A Case of the Grumpies

Those who know me best realize that when Suzy doesn't eat, Suzy is CRANKY!  She turns into a raging mean and nasty person.  It doesn't take a lot to turn my horrible disposition back into my once chipper self, but I do need to eat something.  

So imagine my delight when my darling mother brought me over the new Ritz Fresh Stacks!  Isn't this just adorable?!  My own little stack of Ritz crackers that I can keep in my car so I'm not a raging bitch or tuck into my purse.  

I don't have to run through a drive thru all I have to do is reach over into my glove box and grab out my little Fresh Stack and I'm ready to go.  Now maybe I won't be as pissy when my dad calls me.  =)  Sorry, Dad!

Charge It!

One of my favorite gifts this Christmas was the Lenmar PowerPort Mini Portable Charger.  This sucker charges EVERYTHING!  My cell phone, iPod, the kid's Zune, my BlueTooth, EVERYTHING!

It's portable AND it charges things quickly!  All I have to do is plug it into my computer to charge the little PPUMINI and then take with me.  I can't tell you how horrible it is when I have to do my little 400 trek across Arizona and I realize that my iPod is dead.  Now I don't have to worry about it!  I can just pull out my little Red Mini and charge up the iPod.  

If I forget and leave my BlueTooth in my purse over night, I don't have to worry about it being dead either.  I can plug it into my little Red Mini. 

Not only did my mom get one for me, but she got the kids each one as well.  I can't tell you what a life saver that has been!  Garrett ALWAYS forgets to charge his cell phone and now I don't have to give the Death Stare.  I can just tell him to whip out his charger and charge that puppy up!

I absolutely LOVE it!  

Thanks, Santa!

Suzanne Babb

The Secret to My Moving Success

The joys of moving! Can you believe I am moving yet AGAIN!?! I am getting way to old to moving as much as I do, but at least I have it down to a science! Hopefully this move will be the last for a while, but I can never make promises on my gypsy nature. :)

Suzy's Steps to Easy Moving

1. Colored packing tape - I color code my boxes to delineate which rooms the boxes go into. This doesn't always happen, but just in case some of my little helpers just dump the boxes wherever at least I can visually see the tape color and move them myself after they leave. I don't have to go digging through boxes to see which room they belong to.
2. Boxes - Everything should be in a box! I can't tell you how many times I have helped people move and only 25% of their shtuff is packed. The rest is just plopped all about or they are still packing while we move. Hello!!!! Get your shit together before we start. Clothes, pillows and blankets get a by because they can go into trash bags, but come on, put them in something!
3. Appropriate sized boxes - If it is going to take 2 or 3 people to carry one box because it is huge and filled with heavy crap, you have too much in it. Heavy items should be broken down into smaller boxes so people can carry them and you won't have to worry about the bottom falling out. Books are a prime example. They are heavy so put them in smaller boxes. A big box for a Christmas tree = PERFECT!
4. Location of boxes - If you can, try having all of the boxes together in a main room where people can just come in, grab and go. Same for furniture. When things start moving, you should make sure someone is refilling the main room with furniture and boxes.
5. Protecting the precious - If there are items that you do not want to get lost, broken, misplaced or any other natural disaster; keep them with you in your car. Don't risk being broken hearted or losing a friendship over a sentiment.
6. Trucks - Now, I don't have a lot of stuff so me using and abusing my friends is going to be perfect. I have a small army of 6 trucks and a trailer that will be used to haul away all of my goodies. BUT if I had a ton of crap, I would do us all a favor and rent a U-Haul for the move. Making one trip versus 10 makes the movers very very very happy.
7. FOOD! - Speaking of making the help happy, feed the poor beasts. If it's early, buy doughnuts or bagels. If it's an afternoon move, pizza and beer is always good. Just don't bring out the beer until the end. :) You want them to MOVE you.
8. Climate - Here in Arizona you have a death wish if you ask your friends to help you move anywhere between May and September. If it's July or August you may as well get new friends, because they won't be helping. If it is a bit on the warm side, start moving EARLY before the sun is at its peak. If it's cooler then moving in the afternoon may work out just fine.
9. Appropriate delegation - I am one of these mean moms who makes her kids help move. So I make sure they have light boxes to carry, they are in charge of the plastic trash bags full of towels, sheets and clothes and they need to start putting away the things in their room. I have one person who is in charge of filling up the moving space when boxes and furniture starts to leave. I have my big beefy buddies as my main movers. Then I have the reinforcements. I have my mom and Laura at the house and they putting my kitchen together, putting furniture where it needs to go and making sure the creamy toilet paper is ready in the bathrooms. By the time I am all done moving, my kitchen is unpacked and ready to cook in, the kids are finished with their rooms, and my family room is all set to relax in. This leaves me time to set up my bedroom and unpack the rest of the goodies as needed.
10. Cleaning the old mess - Typically I am the last to leave the old place and get to the new. I don't do a huge cleaning before I leave the old place on the day of the move, but I will run the vacuum. Only because I want to get it over to the new house ASAP because I know I will need to run it again before I go to bed. Since my new house will essentially be all set up, I will go over the next morning to the old place and do my cleaning. This gives the kids time to get acquainted with their rooms and the house while I clean up.

Life is now good! I must say that the two most important factors are the colored packing tape and my mom and Laura. I cannot tell you how wonderful it feels moving right into a functional kitchen! It is almost like Heaven!

Happy Moving!

Suzanne Babb

Picking the Perfect Calendar for Your Organizing Style

Picking out new calendars and agendas is one of my favorite things to do around the new year. I feel like a kid in the candy store I am just so excited!  However, if you aren't careful about your calendar selection, you could be wasting your time, money and energy in a system that doesn't work for you and your organizing style. So before you run out and buy your new year calendar, let's see if we can help you identify the perfect agenda for you! 

 

 

VISUAL

 

INSPIRATIONAL

 

LOGICAL  

CYA On Steroids

When things get insane, multiple jobs become that of one person, and the stress level is through the roof people get into major Defense mode.  Blame gets places, accusations intensify, and covering your ass is mandatory.  It is the extreme sense of survival of the fittest in the work place.  I have received more emails in the last couple of weeks on ideas to combat the CYA need and so I figured I would throw out a couple of the ideas we came up with to the rest of you.  Just in case.

My favorite "on the go" system is using the Circa PDA notebooks from Levenger.  (They really need to start sending me free shit for as much as I talk about their products!)  Essentially, you write down everything you do, everything that has an action associated with it, or anything that you need to remember or retain to Cover Your Ass.  

