Year of the Sheep

Sheep are creative, calm and thoughtful, not prone to hasty or impulsive decisions. That’s an attitude we respect here at Macktez, where we always try to focus on planning ahead, looking before we leap, and coming up with clear, organized plans for our projects.

We at Macktez pride ourselves on these organizational skills, and this year we developed a workshop series, Working Yellow, designed to help share our methodology with others.

The Working Yellow process incorporates our team-customized method for planning projects, drawing from numerous approaches to efficiency, organization, and productivity. The goal of the program is to help you manage your time in order to effectively plan and help you reach the finish line for your projects. You can learn more at Working Yellow.

Clearing the Clutter

Across the world the New Year is a time (figuratively and literally) to clean house, clearing the clutter of the past to prepare for the future.

In the Chinese tradition, the entire house should be clean and in order before New Year’s Day. A clean house will bring you good luck, and appearances and attitudes presented on the New Year are said to set the tone for the rest of the year, so putting your best foot forward on that day is key.

Whether or not you believe in luck, you have to admit that taking the time to clear away the mental and physical debris from your life is a great way to reduce stress and improve your outlook. What projects do you need to start the year off clear-headed and positive?

Here at Macktez we’re doing some internal cleaning and organizing too, and a part of that is reorganizing and restructuring our mailing list. Please take a moment to go to the Mailing page to confirm your contact information and help us keep our records up-to-date. Doing so enters you automatically in a raffle to win a gift pack of Macktez Yellow Notebooks!

News

This year we are delighted to welcome a new Consultant, Mark Weills, to our Team. A freelance art director and graphic designer for 10 years, Mark crossed over into technology while working in television and film production; tired of waiting for others to troubleshoot problems, he learned how to take matters into his own hands.

The 2014 Summer Stipend was awarded to Paula Segal for “Urban Reviewer Signage for Urban Renewal Areas in New York City.” Using the funds from the Stipend, Paula and her colleagues at 596 Acres have already begun producing and implementing signs to mark active urban renewal areas in NYC which have been sitting for years as vacant, empty lots. The signs help build awareness of urban renewal plans, eventually leading to the transformation of those empty lots into gardens, parks, and other community spaces.

— The Team at Macktez