Hogan Organized Living

In The News

COSE Update, December 2004

Unless you’re a retailer going crazy to meet holiday customer demand, December can be a relatively quiet time of year. It’s an ideal time to wrap up projects, reflect on the year and revisit your strategies. This month, why not take some time out do just that? Here are some tips—both lofty and practical—to help you hit the ground running in 2005:

Get Away From it All

For Carol Staiger, the end of the year is devoted to “35,000-feet stuff,” the kind of panoramic ruminations that she never has the time for on a daily basis while running VANTAGE POINT Marketing Consultants in Cleveland Heights. She goes on retreat each December for the sole purpose of letting her mind roam over lofty ideas.

“I find a bed-and-breakfast no more than a two-hour drive from Cleveland with few distractions,” says Staiger. “I usually stay for four days and spend most of the time in my room.”

She doesn’t go alone. Staiger brings along a stack of magazine articles, jotted notes and business cards—all of her “out-of-the-box” items—that she’s accumulated over the year. She relaxes with a notepad and opens her mind to fresh ideas. Eventually, she powers up her laptop.

“First, I list my goals for the year,” she says. That might be a revenue figure or a new market she’s eager to explore. Next, she explores ideas for how to achieve those goals.

And finally, there’s the action plan. “I do it on a spreadsheet against a 12-month grid,” Staiger says. Ultimately, she’ll translate this plan into concrete week-to-week plans, so that her goal-writing isn’t simply a vacation wish list.

It works, says Staiger: “I’ve left my retreats and immediately started connecting with people whom I’ve decided I wanted to get involved with, and now I’m doing business with them.”

Picture the Plan

Mike Foti, president and CEO of Cleveland Glass Block, advises end-of-year thinkers to think in a visual way. That makes it easier to share your new strategies and concepts with employees.

For instance, Foti wants his own staff to think about “going deep” in their sales efforts—or, in other words, he wants them to build on and make better use of existing customer relationships.

“We support the ‘go deep’ message with internal promotional materials that include the image of a person diving into a swimming pool,” says Foti. Employees get and retain the message because it’s simple, to the point and clutter-free.

Come Clean

The old saying, “A cluttered desk is a cluttered mind” is painfully true for most of us.

“Disorganization holds you back,” says Marge Mackey, president of Hogan Organized Living, who helps companies of all sizes institute efficient job processes. “Employees can get distracted with clutter.”

A disorganized work environment also can lead to low morale and it makes a poor impression on clients, Mackey adds. If your files are in disarray (or non-existent) and the office or shop floor is a shambles, you’re likely wasting valuable time looking for work orders, invoices, memos or job jackets.

The paradox is that the worse the situation gets, the less inclined you are to try to tackle the challenge. Don’t be, says Mackey. “Getting organized actually increases your creativity and productivity. It’s a mindset,” she says. Cleaning up the clutter isn’t as overwhelming as you might think, as Mackey points out. It’s just a matter of rolling up your sleeves and applying a little elbow grease.

“People see it as a much larger project than it really is,” she says. “One client told me that without my help, reorganizing his office would have taken him a solid week—but in reality it took us only a couple of hours.”

Clear Out the Clutter

Being disorganized can waste your time and stress you out. If you want to relax and enjoy the holidays—and make a clean start in 2005—now is the time to clear out the clutter. Here are some practical tips, courtesy of Marge Mackey, president of Hogan Organized Living:

• Start with the end in mind. “Visualize how you want your desk or office to look when you’re done,” Mackey suggests. When you have a vision, you’re less likely to muddle along.

* Get some help. If you work in a team, you’re more likely to keep nose to grindstone, stay distraction-free and make quicker decisions.

• Take small bites. If the job feels out-of-hand, devote a set amount of time per day to the task. “Set an alarm clock, and work on it for 15 minutes a day,” Mackey advises. Start with the material you’re most likely to need in your workday, so you feel at least a little organized before the task is completed.

• Categorize. Think about dividing your papers and files into three main categories, such as: immediate action items, read-and-review and discard immediately. You can do the detail work once you have three semi-organized piles.

• Delegate. If you have employees, save time by getting them involved.

• If you can’t throw it out, at least get it out of the way. If your cobwebby files are unlikely to ever be needed again—but for business reasons you need to hold onto them—store them out of your way. “It might be worth it to rent offsite storage space,” Mackey suggests. “It’s worth the cost if it expands your usable work space, reduces stress and increases productivity.”