Cindy is an Admin and she has been in major combative mode for the last couple of months.  She is almost ready to start wearing body armor to work it's getting so bad.  She is also picking up the slack for 4 other employees who were let go recently, so she is beyond finding any reasonable sense of sanity. So we came up

 with a little system that would help her remember what in the world is going on around her, the tasks she needs to do by account, and some other stupid CYA's she feels she needs to do to keep afloat. 

Typically I would recommend that she use Outlook to do a lot of this, but she isn't too trusting of her computer and she doesn't have Outlook.  Everything is done on a home grown web mail account.  (Can you just say, YUCK!?)  So we went back to the good ol' basics of paper.

The PDA Circa consists of these wonderful 3x5 cards that I love so much.  The rings make it easy to move the cards around and organize them which is wonderful.  

Anytime anyone told her to do something, an email came through with an action item or she received one duri

ng a meeting.  I had her write it down on her 3x5 card.

At the top, she would label it by account, meeting or person it was associ

ated with.  

In the notes section, she would write down the action item itself.  

On the bottom of the card, I had her put the date that it was assigned and reference whether it was an email, action item, phone call, voicemail, verbal.  This helped jog her memory of the where and when.

On the back is where she would list the follow up or additional actions required of the main item.

Example:  An email came through from her boss asking her to do new pricing for a new client.  Once the pricing was finished he wanted her to send it to him to review, send it to the client, update the master price list and send it to the rest of the team.

Her 3x5 Card

 would look something like this:

On the front she has the company name and the actual task.  You will notice at the bottom she has the date and an (E) for email.  The arrow is telling her that she wrote on the back of the card.  

 

On the back is where she put the actual notes.  She wrote when she sent the pricing to Bob to review with the date!  Then she put the other tasks associated with the main To Do.  Once completed, she can then put the completion date on the front of the card.

  

Since we are doing a CYA, these cards do not get thrown away!  Instead, they get filed in her actual PDA organizer or in a 3x5 card box designed specifically for completed items.  This way she has all of the back up she needs just in case someone accuses her of NOT doing an item.  She will know who she is waiting for, when it was done, and all of the other goodies.  Having to account for everything you do is never fun and it's terrible when we get to the point where we HAVE to do it, but it doesn't mean it can't be effective, fun, and pretty!  :)

Personally, I'm buying the red PDA Circa notebook, because Lord only knows my memory isn't what it used to be and I need saving from myself!  :)

Until next time,

Happy Organizing!

Organization for the Account Rep - The Success

This is it! The last and final post of our Organization for the Account Rep Series! Talk about exciting. We took a frazzled, stressed out, anxiety riddled woman and transformed her into The Goddess of All Account Reps!

Let's take a look at some of the key elements that made this system work.  

1. We removed the stress and anxiety BEFORE we started.  A clear mind is ESSENTIAL when you are creating something new.  
2. Total brain dump and bitchfest.  Before you know WHAT the problem is, you need to unload all of the crap.  
3. Identified duplicate tasks and delegated where possible. 
4. We figured out what tools were needed to make it possible to actually DO the job required.
5. Created a realistic schedule and communicated that schedule to those who "needed to know".  
6. We had the support of the entire team and made them aware of the "method behind the madness".
7. I also reiterated that when things get crazy and hectic, it is ok to take some time for yourself to rejuvenate.  You are useless if you burn out so take an afternoon for yourself or an hour for a pedicure.  Seriously, it's OK!

Now we used this system for an Account Rep, but the basics can be used for ANY position, for any situation, and for anyone.  Take the bull by the horns and make yourself THE BEST!

Happy Organizing!

Suzanne Babb

Organization for the Account Rep - The Schedule

Here we go! After this post, it will be the last of our series! In case you need a recap, here is where we are at:

The Recap
The Beginning
The Set Up
The Goodies
The Tools

We have the car loaded with everything she needs, we have the stores mapped out, now all we have to do is get the schedule set up! We also need to take into consideration that she has other job responsibilities other than just running around to the accounts. She has a ton of office work that also needs to be accomplished so we need to factor that into account. I am also NOT a fan of rush hour traffic so in the perfect world that I have created we are going to pretend rush hour does NOT exist.

As far as the basic schedule goes, I want our ravishing rep to never set foot or tire onto a freeway during rush hour traffic. I also want her to be home well before rush hour traffic starts back up again. We will also need to design time blocks to do computer work and other duties outside of the actual "repping".

So here was our initial schedule:

Monday - 8am until noon she was going to work on her in-office work; pricing, marketing, launching new products, follow ups, etc.

Monday - 1pm to 3pm she was going to hit up all of the "professional" accounts on the east side of town. Which means NO freeways. Woo hoo!

Monday - 3pm to 5pm was getting things ready for the "grungy" accounts for Tuesday - Thursday and finish any projects that came in during the afternoon.

Tuesday - 8am until 9:30am she will answer emails and do any follow up from in-office projects.

Tuesday - 9:30am - 2pm The 1st and 3rd Tuesday of the month she will go to Sector 1 grunge stores.

Tuesday - 2pm until 5pm Projects again

Essentially Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday's are the same only different "grunge" store sectors.

Friday - 8am - 9am is at the factory stocking up on supplies and marketing materials for the coming week.

Friday - 9am until 1pm is on the West Side doing all of her west side "professional" accounts.

Friday - 2pm until 5pm finishing up any office work.

We ended up making a few adjustments every now and again to the schedule before we got it finalized, but once we had it just where we wanted it we emailed a detailed copy of her schedule to the Director of Business Development, General Manager, and Install Supervisor so they would all know where she was and where she was going to be. This gave everyone a clear idea of her work load and when they could honestly expect to have projects completed or started.

In order to keep her schedule organized and maintained, we actually set her up with the same Levenger Agenda system that I keep. It worked with her style of thinking, we could incorporate the Levenger note system into it and it gave her the flexibility she needed.

Tomorrow we review what made this system a total SUCCESS! Did I mention she NOW has a red "S" on her chest?

Until then,

Happy Organizing!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Merry Christmas from the Babb Family!

May your holidays be as wonderful as you are!

"Determine to live life with flair and laughter" - Maya Angelou

Organization for the Account Rep - The Tools

We are almost done with our Organization for the Account Rep Series! Only three more to go and we will have totally transformed the life of a very stressed out young lady!

Don't forget, we have had four other posts prior to this one, so be sure and check them out before reading on. The Recap, The Beginning, The Set Up, and The Goodies.

Before we can go on to putting together her Schedule and how she is going to hit all of these accounts, we need to map out where they all are. There is no sense in driving 50 miles from the office only to have to come back and hit another one 35 miles West of that. It doesn't make sense and it's a waste of time and gas. We also had to determine if it was possible to hit several different accounts in the same trip.

