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Authors: Laura Stack
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handheld (e.g., iPad), such as Plan2Go by Day-Timer
⢠Web services to help you stay organized, such as Nozbe by Michael Sliwinski, or Remember the Milk
Obviously, thereâs no single âcorrectâ method here. Your personal time management system will evolve over time to fit your requirements. The challenge is that effective time management actually involves three separate functions:
1.
Capture
inputs as they occur to you or are received.
2.
Organize
the information into tasks and start/due dates.
3.
Reference
what you need to do.
Many people use one tool for all three functions; however, three different methods might actually be more effective for some people. Some people are trying to go âpaperlessâ and use a handheld that syncs to their e-mail and calendar, which is just fine, and they enter new tasks directly into their handheld. But if youâre a âpaperâ person, this might not work well for you. If you think of something to do, your first instinct might be to grab a piece of paper and a pencil, not your phone. So, you could use paper for your capture method and the phone for your reference tool, and that would be perfectly organized as well.
For example, I love my handheld but hate tapping tasks into it. When I think of something to do, my instant reaction is to grab a pencil and write in my Master or HIT list in my Day-Timer. Anything left over at the end of the day gets entered into my Task list in Outlook. My phone syncs up and then acts as a reference tool for contacts, calendar, e-mail, and tasks, so I can scan it at any time, even when Iâm not in front of my computer.
So my time management system looks like this:
1.
Capture:
Productivity Pro ® Day-Timer
2.
Organize:
Outlook Tasks
3.
Reference:
Droid handheld
Whatâs yours? Other people capture on their iPad, which is just great, if you are willing to do that consistently, every single time you think of something to do, and not just âsomeâ times. What if youâre on a plane, with all your electronic devices off, or in a meeting, where it appears you are texting if you type yourself a note? Personally, I find entering tasks into my handheld tedious (the buttons are small and I hate typos). Needless to say, some methods work better than others.
You Look Like You Need a HUG!
Regardless of the time management system you choose to organize your life, there are a few foundational principles formaximizing any systemâs efficiency. I call these the âHUGâ criteria.
HâHandy. Is your system available at all times, or are you what I call a âscrapperâ? Scrappers are easily identifiable by all the little scraps of paper everywhere. What happens when you go to a restaurant to meet with a friend or client, and you need to write something down, and you donât have anything to write on? What do you grabâa napkin? A dry cleaning receipt? An envelope? The back of a business card? Have you ever written on your hand in desperation? (I call this the original PalmPilot ® ). Well, if youâre a scrapper, itâs simple to fix. Whether youâre using a handheld, iPad, notebook, or the Productivity Pro ® Day-Timer, carry your system with you at all times. It
must
be available, because scheduling meetings or checking due dates can happen in the oddest of places. If your system is too cumbersome to keep with you all the time, then youâll want to switch to something more portableâsomething more âHandy.â
A contact file should include the personâs company, main office phone number, cell phone number, e-mail address, personal office number/extension, and physical address.
UâUsable. To be truly usable, your personal time management system must bring together the personal and professional aspects of your life in one place, making it easy to switch between them. Everything needs to be included: calendars, to-do lists, work schedules, private
⢠Web services to help you stay organized, such as Nozbe by Michael Sliwinski, or Remember the Milk
Obviously, thereâs no single âcorrectâ method here. Your personal time management system will evolve over time to fit your requirements. The challenge is that effective time management actually involves three separate functions:
1.
Capture
inputs as they occur to you or are received.
2.
Organize
the information into tasks and start/due dates.
3.
Reference
what you need to do.
Many people use one tool for all three functions; however, three different methods might actually be more effective for some people. Some people are trying to go âpaperlessâ and use a handheld that syncs to their e-mail and calendar, which is just fine, and they enter new tasks directly into their handheld. But if youâre a âpaperâ person, this might not work well for you. If you think of something to do, your first instinct might be to grab a piece of paper and a pencil, not your phone. So, you could use paper for your capture method and the phone for your reference tool, and that would be perfectly organized as well.
For example, I love my handheld but hate tapping tasks into it. When I think of something to do, my instant reaction is to grab a pencil and write in my Master or HIT list in my Day-Timer. Anything left over at the end of the day gets entered into my Task list in Outlook. My phone syncs up and then acts as a reference tool for contacts, calendar, e-mail, and tasks, so I can scan it at any time, even when Iâm not in front of my computer.
So my time management system looks like this:
1.
Capture:
Productivity Pro ® Day-Timer
2.
Organize:
Outlook Tasks
3.
Reference:
Droid handheld
Whatâs yours? Other people capture on their iPad, which is just great, if you are willing to do that consistently, every single time you think of something to do, and not just âsomeâ times. What if youâre on a plane, with all your electronic devices off, or in a meeting, where it appears you are texting if you type yourself a note? Personally, I find entering tasks into my handheld tedious (the buttons are small and I hate typos). Needless to say, some methods work better than others.
You Look Like You Need a HUG!
Regardless of the time management system you choose to organize your life, there are a few foundational principles formaximizing any systemâs efficiency. I call these the âHUGâ criteria.
HâHandy. Is your system available at all times, or are you what I call a âscrapperâ? Scrappers are easily identifiable by all the little scraps of paper everywhere. What happens when you go to a restaurant to meet with a friend or client, and you need to write something down, and you donât have anything to write on? What do you grabâa napkin? A dry cleaning receipt? An envelope? The back of a business card? Have you ever written on your hand in desperation? (I call this the original PalmPilot ® ). Well, if youâre a scrapper, itâs simple to fix. Whether youâre using a handheld, iPad, notebook, or the Productivity Pro ® Day-Timer, carry your system with you at all times. It
must
be available, because scheduling meetings or checking due dates can happen in the oddest of places. If your system is too cumbersome to keep with you all the time, then youâll want to switch to something more portableâsomething more âHandy.â
A contact file should include the personâs company, main office phone number, cell phone number, e-mail address, personal office number/extension, and physical address.
UâUsable. To be truly usable, your personal time management system must bring together the personal and professional aspects of your life in one place, making it easy to switch between them. Everything needs to be included: calendars, to-do lists, work schedules, private
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