12 Steps to Better Team Organization with Ron Holohan

Several weeks ago, I was approached by Ron Holohan from pm411.org to do an interview for his Project Management podcast. I was quite giddy by the request and as I read the email I couldn't help but smile ear to ear over the possibility of doing the podcast interview. Then in the third paragraph of the email he said something that just made me say an instant "yes!"

"I think the episode would provide some good insight for my listeners and I am sure that your humor and sassiness (yes, I said sassiness!) would be welcomed by my listeners."

He he he, he said sassisness! How can I refuse an offer from someone who so pinpoints the fact that I am sassy?

Last Thursday, Ron gave me a buzz, I laughed my fanny off, and we recorded the podcast. Tonight, after a Sunday of busting his butt to edit all of the laughter from our call, Ron has posted the podcast.

The podcast reviews different suggestions and techniques for Project Managers and their teams to become more organized and efficient. If you would like to take a listen at some of my quirky sassy antics, be sure to check out Ron's podcast and listen to 12 Steps to Better Team Organization!

Thanks, Ron, for the interview! I had an absolute blast and good luck with Guitar Hero! Oh, and say hi to your mom for me! ;o)

Happy Organizing Everyone!

Suzanne Babb

Using Lists to Communicate with Co-Workers

I am definitely a list freak and a notebook freak. For whatever reason, they both calm, ground, and get me back into focus; which is a good thing! But when you think of making a list, what comes into your mind first?

• Grocery list
• To Do list
• Christmas present list
• Chore list

Notice how all of these lists pertain to what YOU must do. Or maybe it's a list FOR your kids or spouse. But how about a list that helps you communicate to those you may not see every day? Perhaps a co-worker?

I have been working on a nifty little project for a business development team and we have come up with some great tools to help keep everyone on track, in the know, and keep the VP of Business Development in the groove without having all of those annoying and time wasting meetings.

First, we designed Command Central or our Communications Board. Which has been working out great with keeping the department up to date on a lot of the marketing projects. However, what we ran into was the actual steps for the projects.

Take for example the Tradeshow one of the gals was working on for the President and Vice President. There was a ton of marketing materials, booth designs, product to be shipped, etc. etc. etc. It was absolutely crazy and the Communications Board was quickly filling up and looking rather cluttered. (Yikes!)

So, we came up with a check list! We created the check list in Word using those great little boxes, listed everything that needed to be accomplished and she pinned it up on the board. As she finished a task, she crossed it off in the check box and it was easily readable and everyone knew her status. It was PERFECT!

Next, we looked at some of the other projects that were going on to see if a list could help those processes and sure enough, they did! Now every project has a To Do List that each marketing manager is in charge of. They get posted on the board and when Nick needs to get a quick update he just walks into the office and checks it out.

There are a couple of reasons why I am falling in love with this system.

1. You get to make a list!
2. It eliminates meeting overkill.
3. You get the information you need, when you need it.
4. Keeps everyone in focus.
5. It is extremely simple AND streamlined!

Don't just think of a list as something that is only for you. A list can be a powerful communication tool to help save your sanity!

Happy Organizing!

Suzanne Babb

A Time to Organize the Planning!

Very shortly, I am going to be walking through the picturesque beauty of Dumfries and Sweetheart Abbey in Scotland! That's right, I am going to Scotland! Not only am I going to the very place I LOVE being in, I get to finally meet a very dear and close organizing friend! Ms. Marcia!

Over the last couple of months, we have been hemming and hawing on when we are going to go, if I can be there the same time as her planned trip, will we have time to meet up, and when in the world are we doing it?!

Well, this weekend, I finally got my butt in gear and we have dates, we have locations, we have a plan! The only thing left for me to do was to go out and get a special notebook to plan out my trip!

So, off to the store I went and I picked up this cute, short, fat spiral bound notebook from uCreate. It has two dividers which I am using one for my pre-planning notes and the other section will be for my firmed up plans.

Essentially, to any vacation or holiday, you have several steps you need to go through before the final "take off".

• Pre-Planning
• Final Itinerary
• What to Pack
• Packing
• Jumping on that plane!