COSE Update, December 2004

Your important telephone conference was interrupted by a blaring stereo, and you had to leave last week’s budget meeting early to pick up the kids from school. When you work from home, the boundaries between the two worlds can be a bit permeable. If your residential workspace is a little too homey, start the New Year with a pledge to inject more professionalism into your home office environment.

Here’s how, courtesy of workplace organization guru Marge Mackey, president of Hogan Organized Living:

• Get a little R-E-S-P-E-C-T—Let everyone know that your office is off-limits for anything but work. Your work. “If you worked off-site, you’d call a meeting to make sure everyone understood the ground rules,” says Mackey. Do the same with your family “associates.” Set and enforce clear rules concerning interruptions, noise-level, etc.

• Separate the paperwork—Bills, checks, notices, junk mail… Your business gets them, and so does your household. Probably all through the same mailbox. Make yourself more efficient by immediately separating your business paperwork from household correspondence. And only worry about the work stuff during work hours. Better yet, rent a post office box for your business mail.

• Get the basics—You might not have the space or the budget for everything, but you should at least have a computer, desk, comfortable chair, an array of basic communications technology (phone, fax, printer, etc.) and some space dedicated just for work. Ideally, your personal computer doesn’t also hold your kids’ latest version of Lara Croft: Tomb Raider.

• Put the kids in their place—“I’ve got clients with a huge house and an office, but they’ve also got two little kids,” says Mackey. “Inevitably, kids and toys end up in the office.” Make regular child-care arrangements for young children during work hours so you can work without interruption.

• Clear the clutter—Yes, we’ve covered this elsewhere, but it bears repeating, especially in a home office where space is at a premium. Mackey recommends using clear plastic tubs to hold materials you just can’t do without. Toss the rest or archive it elsewhere.

• Consider moving out—You could adopt all these tips and still have problems separating your home life from business. If so, start looking for affordable office space. “I know several people who work from Starbucks,” says Mackey. If you have a cell phone and a laptop (preferably with wireless Internet access), you pretty much have your office with you. A coffeehouse also is not a bad place to entertain clients. With the caffeine buzz, at least you’ll get the work done.