Typically, I like to use Mapblast, but it was not playing nice with us that day so I shit canned it. (It was a pretty stressful day for me that day and I wasn't in the mood to waste my time fiddling around with it.) Instead, we went to Google Maps.

1. We went through the painstaking process of entering in the addresses for ALL of her accounts.
2. We then printed out the map with the listing of all the stores.
3. Next we visually looked at the stores in general vicinities of each other.
4. We drew little logical grids on the paper so we could visually see if they were realistic on the actual map.
5. Then we had to determine whether or not she could actually physically visit the different accounts on the same day. (Huh???)

Here is where the tricky part came into play. One of her accounts, the one with the most stores (22) required a dress code. The HIDEOUS vest, closed toe shoes, jeans, and essentially you needed to look like a complete bum. The other accounts mandated you wear dress clothes, looked professional, and like a normal human being. (Can you tell that I am a bit bitter about the first account?) So unfortunately she could not hit the other accounts in the same area on the same day, she would need to do them on two separate days. Which completely sucked!

So we pulled the "professional" accounts from the original map and left behind the "grunge" accounts. Then we checked out our map and grid again. We found that we could easily break them out into 6 sections. Most of them had 3 or 4 stores in each section so we had our natural system. We only had one that was completely out of town and would definitely need to be done on a lighter day, just because of the 2 hour drive time there and back.

Next, we went back and plugged in the "professional" accounts and mapped them out. The great part about these guys was the fact where there was one there were 2! She could easily get all of them banged out in one good long day or we could break them out over two half days.

Even though we mapped them all out and we could very easily print out the maps to see how to get there, we all know that these map programs can be a little "mistaken" and if you are in a scary part of town and if you have NO CLUE how to get out of it and especially if you are a woman it's NOT a good thing. Quite frankly, getting lost in South Phoenix is NOT my idea of a good time. So, I made another quick phone call and got a GPS system approved for our world traveler. Now she has her maps and her GPS and life just got a whole heck of a lot easier.

Now the only thing left to do was organize her schedule!

Which is exactly what we will do tomorrow!

Happy Organizing!

Suzanne Babb

Organization for the Account Rep - The Goodies

If you have been following our little series on Account Management Organization, we are now getting to the fun stuff! We get to go shopping today. Woo hoo! If you are just stopping in, we have 3 other posts for you to take a peak at so you know what in the world is going on; The Recap, The Beginning, The Set Up and now we are on to The Goodies!

Yesterday we determined all of the supplies and materials she needed to take with her on her rounds. Most of it was marketing materials, order forms, the once a month spiff checks, monthly reports, and cleaning supplies. Not to mention the God-Awful Vendor Vest she HAD to wear for one of her stores. (Can you just say HIDEOUS!)

Now it was time to go shopping!

First, we needed something to hold all of her brochures and order forms. The good news was she had 5 different marketing brands for her accounts. Some of the accounts had up to 7 different brochures and order forms and the others only had 1. So we didn't need to get too crazy. We picked up 6 Sterilite Drawer Organizers at Staples and we labeled each drawer set by Account and then by product line so she could visually see where each of her brochures and order forms were located. They fit perfectly into the back of her car and she could easily access the drawer system without having them smashed into her bag.

We could have gone with a file box with files to hold all of her brochures and order forms, but quite frankly, it was just too ugly and we wanted something pretty and something that wouldn't curl the brochures. The file box definitely would have done that. In the drawer system, they lie flat and everything is "happy".

Now she has a system to carry all of the marketing materials around with her, but how about when she actually goes into a store? Remember, one of her accounts has up to 7 different pieces! We needed to have something that would easily allow her to carry in the marketing materials AND her cleaning supplies. So, we grabbed an accordion file for each of her "big" accounts. A "big" account was one that had more than 2 marketing pieces to tote around. We loaded each accordion file up with that specific accounts materials, labeled it and then stored them in the back of the car with the rest of her supplies. Now all she had to do was grab the appropriate accordion file when she went into an account and her bag of cleaning supplies. :) Life was good!

As far as cleaning supplies go, we condensed the paper towels, Windex, Pledge, and feather duster to Clorox wipes and the feather duster. Hello, don't need all the rest of the crap! Both items fit nicely into a cute tote we found and she could even fit the accordion file without a problem.

The only thing left to do was eliminate her habit of NOT taking notes and scribbling on scrap pieces of paper! All of her phone calls, emails and voice mails she received had to do with specific accounts or with the office in general. Because she thought better and her stress level stayed low when she thought of her job in regards to specific accounts we decided that she needed to have a notebook that could be segmented by account. So we went with the Levenger Circa Notebook.

We divided the pages into sections by accounts and every time a call came in, a voicemail was left or an email came through that had an action item or FYI attached to it, she would write it in her notebook. This way when she went to work on or visit that account she had everything she needed at her finger tips. A lot of times when she went to her accounts they would also have questions or requests from her so again, she would just write them under that account and then work on it when she got back to her office. It worked out perfect!

The supplies and goodies were all sorted in her car, she had the supplies she needed to make the process run a hell of a lot smoother, now all we needed to do was work on her schedule and the tools needed to manage her travel time a lot more efficiently!

Tomorrow we go over The Tools!

Until then,

Happy Organizing!

Organization for the Account Rep - The Set Up

In case you missed it, we are doing a little series for Account Reps and how to manage their time and organize their systems. We started with The Recap and The Beginning and are now at The Set Up.

After a full day of relaxing and venting, we were both ready to start tackling our little problem and figuring out some wonderful solutions to make everyone's life a bit easier. I am a HUGE fan of doing things outside of the office whenever I can. It just seems that the overwhelming oppressiveness of the actual "office" can totally destroy a productive working session. So, after my little bout of getting my ass kicked at kickboxing Wednesday morning, I certainly wasn't in any mood to put up with any crap from an unhappy work place. Instead, we met for lunch and sat out on the patio! The weather was perfect in Arizona and fresh air always opens the mind for solutions.

With my composition book in hand, I had her regurgitate everything she had to do for each specific account. I am talking detail by detail. It didn't matter how small and insignificant it seemed, we wrote it down. By breaking it down my client, it gave my Darling Diva a chance to actually feel like she was in control. It wasn't overwhelming because she got to see that some of her accounts required very little babysitting. They were essentially self sufficient they just needed a little love every now and again.

Next, we went over the materials for each client. What did she have to have on hand when she went and saw them? Again, instead of feeling like she "had to carry so much crap around" with her, she realized that even though there was a lot of materials she had to have on hand we could go shopping for some really nifty supplies to help organize her car! We all know that shopping for new things is ALWAYS fun!

