: Oct. 15, 2008, 9am-5pm

Location: Pioneer Courthouse Square

Cost: Nada, zero…  it’s FREE!

Details:  You can have up to 100 pounds of paper shredded for FREE!

(Event sponsored by EFI Secured Shredding)

A conferencing we will go…. Travelling to conferences is a different animal from vacations, and a few little tricks up your sleeve can make all the difference!

It’s been a little crazy these past couple weeks!  I hit two conferences in just over a week (one of which was local).  It was a whirlwind of learning + networking.  Fun?  Oh yeah.  Exhausting?  Oh yeah.  There were a few little random things I learned (or reinforced) along the way, that I thought I would share. 

1. Bring power + a backup.  I was live blogging and video casting from these two conferences.  That means power is at a premium.  I have a short extension cord that lives in my laptop bag + power cords for all my portable devices.  I charged everything at night, and brought the cables with me just in case.  (Note: I looked into the iGo Charger, but it didn’t make sense for me.  You might feel differently, so check it out HERE.)
2. A rolling laptop bag (or suitcase) will save your back.  I have a rolling laptop bag with a telescoping handle.  I have to admit it was a little cumbersome to cart around everywhere, but it was better than a migraine and a backache.  (Definitely a buzz killers for socializing + working.)
3. A short term data plan is your friend. I might be struck down by the wireless companies, but I don’t want a data plan 100% of the time, but there are times I do need one.  So I hooked up my Blackberry to an unlimited plan for the weekend I was gone.  Why?  I had interviews to conduct with people who were traveling from out of the country, so we communicated via Twitter.  It was very convenient, and I could keep on top of all that was going on (without it costing an arm and a leg).  I got home, and a few days later went back to life without a data plan on the Crackberry.  *deep sigh*
4. Some comfortable earphones ease the pain.  For some reason, I have some smallish ears, so regular earphones just plain hurt after about 30 minutes.  Lucky for me someone recommended the JVC Marshmallow headphones.  They are way cool, as the earpiece is made of memory foam.  They also block a fair amount of airplane noise.  Bonus!
5. A “capture tool” handy at all times.  You never know when inspiration will strike, no matter where you are.  So, I have a notebook in my bag at all times.  (I happen to have a Moleskine because it is a good sturdy notebook that doesn’t get torn to shreds after weeks/months of use.)  The plane trip home was a great opportunity to do a brain dump, so I grabbed my notebook, put in my headphones and wrote some furious notes!
6. A clipboard.  My “O Myth” co-host, Krista, is the Clipboard Queen.  I am a fan as well, and carry one to client appointments and when I travel.  It’s a great way to capture notes, keep schedules and other info you need on the go.  Love that!
7. Pack your sense of humor. My trip to BlogWorldExpo 2008 started with an hour shuttle ride + 1 hour schlepping my luggage around the wrong conference center + some pretty serious hotel issues (hotel’s fault, grrr) that kept my room a distant dream until late into the night.  Good think I packed my sense of humor and my comfy shoes.

   

MOLESKINE on Flickr.com by culture.culte

Do you like Moleskines? I know I do, so I thought you’d like to know you can enter to win some for free! You can enter here (Make sure you are submitting correctly or you won’t be entered. Eek!)

Also, be sure to read the Moleskinerie blog and another project of the author’s called Notebookism.

Good luck!

That’s right, BlogWorld ‘08, or #bwe08 if you’re on Twitter.  I spent the weekend in Las Vegas at BlogWorld, and if you’re a blogger and you didn’t, bummer.  It was a great time + lots of information + making new friends. Kinda like summer camp, only with PDA’s, Twitter and learning about the vast opportunities that exist in Social Media.

First off, thank you EPSON!

I went to BlogWorld Expo with the Sparkplugging team, and our gracious sponsor was Epson.   Ia m positively drooling over this new printer: Epson WorkForce 600.  Wireless capabilities, editing photos and more… yeah, count me IN.

Check out the interviews.

The Sparkplugging team did a huge pool of interviews with experts, superstars and all-around cool people in attendance at Blog World.  You can check them out here:  Sparkplugging Media Page.  We are loading more each day, so be sure to subscribe if you have an RSS feed reader or bookmark it.  Lots of good stuff coming!

Some take-aways & silly observations.

Eye-opening + Inspiring: I love technology (but you already knew that), and I was blown away at what some creative and smart thinkin’ people are doing with it.  Hip-hip-hooray!

Home office professionals abound: Most of the people at this conference were home office based.  How much do I love that!  I knew that there are about 28 million people working at home in the US, but I just wonder what that number is worldwide.  Something to think about, eh?

Data plan + Twitter = Connected. I hooked up my Blackberry to a data plan before I left, and BOY was I glad.  Most communication, session information and other various communique happend on Twitter.

Presentations will never be the same. Instead of powerpoint (which there was some of), there was a hashtag for most sessions.  What does that mean?  Well, here’s what the BlogWorld hashtag page looks like:  #bwe08 That is just one of the hashtags, and there is much info you can pick up even if you didn’t attend BlogWorld.  Crazy!

Staying in touch vs. real-world interaction: I thought it was kinda funny when I was at a nightclub on Saturday night and a lot of people in there had their Blackberries out, checking Twitter and email.  Funny?  Yes.  Interesting?  Yes.  Wave of the future?  Hmmmm…

I had a great time!

