Are any of you guys organization-obsessed?

[Olav23]

Hey,

I just had a feeling there are people here who like to micromanage their time with various tools. I am talking digital things like PDAs, and analog-based like Franklin Covey, DayTimers, etc.

I just recently got work to pay for a PlannerPad (www.plannerpads.com) and so far I am really digging it. I got the tip from a Getting-Things-Done blog that I read.

Just wondering if you guys have any particular systems you use, like, hate, etc.

 

[Nords]

I just had a feeling there are people here who like to micromanage their time with various tools. I am talking digital things like PDAs, and analog-based like Franklin Covey, DayTimers, etc.

When I reported aboard my first submarine, with my shiny new ensign bars, the XO welcomed me with a box of DayTimers (the engineer's vinyl-cover style, impervious to hydraulic oil & bilgewater) and said "Here, Nords, now you'll never have an excuse to forget anything I tell you to take care of."

I was hugely impressed that he committed to handing out $20 organizers to young officers, and it made me a very conscientious young nuke about writing things down. (Sometimes I even accomplished the tasks that I was transcribing.) I used DayTimers exclusively for nearly 20 years, faithfully copying over the [-]unfinished crap[/-] in-process assignments from one month's booklet to the next probably 200 times. When I caught up with that stellar leader a few years ago and mentioned his DayTimer impact, he said "Oh, yeah, the guy I relieved left a whole case of those in the office and I was trying to get rid of them as fast as I could!"

The DayTimer system was too [-]expensive[/-] cumbersome in retirement because I couldn't [-]while away the wasted time in meetings copying items from one month to the next[/-] find the [-]interest[/-] time to maintain it. But the family needs a coordinated calendar & shopping list, so we buy "At-A-Glance" brand two-year planners at Wal-Mart and replace them every year or so when [-]I lose them[/-] they wear out.

 

[calmloki]

Ah we lead a sheltered and simple life. Every year we get two desk blotters that show a month at a glance (Office Depot's house brand w/ advertising is the cheapest i've found). The 3"x3" day squares are big enough for scheduling reminders (see simple life above). As each month goes by we tear off that page and move it to the bottom of the pile. My more obsessive half tosses the cardboard back and saves the used up calendars as a history of what we did for the year.

 

[W2R]

My work pays for a Franklin-Covey planner and whatever yearly refills we want. When I first started working there I used the calendar refills and wrote in it a lot. Now, I don't have time!! I scribble on my whiteboard a lot, instead. Appointments are on Outlook Calendar.

They gave me one of the big leather Franklin-Covey planners with a zipper that will hold 8-1/2" x 11" stuff. I don't use the daily calendar part any more, and my planner is usually competely stuffed with whatever I need for the next trip or meeting.

As for PDA's, I never used mine for much of anything but games.

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Piece of paper in my pocket. Stuff I need to buy and do. When I run out of room I transfer stuff I still havent bought or done to a new piece of paper.

I used to get some chuckles when someone would ask if everyone was free for lunch and everyone would whip out their pda's and I'd take a piece of paper out of my pocket, glance at it and say "yep".

 

[lazygood4nothinbum]

organization-obsessed?

dezinagro morf etisoppo erom eb ton dluoc i, yrartnoc eht no.

m'i a msse.

 

[Sandy]

Have to organize the family. Big calendar on the fridge - write in when I am driving and which kids are in that particular car pool, and other family events. We also make lists on scraps of paper for the grocery store. That is as organized as it gets.

 

[mickeyd]

The closest that I currently get to being organized is to make an entry on the calender on the computer that pops up and gives me a reminder a day or so prior to something important happening. Of course if I do not log on that day, the system is useless.

 

[TromboneAl]

Here are the three things that I do that help me:

1. I have a date book like this beside the phone, one day per page. I write any notes, phone numbers, etc, on this, on the current day. That way, if I need to find something I wrote down, I only need to remember approximately what date I wrote it down.

2. For phone messages, I use the type of "while you were out" pad that makes a carbon copy of everything you write down.

3. I use the Palm Desktop software (although I don't sync to my palm anymore), along with a product called DeskAlarm. When it comes up to tell me I have an appointment or something to do (e.g. send in estimated tax, someone's birthday, pay credit card, fun backup etc.), I have a strict rule that I can't click OK until I've done it. I can snooze it for minutes, hours or days.

 

[Achiever51]

dezinagro morf etisoppo erom eb ton dluoc i, yrartnoc eht no.

m'i a msse.