During our 4 hours of brain dumping, there were a couple of things I noticed about the habits of my little account rep. 1) She would get phone calls and people would need something from her. She would either just say ok and then hang up the phone OR she would scramble around in her purse and look for a scrap piece of paper and write something down the proceeded to stuff it back into her purse. (CRINGE!!!!) That just about drove me over the brink of insanity, but I maintained my professionalism...for a while. 2) She was so gung-ho on doing EVERYTHING herself she failed to see areas where other people were doing essentially the same job OR similar tasks. Why bother duplicating efforts if someone else was doing it or could do it?

Example: One of her tasks was to make small deliveries, stock product, and handle returns. Now, she could only make small deliveries because a) she had a small vehicle and b) she could not physically move some of the equipment. So the install guys would deliver the big items, stock them and handle the returns. Anyone else see where I am going with this?

With a quick phone call to the Powers That Be, I made arrangements for the installers to actually deliver, stock and handle ALL returns regardless of the size. They would also take a look at the display, dust it off and make notes if marketing materials were low and get it back to their manager so he could pass it off to the sales rep. Ahhh, the art of delegation! Do you know how much time this erased from our AR's schedule? Including drive time to and from the factory and how long it takes to receive the product (on a daily basis), 20 hours a WEEK! 20 FRIKKEN hours!

Now here is the beautiful part of this, it took off 20 hours a week for the AR, but it only added 2 hours to the installer. He already had to go to the factory on a daily basis, he would be given a route to coincide with the store needing a delivery and since he was already going there anyway an extra 10 minutes wasn't going to kill him!

You should have seen the poor girls face. I thought she had died and gone to Heaven!

If you are in the same boat, just follow these simple steps:

• Get out of the office!
• Write down EVERYTHING you need to do by account
• Take a look at your list and see what you can realistically delegate to others
• Delegate those items, don't just recognize them
• Write down the supplies or items you need to do your job

Tomorrow, we are going to review which goodies we bought to help her with "all the crap" and then also my solution for her scrap piece of paper defilement. :)

Until tomorrow,

Happy Organizing!

Suzanne Babb

The Power of the Pen

WE HAVE A NEW HOME!

Ok, well we aren't in full time yet, but as of January 15th the kids and I will have a new place of our own! Garrett has already started planning the Man Cave or as my best friend Grey refers to it as "Grey's Place". Those boys have a lot of plans for my new garage not to mention the back yard. The funniest was the kids asking what were we going to do with all of the space. Garrett did his "Worm Across the Living Room Seal of Approval" so we are all good! (Thank Heaven!) You have no idea how happy we all are to be leaving the home of the hungry hippos above us! No more listening to the leaps and bounds of some sort of hopping hippo mating dance, no more hearing the vacuum starting up at 2 in the morning, and the little dog that likes to yap because he is locked in the bathroom all day can torture some other poor soul!

I did my little update on Twitter today when I went down to sign the papers and Marcia sent back a comment that made one of those light bulbs go off inside my head. "Jeepers - that was quick. Now that's the power of writing your goals down :)"

How true is that?! Seriously, I have been keeping a little running list of some of my goals over the next year or two and I have nailed down several of my little goals already!

Some of my little goals are:

• Get into a house - CHECK
• Size 8 by March 31 - but I think I am upping that to February 28, because damn it, I can do it!
• Get rid of these damn nasty spots by January 31 - CHECK!!!!!
• Make $80,000 in 2009
• Book 8 Speaking Engagements
• Book 8 Virtual Workshops per month
• Sell 8 eBooks per month
• Learn to play the violin
• Commit to doing kickboxing for a year
• No dating for a year
• Help Ariane make Getting Unstuck HUGELY successful! (We can do it, lady!)
• Go skydiving

I also accomplished a couple of things that were NEVER goals, but in the end are a lot better for me. Suzy is officially not drinking Coke anymore (no, it's not winter that is chilling your toes, it is Hell freezing over) and I am also not sailing with the Captain any longer. Trust me, those two are definitely against my will, but you damn well better believe that I will be a size 8 by February 28th or there will be hell to pay!

For me, writing down my little Hopes and Dreams makes them appear more "real" to me. If it is written, it must be achieved. We all know how much I LOVE to mark through my lists with happy highlighters so how can I NOT achieve them?

Of course, the no dating for a year one may be a bit a tough. It never fails, once I decide to NOT date I have all these men crawling out of the woodwork trying to talk me out of it. Bastards. ;o) Thankfully I have my little people who like to remind me often that I am not dating. They are just so mean!

Do you find that when you write down your goals that they come to fruition or are you just incredibly amazing?

Until next time,

Happy Organizing!

Organization for the Account Rep - The Beginning

Yesterday we went over The Recap for organizing the account rep. Today we are going to start at the beginning of the process of how we turned a totally frantic account rep into The Goddess of All Account Reps.

In case you haven't picked up on it yet, I'm not a traditionalist when it comes to my methods. So why would this client be any different? :o)

First thing Tuesday morning, I went in and grabbed my frazzled brained client, I told her supervisor that the phone would be off and we were NOT to be disturbed. (I love being the boss!) Then we went and spent an hour getting a pedicure.

We got the whole kit and kaboodle, little flowers on our toes, the sea salt, calf massages (which I needed thanks to Marcus! Ouch!), the vibrating chairs (no comment), and we totally relaxed.

If you have ever worked with me, you know that nine times out of ten there will be tears. I don't know why, but I just have this affect on people. It's HEALTHY! It also gives me a clear indicator of their state of mind. Where they are in their stress level, their control level, confidence and mental state.

In this instance, she was not ready to jump into "work" right away. So after the pedicures we went and had a nice brunch. Still very relaxed we talked about our little personal lives, we laughed, we just enjoyed NOT working. Then once our brunch was nearly done, we started the "bitch-fest".

It is something that NEEDS to happen. All of your frustrations, all of your complaints, all of the self-pity, the anger, the laundry list of why it will never work, the feelings of self-doubt, and the fears of failure. It needs to be vocalized. It needs to be shared with someone who is perceived as making it all go away aka Me in this scenario.

(May I suggest going to Chilli's for this sort of session? They have GREAT chips and you can sit there for hours and munch and no one bothers you. Did I mention the chips are great?)

Once everything was laid out on the table, my frazzle brained friend felt nothing but relief. A load had been lifted from her shoulders and you could visually see it! She was definitely drained, but she had also placed the reigns into my hands. Her trust, her control and her sanity were now mine. She could finally breathe!