		In The News >>Read the Cover Story on COSE website >>Read Working at Home on COSE website COVER STORY Out With the Old, In With the New COSE Update, December 2004 Unless you’re a retailer going crazy to meet holiday customer demand, December can be a relatively quiet time of year. It’s an ideal time to wrap up projects, reflect on the year and revisit your strategies. This month, why not take some time out do just that? Here are some tips—both lofty and practical—to help you hit the ground running in 2005: Get Away From it All For Carol Staiger, the end of the year is devoted to “35,000-feet stuff,” the kind of panoramic ruminations that she never has the time for on a daily basis while running VANTAGE POINT Marketing Consultants in Cleveland Heights. She goes on retreat each December for the sole purpose of letting her mind roam over lofty ideas. “I find a bed-and-breakfast no more than a two-hour drive from Cleveland with few distractions,” says Staiger. “I usually stay for four days and spend most of the time in my room.” She doesn’t go alone. Staiger brings along a stack of magazine articles, jotted notes and business cards—all of her “out-of-the-box” items—that she’s accumulated over the year. She relaxes with a notepad and opens her mind to fresh ideas. Eventually, she powers up her laptop. “First, I list my goals for the year,” she says. That might be a revenue figure or a new market she’s eager to explore. Next, she explores ideas for how to achieve those goals. And finally, there’s the action plan. “I do it on a spreadsheet against a 12-month grid,” Staiger says. Ultimately, she’ll translate this plan into concrete week-to-week plans, so that her goal-writing isn’t simply a vacation wish list. It works, says Staiger: “I’ve left my retreats and immediately started connecting with people whom I’ve decided I wanted to get involved with, and now I’m doing business with them.” Picture the Plan Mike Foti, president and CEO of Cleveland Glass Block, advises end-of-year thinkers to think in a visual way. That makes it easier to share your new strategies and concepts with employees. For instance, Foti wants his own staff to think about “going deep” in their sales efforts—or, in other words, he wants them to build on and make better use of existing customer relationships. “We support the ‘go deep’ message with internal promotional materials that include the image of a person diving into a swimming pool,” says Foti. Employees get and retain the message because it’s simple, to the point and clutter-free. Come Clean The old saying, “A cluttered desk is a cluttered mind” is painfully true for most of us. “Disorganization holds you back,” says Marge Mackey, president of Hogan Organized Living, who helps companies of all sizes institute efficient job processes. “Employees can get distracted with clutter.” A disorganized work environment also can lead to low morale and it makes a poor impression on clients, Mackey adds. If your files are in disarray (or non-existent) and the office or shop floor is a shambles, you’re likely wasting valuable time looking for work orders, invoices, memos or job jackets. The paradox is that the worse the situation gets, the less inclined you are to try to tackle the challenge. Don’t be, says Mackey. “Getting organized actually increases your creativity and productivity. It’s a mindset,” she says. Cleaning up the clutter isn’t as overwhelming as you might think, as Mackey points out. It’s just a matter of rolling up your sleeves and applying a little elbow grease. “People see it as a much larger project than it really is,” she says. “One client told me that without my help, reorganizing his office would have taken him a solid week—but in reality it took us only a couple of hours.” Clear Out the Clutter Being disorganized can waste your time and stress you out. If you want to relax and enjoy the holidays—and make a clean start in 2005—now is the time to clear out the clutter. Here are some practical tips, courtesy of Marge Mackey, president of Hogan Organized Living: • Start with the end in mind. “Visualize how you want your desk or office to look when you’re done,” Mackey suggests. When you have a vision, you’re less likely to muddle along. * Get some help. If you work in a team, you’re more likely to keep nose to grindstone, stay distraction-free and make quicker decisions. • Take small bites. If the job feels out-of-hand, devote a set amount of time per day to the task. “Set an alarm clock, and work on it for 15 minutes a day,” Mackey advises. Start with the material you’re most likely to need in your workday, so you feel at least a little organized before the task is completed. • Categorize. Think about dividing your papers and files into three main categories, such as: immediate action items, read-and-review and discard immediately. You can do the detail work once you have three semi-organized piles. • Delegate. If you have employees, save time by getting them involved. • If you can’t throw it out, at least get it out of the way. If your cobwebby files are unlikely to ever be needed again—but for business reasons you need to hold onto them—store them out of your way. “It might be worth it to rent offsite storage space,” Mackey suggests. “It’s worth the cost if it expands your usable work space, reduces stress and increases productivity.” Working From Home? Tips for Keeping Your Two Worlds Separate COSE Update, December 2004 Your important telephone conference was interrupted by a blaring stereo, and you had to leave last week’s budget meeting early to pick up the kids from school. When you work from home, the boundaries between the two worlds can be a bit permeable. If your residential workspace is a little too homey, start the New Year with a pledge to inject more professionalism into your home office environment. Here’s how, courtesy of workplace organization guru Marge Mackey, president of Hogan Organized Living: • Get a little R-E-S-P-E-C-T—Let everyone know that your office is off-limits for anything but work. Your work. “If you worked off-site, you’d call a meeting to make sure everyone understood the ground rules,” says Mackey. Do the same with your family “associates.” Set and enforce clear rules concerning interruptions, noise-level, etc. • Separate the paperwork—Bills, checks, notices, junk mail… Your business gets them, and so does your household. Probably all through the same mailbox. Make yourself more efficient by immediately separating your business paperwork from household correspondence. And only worry about the work stuff during work hours. Better yet, rent a post office box for your business mail. • Get the basics—You might not have the space or the budget for everything, but you should at least have a computer, desk, comfortable chair, an array of basic communications technology (phone, fax, printer, etc.) and some space dedicated just for work. Ideally, your personal computer doesn’t also hold your kids’ latest version of Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. • Put the kids in their place—“I’ve got clients with a huge house and an office, but they’ve also got two little kids,” says Mackey. “Inevitably, kids and toys end up in the office.” Make regular child-care arrangements for young children during work hours so you can work without interruption. • Clear the clutter—Yes, we’ve covered this elsewhere, but it bears repeating, especially in a home office where space is at a premium. Mackey recommends using clear plastic tubs to hold materials you just can’t do without. Toss the rest or archive it elsewhere. • Consider moving out—You could adopt all these tips and still have problems separating your home life from business. If so, start looking for affordable office space. “I know several people who work from Starbucks,” says Mackey. If you have a cell phone and a laptop (preferably with wireless Internet access), you pretty much have your office with you. A coffeehouse also is not a bad place to entertain clients. With the caffeine buzz, at least you’ll get the work done.

Marge Hogan Mackey and Hogan Organized Living were featured in the cover story of COSE Update’s December 2004 issue. COSE Update is the official magazine of COSE, the small business division of the Greater Cleveland Partnership — one of the nation’s largest metropolitan chambers of commerce — serving nearly 16,700 member companies.


	For all of your home and office organization needs, contact Marge Hogan Mackey Phone: 216-381-5957 • E-mail: mackeymm@aol.com