Fall reset

How to stay organised (and sane) when life gets hectic

Hi there, and happy Thursday!

It’s nice to be back. I didn’t plan on taking a month off, but life had other ideas. Two things were at play: an intense workload at the studio and wedding planning. That’s right—I got married two weeks ago! If you’ve noticed the name change, now you know why.

The day I became Evelina Parrou

Managing the workload in our industry is already tough as it is, so throw in a wedding, and well, I’m impressed to still be standing. My main challenge in the past month was effective project management: how to keep on top of multiple data storytelling projects while organising a flawless wedding. And staying sane.

If you’re ever in a similar situation, here are my three best tips on how to keep things organised.

Have a process.

I know I’m not breaking any ground with this tip, but it can never be said enough. A clear process means happy clients and effective outcomes. It’s the difference between approving a prototype before moving to the design or having to change everything at the last minute. Unplanned emergencies may still happen sometimes, but with a strong foundational flow, they will be less painful.

Use a solid project management tool.

Relying on memory for everything is a recipe for (many) headaches. At Parabole, we love using Notion to stay organised. It’s perfect for separating projects, assigning tasks, and letting the team see the big picture—or just their own to-dos. And yes, my husband and I had a Notion space for the wedding too. 🤓 It doesn’t matter though if it’s Notion, Trello, Asana, or any other tool. Just make sure to download your to-do list somewhere.

Communicate (a lot).

Some agencies have an open no meeting policy and I honestly don’t know how they do it. The more we talk with clients, the better things turn out. Regular check-ins and design demos are a trust-building game-changer. Of course, we still need quiet time for deep work, but a few well balanced meetings can keep things moving along smoothly.

Process, tools and communication. They’re here to keep us sane when life gets busy. Do you agree? If not, what’s your favourite advice for managing multiple time-consuming projects at once?

Thank you for reading The Plot!

See you in two weeks,

—Evelina

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Workshop season is back! 👩🏻‍🏫

I’m excited to be teaching again after the summer break. This semester, I’m an adjunct professor at Sciences Po, guiding an incredible group of students every Monday on data visualisation for public policy.

Corporate workshops are also in full swing. I’m fully booked for the rest of the year, but if you’re looking to schedule a session for your team in 2025, feel free to reach out!