In my pre-planning section, I made headers on each page of my notebook for different aspects of my trip:

• Where I want to go
• Things I want to do
• To Do List
• Budget - broken out by airfare, B&B's, trains, food, fun stuff
• Where to stay
• Important websites
• May calendar
• Tentative itinerary

I filled in the blanks outside on the patio since it's absolutely gorgeous outside and then I came in for a few more brainstorming ideas and to get some ideas on how much this little excursion was going to cost me!

Other than British Airways, my favorite website to check out before I go to Scotland is The Train Line! Not only am I going to find out how much it is going to cost me to travel all over Scotland, it's going to give me times of when they depart, how long it will take me to get there, is there even train access to where I am going, it is WONDERFUL!

So, out of the 10 "To Do's" I had on my list today, I have 7 of them knocked out and I am just giddy with excitement!

I still have to figure out which B&B's I am going to stay in and then it will be onto the next step of planning and organizing my little vacation.

Quick Steps To Get Started on the Pre-Planning Phase

If you are planning a vacation, definitely get a notebook to help you collect your thoughts. It will amaze you where and when your little epiphanies pop up and you don't want to be left empty handed.

Check around with your friends and family and see if they have some great suggestions for where you are going. If you blog, ask your blogging buddies!

Create a folder in your Online Favorites for your vacation and save any and all links you need in the folder. Just be sure and delete any obsolete sites you don't need any more. You don't need to confuse yourself!

Know the exchange rate! That part is KILLING me with going over to the UK. Lucky me gets to double everything. YUCK!

Think about the physical exertion you may need to endure. One of the places I want to go is a 5 mile walk! Ya, right! My legs haven't seen a one mile walk in years, let alone a five mile excursion! Looks like I had better invest in some tennies now and start getting these legs made for walking!

I just love planning these little trips!

Once I have all of my pre-planning done, I will start on the actual Final Itinerary. Of course, I am a ways off on that one. But it is why I love having the two separate tabs in my notebook. On the actual trip, I will take the notebook with me so I know where in the world I am going, but it will also be handy to have on hand just in case I need an emergency Plan B! No sense in letting good research go down the tubes!

Let me know if you are planning a nice little holiday and what steps you take to get you where you need to be!

Happy Organizing!

Suzanne "to Scotland" Babb

Command Central aka Project Planning

I have done a lot of blogging and composed Podcasts on Mind Mapping. I have also talked about the Walls of Cork and how to use them to manage thoughts and projects. Well, today I am going to share with you my latest development! Nicely dubbed "Command Central!"

We were on a very tight budget so doing an entire wall in corkboard was definitely out of the question! Instead, we used foam core board! This stuff works out well for more than just science projects for the kids! It's an inexpensive way to do your Family Organizing Board and perfect for Command Central or Mind Mapping.

I didn't want to just use a black 30 x 40 piece of foam core as it is so boring and very plain. I also needed something HUGE so multiple projects could be tracked. So I snagged my more creative mother and drug her with me to the fabric store. :o) I love moms! We found some very nice material to cover the foam core with and off we went back to her house.

I wanted to keep this project as simple as possible for all of those out there who are more like me and don't have a creative bone in their body! For those of you who have an abundance of creative flair, please share with me your ideas on your own project boards! I would love to hear and see them! As for this simpleton, we used a stapler to attach the fabric to the foam core. :o) I told you, I like it simple!

I could have stopped at one or two pieces of foam core, but instead I went for the gusto and used 4 - 30x40 pieces. It looks GREAT!

In order to mount them on the wall in the very plain and small office, I used wall mirror hooks I picked up at Ace Hardware and they worked out perfectly! I was a little concerned that the overwhelming size of the boards would make the office/closet look itty bitty, but much to my surprise it made the office seem a heck of a lot bigger than it really is! Woo hoo!

Once I had all four pieces mounted on the wall, I printed off sections for our Project Planning board. For this client, we segmented them out by customer and marketing projects. This way, anytime their Business Development team had a new action item or project they could pin up the emails, documents, etc. to the board and the rest of the team could track it.

Now the emails printed off worked out nicely, but they were also inundated with phone calls as well. So, instead of writing each project on a piece of paper, we used some pretty 3x5 cards. We wrote the project on the card and pinned it to the proper area.

