Getting Organized with...Meryl Lefkowitz

While we may help organize people’s homes, offices and lives for a living, we aren’t the only “experts” out there who are making it work. In an effort to tap into that vast resource and to learn a little something ourselves, we are excited to feature the tips and advice of other small business owners and experts in their own right on how they organize themselves professionally and personally to keep everything moving forward.

Meryl Lefkowitz

Title: Director of Marketing & Development

Business: Booked Parties in Westchester, NY

Occupation: Event Planner / Small Business Owner

What do you do?

I am an event planner for everything from kids birthday parties and celebrations to Bar/Bat Mitzvah’s to milestone birthday parties and corporate events!

How do you organize yourself at work?

I work from home so keeping myself organized at work is also keeping myself organized at home. I have a home office and try to keep my "work life” stationed there. I keep a digital calendar but have an affinity for notebooks and organizational tools so I try to keep running lists and notes in dedicated notebooks for the individual projects I am working on. This way I am not losing notes from one project to the next.

How do you organize yourself at HOME?

With respect to my home and my family - i have an 8year old and a 5 year old so sometimes things are organized and sometimes they aren’t its not idea but its realistic. I try to keep them on set schedules (activities, homework time etc…) which is very helpful for their structure and my sanity.

Does feeling more organized make life easier and help you feel better about a work/life balance?

I definitely feel like my work/life balance is mostly good - with the kind of work I do, I often have off hours (nights and weekends) but for the most part being able to work from home allows me the freedom to work when they are at school and have the freedom to be with them for the most part when they are home. I think that being organized with my time makes me more efficient and helps me to accomplish the things on my to do list!

Getting Organized with...Jenne Atherton

While we may help organize people’s homes, offices and lives for a living, we aren’t the only “experts” out there who are making it work. In an effort to tap into that vast resource and to learn a little something ourselves, we are excited to feature the tips and advice of other small business owners and experts in their own right on how they organize themselves professionally and personally to keep everything moving forward.

Jenne Atherton

Title: Founder

Business: Grey Lady Gardens of Nantucket, Massachusetts

Occupation: Founder, Garden design and implementation

What do you do?

Garden design and maintenance on Nantucket in Massachusetts

How do you organize yourself at work?

Am very organized in my work life: tools labeled and assigned to particular truck and crew, daily work order sheets go to crews so they know what the tasks are for the day and what materials they need, I take regular and on going photos of all our work though the seasons as it’s very useful for future reference

How do you organize yourself at work?

Much less organized at home: Single mom, two kids and a dog, our house is hectic! In the heigh of the season I’m working 7 to 7 and home is left to my kids and our aupair to keep running smoothly. I have a cleaning crew that comes in every other week that is hugely helpful for my sanity :) in the winter months, when work slows down, I try to do a major clean out. Our house is small, like living on a boat, and it’s a constant struggle to keep clutter out.

Do you think that a work/life balance exists?

If It does exist but I need to work on it. It’s difficult with seasonal work as the spring and summer are busy to say the least. Living in a resort community, family and friends are always coming through town when work is the craziest and I tend to run myself dry trying to do everything.