So I told her to keep her phone off, don't turn on the laptop, just go home, go shopping, go do something for herself. Be alone and DON'T think about work under penalty of death!

Do you know what, to her amazement and the amazement of the people back at the office, happened? Well, the world did NOT stop spinning. The business did NOT stop running. And NO ONE died because she turned off her phone. AMAZING, isn't it?

Tomorrow we go through The Set Up of making life a hell of a lot easier for our Goddess in training.

Until then,

Happy Organizing!

Organization for the Account Rep - The Recap

Over the last couple of months, I have been putting together an organizational and time management system for account reps at a local company. Unfortunately, they had a major lay off and they now only have one account rep doing the job of essentially 3 people. Instead of 12 accounts, she now has 40 and she also does the pricing, marketing, and new client start ups. The Director of Business Development helps out when he can, but let's face it, he needs to be out there bringing in the business and the bucks not tootling around with pre-existing clients.

Needless to say, our darling account rep is up to her eyeballs and at wits end. The system we put into place is definitely long and very detailed, as it needs to be if she is to accomplish EVERYTHING that is on her plate. I could write a lengthy blog post, but I figured it would be best served if I just broke it down into sections and give it to you piece by piece.

Let's start with a quick recap of what she actually needs to do with the "repping" part of her new and improved job description. With the 40 pre-existing accounts, she needs to go into each store and stock marketing materials, clean the display, make sure the product has not been opened or damaged, talk to the sales people and answer questions, train new employees, find out if there are any issues, stock product, do deliveries, remove damaged and return items, update pricing, train on new promotions, take phone calls on questions and issues, and generally make nice-nice with everyone.

Her time frame? She needs to see all accounts a minimum of 2x per month.

Can I just take a moment here and say that this is totally UNREALISTIC!

Now onto the flip side of her job description. Aside from the account rep position she is also the guru of all other things.

• Pricing of products for new clients
• Design of new marketing materials
• Project Manager for all new clients
• Complete sales reports for 11 accounts
• Determine spiff check amounts and deliver spiff checks
• Roll out new products and train clients
• Update all pricing and roll out to clients
• Coordinate all trade shows
• Act as liaison between graphic department and operations
• Order marketing materials as they get low
• Plus a slew of other administrative duties

Now I would like to add that this is IMPOSSIBLE to do in the time frame in which it is expected of her. Trust me, I already looked for the "S" on her chest and unfortunately she is not Super Girl. Hmmm, maybe I should have kept my Super Girl Underoos from when I was kid and gave them to her, maybe that would have helped!

The crazy part about this situation is that there are so many other people out there floating around in the same boat. Although at this point, it isn't a leisurely cruise it is a full blown hurricane. So we are going to show you how you can gain control of your ship and ride out the hurricane and come out looking like roses!

Tomorrow, you will have The Beginning!

Until then,

Happy Organizing!

Suzanne Babb

What is Your Title in Life?

When I ask you what your title is, I don't necessarily mean what is on your business card, I'm asking you what YOU perceive your "title" to be. What is the first thing that jumps into your head?

Me? Goddess of All Things Beautiful. So much so that I used to write it on everyone's white board, on Post It's, I would remind them frequently, that yes, Suzanne is The Goddess of All Things Beautiful. :o) I know, my humility is astounding. It amazes even me at times.

Seriously, though. What is the first thing that pops into your head when asked that question. Is it Mom, Taxi, Director of Business Development, Wife, Grandmother, Teacher, Spawn of Satan, Master of Sister Annoyance, Organizing Diva? Knowing what "title" you perceive of yourself will tell you a lot about yourself, your priorities, your passion, and what is most important to you.

Take my mother for instance; this woman has been CEO, she has been Director of Some Other Such Silliness, President, you name it, my mother has been it. However, if you asked her today what her title is, she wouldn't go picking Retired CEO, she would say, "I'm the Mama." And let me tell you, that "job" is the most important to her in the world and she is the BEST Mama EVER. She takes being a grandmother to a whole new level! My son gets a made to order breakfast in bed, my daughter is spoiled beyond belief, my nephews can eat cereal all day long if they want to and she LOVES it. She has passion for her self proclaimed title and she puts everything she has into it. Well, almost. She is still ecstatic to be (oh my dad is going to kill me), "Nicky Pie's Wife". (Sorry, Pops!)

So ask yourself, what is your title in life. It just may help you see through all of the crap that is overshadowing you and give you a clear vision of your future.

BUT don't forget, I am still Goddess of All Things Beautiful!

Happy Organizing!

Suzanne Babb

Organize Your Thoughts - Beyond Freedom

Yesterday, we discussed the Logical solution for organizing your thoughts and today we are going over the Visual with a bit of Inspiration thrown in for flavor solution! Beyond Freedom is one of these great life tools that you can use over and over and over again and revitalize yourself whenever you need it. It's like a mini-vacation for your mind and soul only you don't have to suffer through jet lag and lost baggage.

It uses visual aids of a DVD, CD accompaniment, detailed workbook, and journal to help inspire your soul and motivate your mind. Where the Storyboard is just regurgitating everything rolling around in your brain, Beyond Freedom shows you HOW, tells you WHY, and flips the HELL YA switch. Not only that, it is instantaneous. You get pumped up after talking to Marcus, you end the call feeling like a million bucks, you get a cool package in the mail that isn't a bill, and when you open it up and start feeling the actual tools that will bring you back to life you get goose bumps!

You have everything you need!!! If you are in the car stuck in traffic, pop in the CD's and you will be calm, relaxed and invincible when you get to work. At home and can't sleep? Put in the DVD while the family is sleeping and enjoy some major "ME" time. You can pretty much guarantee you will go to sleep with visions of happiness and a dreams of your future. Plus you have workbooks to help point you in the right direction and help you open your mind to your true self.

How much better can you really get? Well, Hugh Jackman walking me through it all would be heavenly, BUT he has been a little busy being Sexiest Man Alive. Maybe next year! (I'll work on it, ladies!)

Bottom line, being stressed, overwhelmed, unhappy in your currently situation in life is not fun. It's draining, it's depressing and it can affect your entire life. Your personal life, your work, finances, family, and yourself. Life is too short not to be happy and you are worth it. Take this time and make a change in yourself. Be honest with yourself and LIVE again!!

Happy Organizing!

Organizing Your Thoughts - Storyboard of Your Life

Several weeks ago I was totally at wits end. I was beyond stressed, my confidence level was nearly non-existent, and I walked around the house for 5 minutes trying to remember what I was doing. It was not fun in the least bit! I had gone to lunch with an old friend and he point blank asked me, "What in the hell is going on with you? You aren't "Suzy" any more and I don't like this new person."

