“With organization comes empowerment.” Lynda Peterson
September is a beautiful month for great weather in New Jersey. The shore towns are quiet, and the temperatures start to go down to an enjoyable 70 to 80 degrees during the day. Anyone who does not have children in school and also a full-time job probably truly loves September. Since I am a Virgo and my birthday falls in September, I should enjoy it as well. However, for the most part I hate September! School starts back up, fall sports are in full swing and the endless school paperwork and back to school events pile on my calendar like the used wet towels on my kid’s bedroom floors.
A middle manager in a corporation is also somewhere along the path of the end of the fiscal year planning… or panic, depending on how your performance is looking and the exact close of the company’s fiscal year. Most companies close their fiscal years somewhere between end of October and end of December.
If you have elementary and/or junior high students then you are dealing with the medical forms, the school supply lists, the back-to-school nights, the bus times, and the never-ending school lunch demands. For example, my teenage sons prefer to bring lunch to school. This leads to the need of an endless supply of fresh turkey, cheese and bread… and I am not talking about just any turkey, cheese and bread… they require the freshest, most premium turkey, cheese and bread. Not the kind that you can stock up at Costco for the next 2 weeks. They need the turkey, cheese and bread that is refreshed and supplied nearly every two days from the local deli and Pepperidge Farm bakery. So in between conference calls I am running into grocery stores, on hold with doctors’ offices for the most recent shot records, emailing the bussing company to complain about my sons 3 hour round trip bus ride, picking up my youngest from tennis practice and arranging medical care for my oldest who is getting his wisdom teeth out before school starts. In between all of that, I am leading a commercial sales team. As you read this blog, I know you want to raise your hands to the heavens and say, “THANK GOD I AM NOT ALONE!”.
The chaos and never-ending list of “to do’s” is simply overwhelming. I was speaking with a colleague recently that has much younger children than I and she summed it up very well, “I need an organizational overhaul”. I always feel more capable when I am organized. I will spend a couple of hours on a Sunday just clearing my emails, sorting through my paper pile on my desk and planning out my week just so that I can start Monday FEELING organized. When my brain is in chaos, my work reflects it.
I have followed nearly every organizational program; I am a “The Home Edit” and “Marie Kondo” method fan! Netflix binging on organizational programs is one of my most favorite things to do; however, I feel the need to produce my own new Netflix organizational show called “Organizing your Corporate Career with your Real-Life Demands”. Not a very catchy title, but I welcome suggestions in the comments for a name of this new Netflix series!
In the meantime, while I try to come up with a catchy name for my Netflix series, I am fairly confident that I have learned a few organizational tips and tricks throughout my 24-year corporate career and 18 years of being a parent. I share those with you in bullet point below, I also welcome you to share your tips and tricks in the comments and use this site to support each other.
Managing in the Middle:
- Set aside an hour each Sunday to write out your schedule for the week and clear any emails that need immediate attention the first thing on Monday morning.
- Use a notebook with the day at the top of each page. Write your schedule for the day on the right side of the page; also include things like “workout”; “eat lunch”; “Drive Nick to tennis”. On the left side list your “to do’s” for the day. As the day goes by if some things become less important, move them to the following day. As new things come up for additional days in the week, add them to the list for that day.
- Set up family text groups to help with easy communication and schedule changes.
- Have a central family calendar set up in an area that everyone can see with sporting activities, school activities and other commitments. Some prefer to have this on the wall, some prefer an electronic version that everyone as access to.
- Block out an hour each day in the early afternoon to get through your emails and clear up any immediate concerns that need to be addressed prior to the end of the day.
- Schedule routine catch up calls (touch bases) with team members and colleagues while driving. Assuming these are just routine and nothing that would require a face-to-face discussion.
The Heart of the Middle 