Not one to use plain Jane office supplies, I had to buy some nifty tacks! The great part was the more decorative tacks came with a nifty foam backing. I used a binder clip to attach the foam to the board and then put the regular tacks in the foam so I had a nice place to store the tacks and it was easily accessible.

The entire board, including fabric, cost about $50. The majority of the cost was tied up with the foam core and that was primarily because I used the big sheets. If you use the regular 20 x 30 it would probably cost you a whole whopping $25 to put together your own Command Central!

The best part about the whole experience is when the Director of Business Development saw the new board, he LOVED IT! He didn't know what was all on the board, but it felt like his team had everything in control and it definitely felt like "Command Central".

Happy Organizing!

Suzanne Babb

10 Things to Get You Ready for the New Year

This is a pretty lengthy topic and one that would just as easily be listened to rather than read. So if you are up to listening to a podcast in the new year, enjoy!

But if you are trying to be hush hush on your first day back at work and catching up on your blog reading, then grab a drink, get comfortable and let's get started!


The most important thing you can do in order to ensure your organizing success in the new year is to NOT put it on your New Year's Resolution list. That's right, do NOT put it on your list. Do not vow to get organized, do not put it on your top New Year's Goal , and do not vaguely say "I'm going to get better organized this year." Why, you ask? Because according to a survey by Franklin Covey, 35% of all resolutions are abandoned by the end of January and 75% are inactive by the end of the year. So, why set yourself up for failure? You do not need the excuse of it being the New Year in order to get more organized.

Did you know that January 1, as the mark for the new year in England and the United States, is only 260 years old? Since the two countries took so long to adopt the "new year", why not make today the mark for YOUR new year or your starting line.

Next, do not just say you want to "get organized". Seriously, what does that mean? You want to get organized. Organize what? Your bathroom, your closet, your office, the pit of doom your children live in? What is it that you want to organize? Again, by being vague you set yourself up for failure and who wants that?

Instead, say "I want to organize all of the kids toys in the garage."

Now that you know WHAT you want to organize, determine WHEN you want to do it.

I live in Arizona and there is no way in hell I would ever consider organizing my garage anywhere after April and before October. It is just way too frikken hot to be messing around in the garage. Let's face it, Suzy does not sweat! Instead, I am going to put a deadline of getting the kids toys in the garage organized by the end of March.

I have what I want to organize, a deadline of when I want to have it done by and now I need to do a quick assessment of what needs to be accomplished.

What kind of crap do my kids have?
How many bikes, balls, scooters, roller blades and hockey nets do I have to deal with?
How may toys they don't play with any more are scattered about?
What kind of space do I have to work with?
Can I hang the bikes from the ceiling on bike hooks?
Do I have storage cabinets to use?
What about buckets to put the hockey pucks in?

Knowing what my goal is, when I want to have it done by and the things I need to organize is a fantastic start and most people will then go and buy what they think they need to make it look pretty and organized. What they don't factor is the WHO behind the organization. You could hang the kids bikes up by bike hooks, but will they be able to get them off of the ceiling or will you be required to go out to the garage every single time they want to ride their bike? Do they ride their bike every day or is it something they do every blue moon? If they don't ride them a lot, you getting them off of the hooks may be a moot point. However, you do need to keep in mind the size and the abilities of who is going to be getting at all of the toys. Can the kids get to them easily? Do they normally grab the basketball by opening the main garage door or by ducking into the door inside the house? Putting items in logical locations is key to maintaining organization. You also need to consider your children and how they put things away. If you make a bin for each type of ball; basketball, soccer ball, volley ball, etc. will the kids realistically put them away in each bin? Not in a million years! Instead, put all of the balls in one bin or even a trash can. You know they are going to try and get a 3 pointer as they throw the ball into it.

Now that I know who I am up against, I need to determine what I need to get. Since my son and husband like to play street hockey, I think I will go ahead and utilize my good friend Velcro to help me out. I can get a fabric sack to Velcro around the top bar to hold the pucks in. They can take the bag off when they pull out the net and I can also use Velcro to strap the hockey sticks to the top of the net as well. When they want to play, all they have to do is drag the net out to the driveway and they won't have to dig through the other ice hockey sticks to find their street hockey stick. Keeping like things together is another one of those important organizing aspects that will help you in any project you work on.

