National Organising Week 6th - 12th September

Starting Monday 6th September it's National Organising Week! What a way to start the spring season.

In honour of this week and to help out any lost souls needing advice I'm getting together with two other colleagues (Claire Lane from Urban Assistant and Michell Cudmore from Paperwork Rescue) and hosting a stand at the Belrose Supa Centre from Monday 6th - Wednesday 8th September.

So if you have any questions or need any tips and advice on getting and staying organised, please come and visit us at the National Organising Week stand on the Ground Floor of the Belrose Supa Centre.

You can also go into the draw for your chance to win a 3 hour organising consultation and a $100 Howards Storage World gift voucher!

Keep Australia Beautiful Week

Next week (23 - 29th August) is Keep Australia Beautiful Week. The best way to do so is to start in your own home! Make a difference by following these few steps;

• Choose an area that has been driving you nuts for a while now
• Plan how you want the space to work
• Set aside some time (put it in your diary so it's a commitment)
• First de-clutter the space of anything you don't need, use or love
• Sort the remaining items into groups
• Put back in the space in an organised way, using baskets or labels where necessary
• Enjoy your new space!

For other suggestions to keep Australia beautiful visit www.kab.org.au

Free chemical collection

Today (Saturday 17th) and tomorrow Sunday 18th April, there is a Free Chemical Collection at Mona Vale Beach Car Park on Surfview Road. A perfect weekend to clean out the laundry or garage.

Products accepted are;

Pool chemicals, paints, pesticides, poisons, solvents, motor oil, car batteries, gas bottles

For more information visit http://www.cleanout.com.au/

Free E-Waste Recycling

Just a reminder that this weekend there is a free e-waste drop off in Sydney at Terrey Hills and Mosman. Details are;

Terrey Hills - Kimbriki Recycling & Landfill, Kimbriki Road
Mosman - Mosman Council Car Park, The Crescent

Saturday 13th March and Sunday 14th March 9am-4pm

Items accepted are any computer, laptop, monitor, tv, dvd player, cd player, printer, mobile phone, computer related peripherals. 20 items per carload.

So.... do the right thing!!!

Who keeps their old mobile phones?

According to a recent survey, Australians do. We keep up to 16million old, unused and broken mobile phones.

I think keeping a backup makes sense, however, at least a third of the phones kept don't even work.

The report "Australia: A Nation of Hoarders" has some interesting facts;

• More than 90% of a mobile phone can be recycled, including the battery and charger


• The recycled product can be used to produce plastic fences, stainless steel, and new batteries


• For every tonne of phones recycled 1.1 tonne of greenhouse gases will be emitted, over 11.8 tonnes emitted when using raw materials to make new products. That's up to 90% reduction in future greenhouse gases for the environment.

To recycle - either use a free recycling satchel from Austalia Post outlets, or drop off your phones at stores including Telstra, 3, Vodafone, Virgin mobile, Crazy John's. Or visit http://www.mobilemuster.com.au/

Unfinished Projects

I recently had a discussion with colleagues about different types of 'clutter'. One main form of clutter was identified as 'anything unfinished'.

Unfinished projects can be anything from half-done craft projects, items bought for DIY projects around the house, that lamp you're getting fixed, clothing that no longer fits but is kept because of the excercise program you're going to do to lose the weight... Any of these sounds familiar?

I have one request as an organiser - STOP beating yourself up. People really hold onto this stuff because they feel like a failure if they let it go, that they didn't get around to finishing that project or reaching that goal.

Life is too short. Set realistic goals for you in your current situation. Don't worry about the person you were years ago with many more free hours, or the person you want to be that is the yummy mummy of the century. Live your best life today and free yourself from that constant to-do list.

Let go of the projects and just enjoy your time!

Lighting of an unusual kind

I recently went to a cafe in Mosman and had the most delightful lunch. As soon as I walked in I felt comfortable. It had a great vibe and was slightly off centre. For starters, I had the most amazing toasted sandwich I've ever had - it was roast pork with aoli, but they used pork belly and it just melted in your mouth. I'm drooling, just remembering how good it was.

But, also the decor was so lovely. The way they used the lighting was quirky and such a great use of space. It was so effective to cluster the lamps like this.

The cafe is called Avenue Rd, which is on (funnily enough) Avenue Rd, Mosman.