When the call went out asking for women into organisation went out, Nadine Zrinzo answered! She’s taken part in our 10thousandgirl written interview series and shares her experiences and how she stays on top of a busy life. Thank you Nadine!

Name: Nadine Zrinzo
State: Queensland
Occupation: Conference Director

10TG: So Nadine, tell us a little bit about yourself!
NZ: Where to start – I grew up in Malta (a tiny island in the Mediterranean), moved to London after uni and a few years after that hoped on a plane to sunny Brissie, which is where I call home at the moment. Most of my day is dedicated to Bright Conferences, which is a conference management company I set up and run. The rest gets shared between friends, family, yoga, food and general life tasks!

10TG: How and why did you start your business Bright Conferences?
NZ: I was always one who loved managing people and projects, even when I was at school. One thing led to another and one day I got the opportunity to freelance on some events so I took the leap. Eventually the freelancing got turned into a proper business, which is when Bright Conferences was born.

Bright Conferences is constantly morphing and I love playing with new projects and testing ideas out. We run a number of activities, some are client based i.e. we plan, create and execute conferences on behalf of our clients whilst others are our projects such as Bright Learning which focuses on fun adult courses.

10TG: You’re a very busy woman, how do you manage to stay organised?
NZ: Lists! I have lists for everything, each project at work and my personal life at times. It helps me stay on top of what needs doing and it means that I do not get stressed out trying to remember things. I love investing in good stationery (pens & notebooks), which makes the process of organising and planning a bit more pleasant!

10TG: What are some tools, systems or resources that help you manage your projects/personal life?
NZ: Aside from the lists mentioned above, I love drawing and mapping out tasks. I am quite a visual person so mind maps, arrows, colours – all help me with any planning.

For the bigger work projects I use software such as ConceptDraw  Project, which helps me build Gantt charts and other project management charts. Excel is also a good simple tool to use when you need to draw up plans or lists quickly.

10TG: How do you organise your different tasks to keep the business successful?
NZ: Towards the end of the week, I outline the tasks, per project that need to happen during the next week. It is generally a brain dump though I tend to refer to project plans for the bigger conferences or events we are working on.

Once I have the list, I then go through it and write down how long I estimate every task will take, and when it needs to get done by.

This allows me to estimate how many hours I need to spend on each project per day and gives me the flexibility to move things around if one day is too packed or I need time off. It also means that when I get to work on Monday I know exactly what I need to be doing and get stuck right in it!

10TG: What are some tips that could help others stay organised while juggling multiple professional and personal projects?
NZ: Separate your professional and personal tasks and make sure you give yourself enough time to do both. Divide your days into projects – one or two per day – and stick to the timelines you set for yourself.

I love the half day per project approach as it gives you enough time to get immersed into it, however not enough to get bored.

10TG: What are you learning about yourself through your experiences?
NZ: Everything changes, all the time and so do we. What worked yesterday isn’t necessarily going to work tomorrow so it is very important to be aware of what you are doing and whether it is effective both personally and at work.

One learning point I keep having to remind myself is to listen to my gut (or sixth sense), as it will often tell you whether you are on the right path or not.

10TG: What are some of your short term goals?
NZ: My focus at the moment is on a new project we are launching called Bright Learning. It consists of a series of short, fun courses for adults and is running in Brisbane – www.brightlearning.com.au. So the short term goal there is to get Bright Learning up and running and to eventually grow it into a sustainable business.

10TG: What are some of your long term goals?
NZ: It might be a cliché but my long term goal is just to build a life I am happy leading and that extends to all aspects, whether they are financial, personal development, family or friend related.

10TG: Is there anything else you would like to bring to the attention of the 10thousandgirl community?
NZ: Everything worth doing takes time, practice and a lot of hard work. It is very rare (in any business) to become successful overnight. Even the people you think have done it, have generally been struggling for years. A bit of luck always helps, however you need to be actually doing something for the luck to happen.

10TG: What is the best financial tip you’ve ever received?
NZ: Always work to a budget – otherwise you just don’t know how much you are spending and on what. This also applies to your personal finances.

10TG: Are there any resources related to organisation/time management you’d like to share?
NZ: There are plenty of tools around that can help you get organised particularly if you look at any of the App Stores. Tools such as Time Doctor, Wunderlist, Project, ConceptDraw Project, Excel – the best thing to do is work out what you need first, then go out and look for it!

Find out more or connect with Nadine:

Web: www.brightconferences.com.au or www.brightlearning.com.au
Twitter: @nadine_zrinzo
Facebook: www.facebook.com/brightlearning