I thought I was going to break down in tears instantly. Not because of "what" he said, but because someone actually voiced what I was feeling. It was such a relief! FINALLY, it was spoken allowed and I felt like a ton of elephants were lifted off of my shoulders. Until he asked me to actually answer his question. Do you know that I could not form into words WHAT was wrong? I had absolutely no clue. Nothing to pinpoint, no excuse, no reason for being a total wreck, I just was.

As if the "Oracle of Truth" hadn't said enough already, he had a few more words of wisdom to bestow on my frantic self. "Bud, 7 years ago you were in this exact same place and do you know what you did? You reinvented yourself. I don't know how you did it, but one day you were a total wreck and the next you were invincible. Do it again."

Talk about a major light bulb going off in my head! He was totally right! I had reinvented myself and I totally needed to do it again. Being totally gung-ho about getting my life and my head back on straight I went home and decided to get my shit together. The only slight snafu I ran into was I had absolutely no idea on HOW to do it or WHERE to start. I sat there like a deer in the headlights not knowing whether or not I should forward or go back. It was a horrible feeling!

"When in doubt go and get a pad of paper." That's what I always do so I ran into the closet, went to the shelf with all of my papers and guess what was staring me in the face. A Levenger Storyboard pad that I had bought the year before.

This was PERFECT! I grabbed out the pad of paper and I headed out to Zipp's. Zipp's is my own personal retreat. I can go and sit at the bar, drink my Coke, do my work and no one bothers me. It's my little safe haven. So sitting at the bar at Zipp's I pull out my notepad and start with a very broad perspective of what I needed to get under control.

The main topics I put in the actual Square. Off to the right I put down the bullet pointed details.
For example: if you look at my example this is how I actually got started.

Topics to Focus On - Work, OE, Personal - Self, Home, Goals for the year, Past accomplishments, Past failures

Then I took each of the bullet points and I made them their own "topic".

Home - Start looking for houses to rent, Figure out budget, Start packing, What is a priority w/ house

For me, this worked out perfectly! I could break down each area and logically see what I needed to do, where I was going, and how I was going to get there. It was my storyboard, my roadmap, my sanity savior.

Obviously this solution won't work for everyone and it is definitely a very Logical solution to getting yourself pulled together. Especially since you will essentially be doing this yourself with no accountability. But how about solutions for the Visual and Inspirational organizers? Well, we are going to do a review on each of those alternatives, too!

Over the next several days I am going to do a little synopsis of some of the other solutions out there to help you transform your life into one that is inspiring, happy, and all yours!

Just to give you a sneak peak, this is what we will be discussing.

Life Coaches - Inspirational
Beyond Freedom - Visual with a nice splattering of inspiration to go along with it

So, keep watching and let me know which style you are!

Happy Organizing!

Think Outside the Box Organizing Ideas

This Thursday during our Let's Talk Organizing Podcast, I am going to be talking about unusual organizing tools to help spruce up your office or give you a new outlook on how to personalize your organizing solutions. Unfortunately, two of the things that I use on a regular basis didn't make it into the podcast, so I figured I would blog about them instead!

Does anyone know what this is a picture of? And if you say Scarlett O'Hara I'm going to beat you. My girlfriends and I spent a weekend in Prescott earlier in the year and I absolutely fell in love with this so I HAD to buy it. Now, I don't smoke so using it as a cigarrette holder was out of the question. That's right, this is a fancy cigarrette holder. Instead of using it for what it's true purpose is, I am using it for something entirely different! It's actually my wallet! I use the banded side to put my cash in, because it holds it nicely in place and on the opposite side I put in my credit cards and drivers license. Everything fits in nice, neat and organized and it's very portable! Not only that, I get so many nice comments on it when I pull it out. =) I love it!

Ok, onto number 2! What happens when you or a member of your family goes to the beach? They bring back shells, don't they? Yes, they look great on the beach. They even look pretty when they are wet, but what happens when you get them home? You may decide to throw them into your fish tank, you may even display them for a time, but then what? Well, my family is no different. The first time my kids ever went to the beach my son found a pretty shell and gave it to me as a present. Awwww. Then I get home and I am faced with the question of, "Now what?"

Well, I put that little sea shell to work, that's what! I have Garrett's shell sitting on the counter in my bathroom, along with a rock that I found in Scotland (yes, I'm just as bad!), and I put my rings in the shell when I take a shower or go to bed. It works out incredibly well. Plus, Garrett smiles every time he sees it!!

What sort of things do you have around the house that you could get creative with and help you organize?

Happy Organizing!

Suzanne

Winds of Change

We have all heard the token phrase of "Life is too short". We know it, we hear it, some times we accept it and other times the reality of the shortness of life smacks us in the face. We hear reminders on the news of the tragedies of people we don't know, we listen to songs that sing of tales of lives cut too short, we witness it first hand with family, and sometimes we even experience it with ourselves.

The KNOWLEDGE of accepting life as being too short is one thing, but ACTING upon that knowledge is quite another. You can go through life "dreaming" of the places you want to go to "some day", you tuck into the back of your mind a personal passion that you have always wanted to get around to "some day", you can mask how miserable you are behind a fake smile and talk yourself into believing that "some day" it will get better. However, what happens when "some day" is too late? Can you live with the regret of never having seeing the Louvre? Will you always wonder what would have happened if you had pursued your passion for singing? How will you feel at the end of 20 years knowing that you have been living a lie and seeing that affect on your family and yourself?

Life is too short. You are too important. You have earned the right to your hopes, dreams, passions, and happiness. All you need to do is check fear at the door and follow your heart. Follow your passion. Follow your dreams. Before all you have left at the end of your life is, "I wish I would have paid the $2000 to spend a week in Paris."

All of the yammering about making a change in your own dreams is one thing, but how do you really go about doing it? Because, let's face it, it is easier said than done!

Eight years ago I was sitting with my grandpa and we were flipping through a travel magazine. Like most travel magazines, there was a big spread on Hawaii and he started talking about how much he loved going to Maui with my grandma. It was one of the most beautiful places he had ever been to and he is glad that they went. When he asked me where I wanted to go and what I wanted to do, I instantly said I want to go to Scotland. On of the pages in the magazine, was a picture of Falkirk Castle in an ad for British Airways. He ripped the page out and gave it to me. Telling me to take the picture and live my dream. He made me promise that I would go there one day and sooner rather than later. Not to wait. Not to do it when I had "enough money". Not to make up excuses for not following my dream. Just do it!

A week later, my grandfather slipped in the bathroom and passed away. He wasn't sick. He wasn't in the hospital. It wasn't expected. He was dead. Life is too short.

