Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 102781 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 514(@200wpm)___ 411(@250wpm)___ 343(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 102781 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 514(@200wpm)___ 411(@250wpm)___ 343(@300wpm)
“What’s that?”
“It’s my Quick Kit.”
“Your what?”
“Quick Kit.” She pulled out a bunch of papers from one of the slots and fanned them across the table. “There’s a client contact sheet with the name and numbers of all the key players, a fact sheet that gives a summary of the product lines we market, a list of my team members who work on the account, some summary budget information, graphics of the client’s logos, a listing of preferred fonts and PMS color codes, and a summary of the current project.”
I stared at her.
“What?”
“What’s all that for?”
“Well, I keep the Quick Kit in the file cabinet in the marketing bullpen area so that whenever a client calls, anyone can grab the information and be able to discuss the account after just a few minutes of looking over these documents. I also use it when I’m called to meetings to give account updates to the executive team. But I figured we could use it today when we talk about each account.”
Shit. She’s one of those—all super organized and neurotic.
I pointed my eyes to her folder. “And what’s with all the different colors?”
“Each account has its own color, and all of the collateral and files are color coded so it’s easy to file and pull together information.”
I scratched my chin. “You know, I have a theory about people who use color-coding systems.”
“Oh yeah? What’s that?”
“They die early from stress.”
She laughed, but then saw my face.
“Oh, you’re not kidding, are you?”
I shook my head slowly.
She straightened her folder in front of her. “Alright. I’ll bite. Tell me, why is it that people who prefer color coding die earlier?”
“I told you. Stress.”
“That’s ridiculous. If anything, my stress level is reduced because of my color-coding system. I’m able to find things more easily and don’t have to waste time opening every drawer and going through piles of old collateral laying around. I can just scan for a color.”
“That may be true. In fact, I’m pretty sure you’ll hear me yelling fuck a few times a week when I can’t find something I’m looking for.”
“See?”
I held up a finger. “But it’s not the color coding in itself that causes stress; it’s the incessant need for organization that leads to stress. Someone who color codes thinks everything has its place, and the world doesn’t work that way. Not everyone wants to be that organized, and when they don’t follow your systems, it inherently makes you stressed.”
“I think you’re exaggerating. Just because I like color coding doesn’t mean I’m a neurotic organization freak and get upset when things are out of place.”
“Oh yeah? Give me your phone.”
“What?”
“Give me your phone. Don’t worry. I won’t go through and check out all the duck-lip selfies you have stored in there. I just want to check something out.”
Reluctantly, Annalise held out her phone to me. Things were just as I suspected. Every app was filed and organized. There were six different folders, and those were labeled: Social Media, Entertainment, Shopping, Travel, Work Apps, and Utilities. Not one single app was outside of the little organized bubbles. I clicked into social media bubble, dragged the Facebook app out, and let it loose. Then I went into the Shopping folder, took the Amazon icon, and dragged it into the social media bubble. I pulled the e-Art app from the Work bubble and let it dangle loose on her background.
Once I handed it back to her, she scrunched up her face. “What is that supposed to prove?”
“Your apps are messy now. It’s gonna start to drive you nuts. Each time you open up your phone to do something, you’ll have a strong urge to file the icons back where they belong. By the end of the week, it will cause you so much stress, you’ll give in and fix it all to keep your blood pressure down.”
“That’s ridiculous.”
I shrugged. “Okay. We’ll see.”
Annalise straightened in her seat. “And what exactly is your system for managing accounts? What are you going to use to review the accounts together today? A list written on the back of an envelope in crayon?”
“Nope. Don’t need a list.” I sat back in my chair and tapped my finger to my temple. “Photographic memory. It’s all up here.”
“God help us if that’s where all the information is,” she mumbled.
Annalise spent the next two hours going over all of her accounts. I’d never admit it out loud, but her hyper-organized file gave her access to a hell of a lot of data right at her fingertips. She was clearly on top of her game.
We set aside a few of her summary sheets to note which accounts she thought she could reassign.
When it came time to talk about my accounts, not surprisingly, Annalise planned to take notes instead of just listening like I did.
“I forgot to bring a notepad,” she said. “Can I borrow one?”