As Organisers and their clients alike are preparing for Christmas, I would like to thank those wonderful AAPO Volunteers who continue to work so hard behind the scenes to keep our not-for-profit Association going! The Conference Sub Committee is currently in full swing meeting each Monday evening, organising all sorts of things for the August Conference in Sydney. Our Forum Coordinators & their assistants have been busy organising get togethers for...

Some of my clients and solo-preneur friends out there are finding it challenging to work from home efficiently. You find it can take more time and diligence to start the day off well. There is no clock on time and less boundaries in your space between home and work areas. Here are the top six strategies to work from home effectively. We’ll also look at how you can get the morning...

Make your new year’s resolution to get organised a reality, using these six tried and tested tips. PRIORITISE - Work out what is causing you the most grief in your home or office and start with this. What would make you happy in that space? Could it do with a good declutter or rearrangement of furniture? What about new storage solutions? Map out what steps need to be taken to make...

Christmas is such a special occasion of time honoured traditions and relaxing with family and friends. These days, you would be forgiven for feeling just a little bit stressed as December comes around. The shops have their Christmas decorations up by October and the Christmas to do list just seems to get longer and longer. Hang on! Wasn’t Christmas supposed to be fun? So how do we have an organised Christmas...

From the first contact I had with AAPO, I realized I had found ‘my people’! People who love to help others. I was able to speak freely to peers about my business, about my successes and about my fears. I went along to my first Forum Meeting in a café in Balmain, Sydney on November 28th 2006. I was excited, nervous and quite surprised to find that so many other people...

This week your partner is out of town, your two kids each have three extracurricular activities, you have a deadline at work and there’s a last minute birthday party invitation. There’s also homework and meals to think of, plus more. Does this scenario sound familiar? Each week is a balancing act for busy families. If you’re feeling rushed and not sure how it will all get done, the three Ps will...

When I think about what I love to do creativity plays a big part in all of them. Without being organised can we have creativity? Renowned author Gustave Flaubert said “Be orderly and disciplined in daily life, so that I might be wild and violent in my art.” You can see how the clutter in our life, the day to day challenges and stress of living in the world today is...

Here is a simple little 5 minute ‘how to’ for your everyday utensil drawer! Do you find your utensil drawer is a constant jumbled mess? This simple organising technique will save you time, your sanity and keep your utensils in easy reach every time. Simply take out your cutlery insert, or purchase one cut to size from your local kitchen supplier. Sort and remove unnecessary or never used items. Clean and...

The past few weeks have been extremely busy for the Members of the Executive Committee who met in Sydney for AAPO’s 3rd Strategic Planning Meeting. I would like to say a big thank you to each and every one of them for their time and commitment to AAPO’s Membership. Planning for this meeting started in July shortly after the new committee were elected. We really hit the ground running! In line...

… and with that I don’t just mean travelling for holidays. With little kids it doesn’t really matter whether you go to visit Grandma overnight or just dash to the shops. Travelling is everything that involves going from A to B. As a mother of three I know what I am talking about. When they were little I travelled overseas on my own with a 5 year old, a 3 year...