Here comes the hard part, the actual DOING IT! I must say that I am a GREAT planner. I love to plan, put together the layout, the why's and every other intricate little details I can come up with, what I absolutely suck at is the actual execution. Once I get in the mood, there is no stopping me, but it's the "getting into the mood". I also do not like a lot of help when I'm doing a project, especially if it's one I don't like. I am more of a solitary soul. The best situation for me to get the garage organized is to schedule a day to do it, throw everyone out of the house, turn on some great fun music, and just get it started. If you are someone who needs someone to help you, then ask. You may even want to involve the kids so they understand the method to the madness. Which brings us to the last two things you need to do in order make organizing a success.

Communicating to EVERYONE where things are, where they need to go, and how they need to be put away. Even if I have to tape a big square on the floor of the garage to tell my 29 year old where the hockey net goes, it will be well worth it! You don't need to lecture the little people, but explaining why you are doing it and why it's important to you will definitely help inspire them to maintain it.

The last tip is the actual maintenance of the system. This means reminding everyone to put things back where they belong and being firm with yourself and with others. It doesn't matter if you are running late to the movies, the basketball needs to be put in the ball bucket. Leaning the bike up against the wall is not an acceptable spot and it's only 3 steps further into the garage to put it where it belongs. Be firm, you are the parent!

As you and your family work with your new system, you will find things that you need to tweak. Don't feel like just because you put a system in place that it is 100% perfect. You will find that you may have to move some things around a bit or make some adjustments, that is perfectly fine! As a matter of fact, you should welcome it and encourage suggestions. Just don't let it fall by the way side. If you see something not working, then fix it.

In a nutshell, the top ten things you need to do to get organized for the new year is:

1. Don't make it a resolution.
2. Determine what you want to organize.
3. Put together the timeline of when you want it done by.
4. Assess what needs to be done.
5. Identify who it is going to affect.
6. What tools do you need to implement?
7. DO the organizing!
8. Communicate to everyone involved.
9. Maintain the system.
10. Tweak as needed.


Happy Organizing in the New Year!

Suzanne McLoone

Organized, Delicious, Gifts

I will whole-heartedly admit that I don't "cook". I may make a couple of my specialty items and in a previous life I loved to bake, but in all reality I am not a big fan of it. I LOVE to BBQ, but now that I have this large hairy creature married to me, I don't even get THAT joy anymore. So, why in the world would I even suggest my next little goodie? Because I know a lot of you LOVE to cook! You have Menu Plan Monday, you trade recipes like my kids trade hockey cards, and how cool would it be to give your blogging buddy an incredible thoughtful, yummy and organized gift?!

Thus, the latest "How To" from HP, "Create and Print Your Own Cookbook". Now, Aby would have an absolutely gorgeous way to scrapbook the recipes, but if you are anything like me, Scrapbooking is better left to the creative professionals, not to little ol' slide-it-in-the-plastic-sleeve-let-it-be me. However, if you are more comfortable with the computer and doing a bit of copy and pasting and data entering, why not create something beautiful using your computer skills and your printer!

With the holidays fast approaching you could even set yourself a couple of goals to do two recipes a week. Of course, why stop at the recipes? Maybe for those of us anti-cookers we could come up with a different recipe all together! "Suzy's Office Recipes for Getting Organized", "Kelly's Perfect Apron for Every Meal", or even "Allison's Recipes for Living the Life You Love".

It's a thought!

Of course, if anyone wants to back me a care package of wonderful cookies I am all up for that! :o) Oh and Banana Bread with no nuts! Yummmmm!

Teenage Parties

Last night my daughter had her 14th birthday party, albeit 3 weeks late, but a party all the same. The truly amazing part of the whole get together was it was a slam dunk, last minute, throw it together party. Not typically the kind I am prone to be excited about that's for sure! But with kid schedules, going to their dad's and my crazy wackiness; Jordyn logically explained to me WHY this weekend was perfect. Damn logical children!

So, Monday afternoon I relented and the race was on! Jordyn quickly printed invitations out on the computer, I called a fantastic friend to see if "the boy" (as I fondly refer to my 9 year old son) could spend the night with his son, Jordyn threw together her party junk food wish list, we sent it over to my mother so she could pick up some of the goodies on her weekly Sam's Club run, I rented her favorite Vampire movies from Netflix so they would be in by Friday, and Saturday morning we did a mad dash around the house to get it all cleaned up for the crew to show up at 5pm.