There was so much to learn, vendors to check out and notes to take.  I couldn’t possibly distill it all in one place, and besides, I’m still tired and I’ve got a list a mile long of people to follow on Twitter!  So I’ll end with this: if you’re a blogger or involved in social media in ANY way, you’d best check out #bwe09. 

Good News! I’m going to be one of Kelly McCausey’s Hot Speakers at the fourth annual Hot Seminar Series tonight, Wednesday July 30th at 6pm PST & 9pm EST.

More Good News! Hot Seminar Series is free to attend, you just have to sign up for Kelly’s personal mailing list to get the weekly login info sent to you.  (She only has space for 100 people in her conference room so it is first come, first served.)  You can do that by clicking HERE.

This is one of the only ‘All Woman’ speaker line ups you see all year and I’m proud to be part of it.  I’m going to be speaking about Home Office Organization, so come join us!

Check it out here: www.hotseminarseries.com

Oh wow, where do I begin?  I had a wonderful time at the Barn House Flea Market over the weekend!  I’ll be doing a series about organizing with found items, but for now here’s some highlights of the event.

Krista Colvin, my BlogTalkRadio show co-host invited myself and a couple of her friends to come along to this even.  Boy, I am sure glad you did, sistah!  Krista was a judge in the sweets bake off and I was judging the chili cook-off.  Yum!  This candid shot is the judges getting their plates.  Krista is on the right and Tracey Buxton of Notes from A Cottage Industry is on the left.

This is what they were judging, the poor things.  (Tracey posted some gorgeous shots of the full desserts here.)

We did a little shopping (more on that later) and then it was time for the chili cook-off:

There were some great entries including ingredients like chocolate and smoked pork.  Yum!  I was really asking one of the Barn House Boys about his secret here…. It was delicious and even went back for seconds!

I also got a quick shot with Tracey since she was headed back out of town.  It was so great to meet her!

After all that food, fun and shopping we were lucky enough to get a private tour of the house on the property.  Krista and I have decided that we’d like to be boarders!   This is a the entrance to the garden…

I love this idea of using a large wardrobe with baskets and fun accessories in side.  This is the bathroom, don’t you love it?  I could curl up in that chair and read for hours…

The living room was also to die for, such a warm and welcoming space without being fussy.  Love that!

Best of all?  I walked away with some great stuff like this fabulously stylish chair and the vintage phone dial below from the sale!  The chair is going right in the corner of my office in my soon-to-be coffee/reading area in my home office.  I am totally in LOVE with it and plan to reupholster it at a later date…. or not.     (Thanks Lynne!)

Seriously, how cute is this phone dial?  Queen of Tarte had it in her booth, and had some great ideas about using it as an ornament.  I even thought I might be able to use it as a photo frame.  Fun!

I for one can’t wait for the next Barn Sale in August!

Like what you see?  Check out the links below for more info, photos and the fabulous vendors at the event.  ( And cross your fingers that we’ll get to see some more recipes… *hint hint* )

Barn House Vintage Home & Garden (the hosts of the event + peach cobbler bakers + chili makers)

Notes From a Cottage Industry

Krista’s Organize In Style Blog

Queen of Tarte

Antie Joy (posted her poppyseed Cake Recipe!)

The Silly Bear

Little Byrd

What does home office organization, a flea market and chili have in common?  I love them all!  I’m going to join my BlogTalkRadio show (The O-Myth) co-host Krista at this very fun “Barn House Boys” Flea Market event this weekend.  Krista will be judging the baking contest and I’ll be judging the chili.  You can bet I’ll have my water bottle with me!  Yummy!

I was raised in the country, and somethings just can’t be changed!  I love a good flea market, so I’m very excited!  I hope you’ll join me, and stop by and say hi!  Want to know how to get there?  Here’s how to do that.

Hope to see you there!

As you may know, I spend the better part of last week in Reno, Nevada with a wild and crazy group of organizers. I also got to meet many of the bloggers I had virtually “met” in person (that made so much more sense in my head…). That’s all of us above.

So, I thought I would give you a taste of what some of these lovely and inspiring people write about. This is my no means an exhaustive list of bloggers or their fantastic body of knowledge. It’s a growing group! Go check out their posts, subscribe to their feeds, explore their blogrolls and let them know how fabulous they are.

Without further adieu, the Organizer Link Round Roundup…

Aby Garvey did this sweet post on how she uses buckets around her house. So fun!

Megan Spears gives her tips on how to get back on schedule after some time off (I used these tips myself today!)

Wendy Davie discusses how you can get a whole lotta decluttering done in just a couple hours.

Krista Colvin tells her Peter Walsh story, with photos…

Lissanne Oliver gives her perspective on wants and needs.

Monica Ricci serves up her weekly quote of the week on doubt (GREAT quote btw!)

Lorie Marrero asks, “Are you faffing right now?” (No, but I was earlier… )

John Trosko posted this video on how to fold a t-shirt. Seriously, it’s a jaw dropper… as in, why can I not DO that?

Jeri Dansky shows us how to keep stuff from falling thru the wires on wire shelving (I didn’t make it to this booth – dang!) (Update: See Jeri’s post about this event, and some more great posts she links to!)

Beth Ziegler shares a cool planning technique called “blocking”

Lauren Halagarda shares a fun “Periodic Table For Cleaning”

On a personal note: It was a pleasure meeting all of you in person! Let’s change the world!