OK, this is disturbing. I took one look at this and was able to read it...but shouldn't the second line read: ssem a m'i?

 

[TromboneAl]

I didn't get it until after I tried to run it through an Italian-to-English translator.

 

[tightasadrum]

For me it's a blackberry sync'd to outlook at work. When I stop this commuting nonsense and give back the blackberry, I guess I won't be organized anymore, at least for awhile.

 

[lazygood4nothinbum]

OK, this is disturbing. I took one look at this and was able to read it

don't worry achiever. it isn't you. i've become predictable.

...but shouldn't the second line read: ssem a m'i?

nya nya. fooled ya.

I didn't get it until after I tried to run it through an Italian-to-English translator.

no offense to the op but so much for technology.

even when i worked, my company couldn't get me to log my schedule for the week. but i figured it was either that or use that time to actually get the work done.

 

[ladelfina]

I ran my own biz., so a collective daily log of time spent on client projects was invaluable. I liked anything that gave a "week at a glance". Before commercial timesheet packages existed we commissioned a freelance programmer to do up a project-logging calendar that would track hours on a weekly basis. We then progressed to "Now Up-to-Date" (a network-based Mac product that had a sister contact-sharing program) and it worked great for many years.

Now that I am retired I (almost) miss it, since it was eye-opening and informative to see where the time actually went.

 

[ChemEng]

I use index cards to track my workflow. I guess its a poormans day planner, but it works and I dont have to lug around the big book everywhere.

 

[Ronstar]

I use a palm and sync with my mac. But my best organization tool is my 3x5 60 sheet spiral notebook that I keep notes,etc. Also use backpack, a web based list maker.

 

[Gumby]

I use the Outlook calendar feature, but my main organization tool is a spiral notebook. I make a to do list every day, take notes in it as calls come in or I'm at meetings and keep my time entries in it. Each one lasts about a month.

 

[Martha]

I haved a secretary that kept me organized. This was a wonderful thing.

Me, I am the post-its on the computer screen type person.

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

I haved a secretary that kept me organized. This was a wonderful thing.

Me, I am the post-its on the computer screen type person.

So many possibilities, such a small amount of devilish energy remaining...

 

[calmloki]

...
Me, I am the post-its on the computer screen type person.

Hey! That's one of my tricks! 5 there right now, kind of like flotsam washed up from the detrius of my desktop. Do you use whiteout on your sceen for typing errors as well? Keep having to replace my monitors....

 

[mickeyd]

OK, this is disturbing. I took one look at this and was able to read it...but shouldn't the second line read: ssem a m'i?

No, no, no...you guys have it all backwards!!!!

 

[Meadbh]

I haved a secretary that kept me organized. This was a wonderful thing.

A great [-]secretary [/-]administrative support person is worth her/his weight in gold.

I use Outlook. Had an early Palm in the '90s, with Franklin Covey software. When that became obsolete it was followed by a Sony Clie (junk!). Discovered that recurring appointments on MS Outlook didn't sync. This led to several embarrassing double bookings till I tossed the Clie and began to delegate everything to my admin (she who must be obeyed). This works well since I travel a lot. I refuse to become a Crackberry.

Is that avatar you, Martha?

 

[Martha]

I am sure my former secretary would be glad to hear I "haved" her. I can see the eye roll now.

No Meadbh, it isn't me. Ludmilla Putin. My face would break with that much make-up.

 

[toofrugalformycat]

In my working days I used Outlook, set up to beep at me when I needed to go somewhere or do something. When I ERed I didn't want to risk getting Microsoft cooties on my home computer so I quit Outlook cold turkey.
Now I pull a piece of printer paper out of the recycle box. On the blank back side I write chores to do, one line per chore. Crossing them off is one of my great joys in life. When the page fills up I copy the undone chores to a new page, and put the old page back in recycle.
Now that I'm ERed sometimes I actually get all the chores done.
DH and I use a calendar with a space big enough for each day to write appointments on it by the land-line telephone. I know, I'm so 20th-century.

 

[KB]

I started using a Franklin Quest (now Covey) planner back in the early 90s when I was working on a big implementation. I've stuck with it, but use a smaller size now. I'm at the pocket size with the week at a glance pages.

I used a Palm for awhile, but since I like to make lists, the Palm didn't fill my needs. I have much less to keep track of since my kids are grown, so the pocket is a good size...fits in my backpack purse.