Style for Grace

In college, I worked 2 jobs, took 15-18 credit hours per semester, did extra-curricular activities, etc. I was always impressed that I could maintain my busy schedule without a planner - my entire schedule was ingrained into my head. Lest you think I was a poor student - I will share my overall G.P.A. was roughly a 3.4 and I even celebrated 1 semester with a 4.0!

Fast forward 9 years and I'm using a smart phone to bring harmony to my colliding worlds of work, business and personal. Lately, I've thought about my paperless schedule organizer (aka my memory) from college and am cannot reckon how I was ever able to do it. (Seriously, my phone has a daily task to remind me to sync my calendar. I never had to push a sync button in college!)

Then it finally dawned on me why my paperless schedule worked back then and could never work today. Back then, I had only one person to worry about - me! Today, I have a child and husband whose schedules - although not too busy - requires integration into my own. This can be quite a challenge and tonight is a perfect example. I arrived home to find out my husband needed to work late! In that one phone call, my plan for the evening was instantly altered.

But despite this unforeseen change, I still needed to get things done. So what do I do? I improvise. I have already accepted that the 10 things I want to accomplish had to be cut in half. The TV show I planned to watch was dropped off the list. But this blog entry has not! What else stayed on the list?

1) Playing with Grace
2) Take down Grace's Christmas tree
3) Call my mother
4) Pay bills

What were the other 5 that didn't make the list?

1) TV
2) Grace's shower (always good for the morning)
3) Draft letter
4) Downside # of e-mails in my inbox
5) Reconcile checking account

I'm always looking for cool organizational tips and because its a new year, plenty magazine are covering the topic. Here are some of my favorite Web sites for organizational supplies and tips. The photo above is a really great note pad from Pretty Bitter - I'm thinking about purchasing a few - because sometimes just promising to accomplish one thing can be equally as important as 3, 5, or 10 things!

Real Simple
(The organization section is great, but be sure to check out the Life and Soul section too.)

Better Homes and Gardens

See Jane Work

Room Service Home
(Be sure to check out the three-way task pad)

Ehow
(Check out the article: How to stay organized. I love Step 5.)

Labels: organization, site recommendation, tips, to do list

Yesterday was an incredibly long day. I took the 3:05 p.m. train to New York City to attend the Savor the Success Holiday Party and Trunk Show. When I arrived at Penn Station, I took a cab downtown and landed at Delluva Spa and Salon on Franklin Street to make my way to the party. I'm typically a late arrival to parties. However, last night, I was among the first arrivals. I was immediately handed my goodie bag - which was filled with many wonderful items - then greeted by Angela Jia Kim, CEO of Om Aroma, co-founder of Savor the Success, Concert Pianist extraordinaire and recent muse of Tim Gunn via his Bravo TV show "Tim Gunn: Guide to Style." Angela shared with me the event layout and off I went to shop and network!

I should mention that Angela is one of the nicest people you'll ever meet and someone I have enjoyed getting to know over the last few months! It was so nice seeing a familiar face immediately upon arriving!

So here I am, arriving alone at a spa in NYC with my laptop backpack (dorky, huh? I needed the hours on the train to work!) greeted by sweet Angela and I quickly realized, I only knew one other person (Gwen Gardner) at the entire event! Gwen is the owner and designer of Little Chickie Wear and she was selling her eco-friendly organic cotton t-shirt and onesies. Admittedly, I did linger at her booth quite a bit!

As I began to take steps towards the crowd, I immediately begin to panic. I soon began feeling anxiety, similar to those slight pangs of fear on the first day of school! It seemed like everyone had someone to talk with except me! Can you imagine? In retrospect this is slightly exaggerated, but nevertheless, I was nervous and couldn't muster the courage to introduce myself to anyone! Yikes!

So I'll admit, I choked. I did manage to make one new contact in-between my fits of networking distress: Rupa Bihani Shah of Bring it in a Bag. BTW, check out her Web site - she sells these fantastic jute bags that will help you reach your "green" goals - I left with two bags for my weekly grocery shopping trips and will now make the leap to being a "green" grocer. For those of you who are Capital Region residents, Rupa is originally from Niskayuna - small world, huh?

Now, for a person who naturally is an extrovert, I'm wondering what happened? Typically, when attending events, I come prepared to network, filled with energy, and eager to meet new people. Last night, I walked in feeling charged and ready to meet and connect, but left early to catch an earlier train. Perhaps I wanted to arrive home at a relatively normal hour (10:55 p.m. vs. 1:15 a.m.), perhaps I needed more to eat and drink, but one thing is evident, I entered the door energized then developed cold feet in about 5 minutes.

Regardless, I would love to hear from you regarding your best (and worst) networking moments. What tips do you have to offer people going solo to events?

Special thanks to Angela, Mark (Angela's husband, co-founder of Savor the Success, and top notch cook!) and Delluva Spa - it was a fantastic event and I walked away with lots of goodies and gifts!

Labels: bring it in a bag, holiday parties, little chickie wear, networking, om aroma, savor the success, tips