18 months later I was boarding a plane to Scotland with nothing in my heart other than fulfilling a dream. Doing it before "it was too late". Doing it for myself.

Doing something for oneself is probably one of the hardest things to do. You don't want to be selfish. Your kids need you. Your spouse needs you. There are clothes to buy for the kids and soccer practice to pay for and what about a new coat of paint on the house? So-Much-To-Do.

Then there is the issue of not really knowing what it is that makes you happy. Not really knowing what it is you want out of life. Not having a clue as to what your dreams really are. Not wanting to face the fact that you are downright miserable and you deserve happiness.

Taking it upon yourself to make and accept the "winds of change" in your life can be overwhelming! Trust me, I have been there so many times it's not even funny! Ariane and I were talking on Friday about our own reinventions and guess what? It's a wonderful thing to do! Harder than hell, but so worth it!

So just how do you make the change in your life? There are a few things you can do, actually.

1. WANT and EMBRACE the change. You are the only person who can do it and if you aren't ready, then don't waste your time. Wait until you are 100% vested into yourself.
2. Get yourself a Life Coach. A Life Coach is your best friend, your mentor, your life line and the person who will hold you accountable to your own SELF.
3. Do a self assessment or storyboard of your life. This is one of the tools I use and I LOVE it!
4. Try Beyond Freedom. Marcus and I talked about this during our podcast and that is what it is designed for. To help you identify who you are, what you want out of life and cheer you on to keep it going.

Life is too short. Don't be the one standing there saying, "If only I had done..."

And you damn well better believe I am going sky diving in 2009! Hell ya!!

Happy Living!

7 Things You May Not Know About Me

Most of the time I get tagged by Marcia for these wonderful little insights into my life, but today Ariane did! Since Ariane doesn't usually do these sorts of things I figured why the heck not! Coming up with 7 things that people don't know about me that I can actually SHARE is going to be the real trick! I mean, come on, my mom reads this blog too!

Let's see if we can make this somewhat interesting and more than a little embarrassing!

1. The first time I ever went to prom I wore a red strapless dress and was sporting a lovely bruise on my shoulder and couldn't hear a damn thing because I went out shooting with my dad beforehand. It was the first time I ever shot a 12-gauge shotgun AND a .44. (I am thinking it did it on purpose!)
2. I am still friends with the first boyfriend I ever had and that was...oh, good God! 23 years ago!!!!
3. I dated a guy who said his name was Kalel and said he was from Scotland. Ended up being married, from Wisconsin and who knew? Kalel is the name of Superman!! Ya, that's a REAL FUNNY STORY! Still gets told during the holidays. (Don't talk to THAT one anymore!)
4. I flew with the entire Phoenix Coyotes to San Jose and met the entire team. Did I mention I was shaking Shane Doan's hand when they announced he made it to the All-Stars? It was SOOOO cool!
5. I have been in two car accidents, both in December, neither my fault; rolled down the mountain between Payson and Pine and then crashed head on into the barrier on the US60 going 75mph. Didn't get hurt in either accident. (I think Heaven can't handle me and Hell is afraid of me!)
6. I have been married and divorced twice. Yaaaa, I'm a bit of a pain in the butt.
7. I have moved more times than I am an old! (THAT IS DISGUSTING!)

So there you go. My functioning dysfunctional life. The great part is that the holidays are never dull and there is always some embarrassing ancedote we can tell to the kids. "You know, your Aunt Sue did this...don't do what she did."

And they awarded me the Top 3 Most Influential Women in Arizona. Who would have ever thought THAT was possible! ;o)

Now it's my turn! I'm tagging some of MY darling friends.

Marcia

Krys

Allison

Having Fun With Your Desk Accessories

I love it when my clients buy a nifty gadget for their desk and send me pictures. There is nothing better than sharing the love of office products with someone else! So imagine my delight when Kristi sent me a picture of the nifty new gadget she bought for her desk from ABC Distributing.

It is called the Butt Station and it holds tape, Post It's, business cards, pen, and paper clips. It is absolutely hysterical and a wonderful addition to your desk, plus it will even make you chuckle. Who said your office supplies had to be boring?!

Taking Time for You

During the holidays, it is so easy to get frustrated, stressed, tired, and completely overwhelmed. There are gifts to buy, parties to go to, cookies to bake and everyone is vying for your attention and quite frankly, by the time Christmas gets here you are ready to break down and cry! Especially when you realize that you bought a case of AA batteries from Costco when what you really needed for all of the toys were AAA. AHHHHHHH!!!! Talk about being ready for a melt down!

Now, I would like to tell you that you need to learn to just say "no" to so many parties, don't volunteer for EVERY cookie swap, ask people to bring a dish, and buy an assortment of batteries so you are prepared, but come on. Are you really in the mood to listen to that? No, I hear the scoffing so don't worry, I'm not going to suggest it.

INSTEAD, I am going to tell you to take time for yourself. This past Friday was one of those I'm-going-to-pull-my-hair-out-fall-apart-bury-me-alive-and-throw-away-the-shovel kind of days. If one more person asked me to do something I was going to have to shove my foot someplace unpleasant. I needed a moment for myself, but I was also feeling guilty and had this overwhelming sense of "I don't have the TIME". Well, guess what, Suzy. You don't have the time NOT to.

After arguing with myself, my smarter half finally won and I went to lunch with a couple of wonderful friends. Never have I laughed so hard! The girls and I laughed, laughed some more, and we all completely relaxed and didn't have a care or worry in the world. Gone were the worries of health, love, money, kids, work, broken wrists, ex-wives/husbands, baking, holiday BS, and every other beef we were carrying with us. When the lunch was over, we felt lighter, happier, stress-free, and ready to conquer the world!

If it takes an hour or two to re-energize yourself, why not take it? Because, let's face it, YOU ARE WORTH IT!!!

Happy Organizing!

Time for Re-Packing

Today was the day the kids and I pulled out the Christmas tree, decorations and the village and dressed up the house. It was also the day that I realized I need to re-pack boxes! I am not talking about re-packing because things were disorganized. I am talking about HAVING to re-pack because my boxes disinegrated on me! Yep, picked up the box with the tree in it and out came the tree...from the bottom of the box.

Living in Arizona definitely has its benefits. We don't have to shovel snow, it's still in the mid-70's low-80's. We don't have to worry about snow coats, mittens, or snow days. Instead, we have to worry about scorpions in our boxes, the heat of the summer, and our boxes turning to dust due to the heat. So not fun!