5pm worked out perfectly! We had enough time in the day to go to archery and clean the house, plus get all of the food together. The BEST part of the party is Jordyn wanted to have it in the garage! God, I love this kid! The garage is a make shift kid TV room at the moment with chairs, recliners, TV and bean bag chairs. Not to mention the rest of our crap. She wanted somewhere her and her friends could cut up and be silly and the garage was perfect!

By 9pm, the parents had picked up their kids and by 9:30 Jordyn had the garage cleaned up and headed off to bed. Did I mention she is 14? Shoot, I barely do that after a party I have for the adults!

I will whole heartedly admit that it was the least stressed party I have ever had at the house and it was entirely due to the fact that I didn't hold it all in for myself.

Jordyn was in charge of the invites, food list, movie list and partial clean up.
My mom did the majority of the shopping.
Tim watched the boy.
I delegated!
Jordyn and her friends ate tons of junk food and I sent them home to their parents!

Some time it is so much better when you have RELIABLE people around to help you out with a project or a function. Of course, the opporative word is RELIABLE. I would hate to think what would have happened if Tim had fallen through, I hadn't ordered the movies from Netflix in time, or my mom flaked on the shopping. It could have been an even more stressful week and lord only knows, none of us need that!

The same holds true when it comes to a project you are working on or an event you are planning.

First, make a list of everything that needs done.
Second, create a list of reliable resources you can count on.
Third, layout the game plan and make sure everyone knows what they are doing and when it needs done by.
Fourth, watch as it smoothly unfolds around you.

If you are doing it alone, still make your list, create a timeline, layout your game plan, and keep yourself in control! Refer back to it often and make sure you have made realistic timelines for yourself. Don't set yourself up for failure!

Just like, I could have asked my best and most flakiest friend Eric to hang out with the boy and when he didn't show up and didn't call until 2 hours AFTER the fact, I would have been stressed AND pissed! Not that it would have surprised me, it happens ALL OF THE TIME! Which is why I didn't rely on him for the party night. (Sorry, babe, but you are a flake. Cute, but a flake nonetheless!)

Be smart and be realistic when you are planning and organizing. There is nothing worse than letting yourself down and setting yourself up to fail. Next time your kids want a party, do it in the garage! My gosh that was GREAT!

Happy Organizing!

Extra Help for Those with ADD/ADHD

I have several wonderful clients who are making quite a success with their companies even though they have a "touch" of ADD/ADHD. Having the main focus of what they are doing on an overall scale definitely helps them and it also creates an overwhelming feeling of self gratification that they are doing it!

Until the little projects and to do's come into play. Oh, the stress, the anxiety, shutting down and panic that settles in is awful! I can go in once a week and get the office "looking" decent, but what is that REALLY doing? Helping me sleep at night, sure, but in the grand reality of things, is it doing what NEEDS to be done for my clients? No!

Here is what we found out.

1. A cluttered desk and office really isn't a BAD thing. Sure, it LOOKS terrible and I can't handle it, but then again, I am not working in that environment. So who cares?
2. What is HORRIFYING is not knowing what needs to be done TODAY.
3. Not being able to focus on the tasks at hand because of all of the "other" distractions in the office.

What are the solutions we came up with?

1. Don't worry about the mess, Suzanne. (Oh, this was the hardest...for me, anyways!)
2. 6 hour (yes, 6 hours!) of brain dumping. Going over every project and the to do's associated with them and writing them all down (ok, I did this.) I then transferred them into Excel and sorted them by Project, To Do, Due Date, Person Responsible. I then put filters on the row so my clients could only see what was needed to be completed for that day. The important piece was they weren't distracted by everything else that needed to be done.
3. Accountability Phase. For the first two weeks, we have a daily conversation at the end of the day where we discuss what did not get accomplished during the day and put together a new due date. We then review the items that need to be completed tomorrow. After we have that settled, we discuss any new action items or to do's that popped up during the day and schedule them into another day. This has worked INCREDIBLY well!
4. Getting out of the office for an hour. After my clients get into the swing of the planning and accountability phase, I have them plan their day by going to a coffee shop, book store, park, anywhere but in their office. This forces them to concentrate on their To Do's versus what is lying around on the desk or popping up in their email inbox.
5. Having measurable goals. The great part of the Accountability Phase and the Excel spreadsheet is I can keep track from the time we start to the time they are out on their own of how effective they have become! When they see just how much they have accomplished, they are OVERJOYED! They still need a bit of accountability now and again, but for the most part they have their routine in place, it's simple, and it's not distracting.