However! It does provide the perfect opportunity to go out, re-pack, throw away the crap, and pick up some new "tubs". Which is what I do whenever I notice a decomposed box. I could go out and buy a ton of totes right off the bat, but it would be way too expensive, way too big of a commitment on my part, and the hell if I am doing that in the middle of summer! Instead, I do it a few at a time. This year, I'm going to go and pick up 5 or 6 red and green totes and pack up Christmas using the new tubs.

Typically I never have to worry about "losing" Christmas boxes because no matter where I am living I always put them in the back left corner of the garage. I don't know why, but I do. It's somehow ingrained in the GPS of my brain and that is where they belong. Now, however, I can step it one more notch and put all of the Christmas goodies in Christmas colored bins. The kids and I will be able to visually see where the boxes are, especially since the kids still can't figure out where the back left hand side of the garage is! (Their GPS must be broken...or non-existent!)

If one of your goals for the coming is to clean out the garage, rebox, or condense, consider doing it one section at a time. It will save your sanity, your pocketbook and you won't get overwhelmed by a project too big.

*OH! And don't forget to check your local thrift stores, the Goodwill, or garage sales for used bins! I have found a slew of nice ones and only paid $1.00 for them!

Until next time,

Happy Organizing!

Getting Out of Your Comfort Zone

I am reposting this from my Admin Answers blog as I think it is rather relevant to owning your business as well. So forgive me if you are reading this twice.

There is nothing more wonderful than walking down a familiar street, driving a road that you have known your entire life, or going the same way to work every single day. Just like there is something wonderful about meatloaf and mashed potatoes. It's comforting! You know what to expect, you know you are going to enjoy it, you know it makes you feel warm and fuzzy.

The same can be said with how you do things at work, what you excel at, what you KNOW. Of course, being "the best" at something is a wonderful feeling no one wants you do anything different, but how about the things you don't do so well? What about the areas of your job that aren't so comforting, that you don't fully grasp, that perhaps even intimidate you? You totally shy away from those things, don't you? You make up excuses why you can't do them right now or perhaps you ignore the chore all together.

For the past couple of months I have been taking kickboxing; going into it I knew that I was completely out of shape, I have absolutely no coordination whatsoever, and quite frankly I'm not all that great at it. Total lack of self-confidence in this arena. I mean, hello! I was the girl who always a note in P.E. Even though I have this lack of self esteem in my "physical prowess" (which is non-existent), that isn't what smacked me in the face today. (No, it wasn't my instructor, either.)

What hit me was something that made my heart beat faster than even those damn speed drills. Total FEAR! Not a feeling of "oh someone is going to hurt me", but a grip of "oh, my God! I have no direction! I have no boundaries. I have no idea what the hell I am doing!" So what was the incident that sparked my heart jumping into my throat and a cold sweat to break through the gallons that were already pouring off my face? Something so silly, so simple, so scary "to me". (Get ready to laugh, because this is TRULY pathetic.)

Marcus wanted me to just hit, kick, punch, do whatever my little heart desired to three pads.

Yep, that was it. That was all he asked me to. Just do whatever I wanted. I could kick any way I wanted to kick. I could jab, side kick, front kick, smash my elbow into anything I wanted and I FREAKED out!

What happened to my combos? What happened to the 1-2, front kick, side kick? What happened to him telling me WHAT I had to do, WHERE I had to do it at, what happened to my STRUCTURE?! It flew out the window is where it went to! Do you know what that man made me do?! He made me do it TWICE! As if the first time wasn't bad enough, he made me do it again. He even threatened to take away my rum! (I had a few choice swear words on that threat!)

Bottomline, I was faced with a situation that I knew nothing about, it intimidated me beyond all measure, and not only did I actually live through it without throwing up, I did it twice. Not that it makes me feel any better, but I did do it. With a ton of complaining just for good measure.

So my question to you is, what are some of the things about your job that seriously make you want to crawl under your desk in the fetal position and hide until the sun is well set? Is it cold calling? Speaking up in a meeting? Creating relevant charts? Managing your department? Telling someone 'no'? What is your ultimate FEAR?

Once you know "what" it is, I want you to find your "Fear", confront it, overcome it, and step out of your comfort zone every now and again. It may take a while for you to embrace the fear, but perhaps you will be able to bring it into your zone. Think about how much more valuable you will be to your department, to your company, to your business and to yourself. Can you imagine how wonderful it would feel to actually be able to pick up the phone and "cold call" without breaking into a sweat and feeling like you are going to lose your lunch?

As for me, I see a lot more personal growth that I am probably going to fight tooth and nail over, but will probably thank Marcus for in the end. (insert foul expletive here)

What are some of the things that intimidate you about your job or business?

Circa Annotation Tabs

So I ordered my new 2009 Planner from Levenger last week and I am LOVING IT! I am just sad that I can't necessarily use it for the last month of the year, at least not to its full capacity. I can however do a bit of tweaking and use it to help my overloaded brain.

One of the nifty accessories I purchased with the Planner are the Circa Annotation Tabs. I can essentially use them for any number of things. I can use them as an actual divider tab or I can use them to SCREAM at me telling me I have something beyond important to remember and do. :) Ya, it's come down to screaming. :)

I have decided that I am going to use the Red tabs for bills I need to pay. (I just HATE that, don't you?) I have money that comes in at wacky times and it's not like I can just say I am going to be these bills at these set days. I have to continuously be on my toes and quite frankly, I'm not always on my toes. So, I'm hoping my new little Red tabs can help me out.

Purple is going to be for my high priority To Do's that I can NOT forget to do THAT day.

Blue is designated strictly for errands. I don't need to put errands into my agenda, but I can also not afford to forget to go to the dry cleaners to pick up my clothes for tomorrow or the poster board my daughter needs last minute. Never fails, does it?

I haven't designated topics for Teal yet, but I'm sure I will think of some great ideas and uses for it. I know I have confidence in myself! :)

Have you creatively altered YOUR planner?

Blogging and Facebook

Have I mentioned that I have become a Facebook junkie? I have tried the Twitter thing and just haven't fallen in love with it. The crazy part is I absolutely love reading my friends updates in Facebook so it doesn't necessarily make sense to me, but there you go. I'm an odd bird.

A few months ago I discovered the Notes feature in Facebook where every time I blog it updates my Facebook page with my new post. I can then go in and Tag the people I have referenced in my blog who are on Facebook. For example, if I blog about Marcia I can tag Marcia that I mentioned her in my blog. She can then click on the link, read what I have said about her and everyone in her Friends can also read it.

It's so much fun! I have also found that I get more comments in my Facebook page versus on my blog. I think it's just because it's so dang gone easy and convenient.

If you are using Facebook and using the blog app, how do you like it? What are your thoughts?

Happy Organizing!

Suzanne