Some times working for yourself is harder than it seems. You only have yourself to answer to, unless you have a 9-year old who comes in after school and asks how your To Do List is coming and how much money you made (the tyrant!). But if you don't have brow-beating-boy always by your side, who is holding you accountable? If you find that you aren't completing your tasks, if you are falling behind on client projects, or you are dropping the ball on your customer service, you may want to consider getting some outside assistance to help you manage your time and hold you accountable to your responsibilities.

Happy Organizing!

Composition Books Gone Wild!

Ok, let's face it, I HATED Science class or anything remotely resembling the world of Science, Physics, Chemistry, whatever. My Chemistry teacher took pity on me in high school, because I was just absolutely clueless! Maybe it was because my lab partner kept swallowing the goldfish, but whatever the reason the worst part about it was those nasty black and white composition books. Talk about nasty!

Perhaps, Ms. Aby would have created a beautiful cover complete with bow because she is as creative as they come, but I don't have an aesthetically creative bone in my body. That is why, when I saw these composition books at WalMart for 50 cents I just had to jump for joy and do a happy dance right in the middle of the aisle! 50 CENTS! So, of course, I went berserk and bought 20 of them. I absolutely LOVE composition books now and I just try and repress the Science class days. It does help that I don't ever get one of the nasty traditional books. I always try to buy pretty ones.

Along with the $.50 books from Wally World, I also found some other ones at Target on clearance for $1.48. They may not be $.50, but they are still cheap! (I bought 6 of the ones at Target!) I couldn't resist they were adorable! In total, I currently have 37 unused composition notebooks and 10 used composition notebooks. Pretty crazy, eh?

Not really. Not when I rely on these notebooks to keep my business organized and my clients.

To find out what I use these lovely little notebooks for, jump on over to Suzanne's Favs!

Happy Organizing!

Organizing Must Read Articles

Question for you. How many magazines and newspapers do you have lying around your home and office that you are "going to get to"? How many of those "going to get to" magazines are you REALLY "going to get to"? But, Suzanne, there is an article in that magazine from June of 1995 that I am going to read. Hmmm, not sure I REALLY believe that, but we are going to see about making it so it can either happen or help to ensure in 11 more years you aren't saying the same thing.

If you are like 90% of my current clients, you have a stack of "reading" material that is collecting dust on the floor, desk, or table. Many times it is older than 2005. Many tears have been shed, many excuses have been given, but in the end your pile is gone and you are left with what you REALLY want to read.

In the next week, I want you to go through your stacks of magazines and piles of newspapers and either flag the articles you want to read or tear out the articles of interest. Once that is accomplished, throw away the magazine and/or newspaper.

Next, take all of the articles you tore out and put them into a pile.

What you'll need

1 - 3 ring binder
1 box of page protectors
Page divider tabs for page protectors

Once you have your pile, start separating them into "Topic" piles.

For example:
Home Decorating
Recipes
Organization
Business Tips
Kid Projects

Take each of those topic piles and do a coinciding Page Divider Tab. Be sure and keep all home related topics in one section, business in another, and so forth.

Next, write down the article name and possibly even the publication in which it came from. Don't panic about not having the magazine any more. More times than not the magazine publication along with date is at the bottom of the page.

Once you have that written out, type it on the computer and print it.

This is your Table of Contents.

Next put all of the articles into the page protector sleeves. This will help keep your article from wear and tear.

Organize your binder, put in your Table of Contents and Wha La you now have a great binder for you to take with you to read when you are waiting for kids, sitting at the doctors office or just have a quiet time for yourself. PLUS, you finally have the time and the means to read those "must read" articles of interest!

Happy Organizing!

Suzanne