Getting organised - what do you do?

[Paul_B]

I know this is nothing to do with bushcraft but I thought I'd ask anyway. What do people do to organise themselves. I mean things to do and appontments. Time management is what pen pushers and desk jockeys call it (I kind of fit into that category too). Reason I ask is I really can not get into using a diary or other date based planning system (filofax, calendar, diary, etc.).

What do you use and how do you use it?

Might sound daft or stupid question but I just can not get my hed around using diaries. Got work one, tiny home one, have a filofax that someone bought me (just needs up to date diary pages) and two phones with calendar functions on them. Plus MS Live, Gmail and other online calender things. Plus outlook on works laptop which comes home with me.

All that and I can't work the damn things or rather I can't work WITH them. My current system is to do what I can remember and miss what I can't. I am pretty good at not forgetting things. For example I book the next blood donor sessions before I leave the current one and 3 months later still make it. Just I do forget work things. Some tasks do get forgotten so I'd like to find some better way. That's why I thought to ask you people. I'm sure someone is organised out there who can help.

Please ignore if you think it is an inappropriate place to ask this.

 

[Magentus]

I forget work things too, so I just write them all down on a piece of paper as I think of them, and work my way through it. I keep the paper in my pocket and look at it when I have a free moment, and put a line through each job when completed. All you have remember is the paper.

 

[resnikov]

I use the google suite of apps to get myself kind of organised. It works for me as my work calendar (outlook) syncs all my appoitments to my google calendar so then I can see them all on my android phone. My work phone makes calls and thats it, so it cannot to be used for calendar stuff.

My wife also uses the google apps so we can see each others calendars and put events in each others diary so it works for us.

A great book to read about time managment is Time Management for System Administrators, I found it very usefull. Alot of whats in there is not spercific to System Administrators so should be usefull for anyone.

 

[Bushwhacker]

If I can't remember it, it's not important.

 

[Highbinder]

Pen and paper for me too, for all my short term lists. Anything long term or far in the distance I'll use my phones calendar with an alarm set as forewarning. Perfect for birthdays.

 

[Paul_B]

Thanks guys. I still haven't worked out the google calendar thing on my galaxy s2. Everytime I try to enter an event it says google calendar is not compatible with "My Calendar" so won't sync and something about not working with Kies whatever that is. I guess I should have read the get started leaflet that came with it but we don't do that do we? Read instruction leaflets or manuals.

Like it Bushwhacker. Kind of my way of working. However birthdays missed are generally going to be painful sooner or later so I do need to get sorted. I mean I sometimes forget my birthday so how the hell am I going to remember my niece or auntie or anyone else. Having said that I do have my Birthdays PA (My Mum for everyone except her for which I have my Dad who reminds me with one day free for shopping before her Birthday). She is pretty good at reminding me and like a PC appointments it keeps coming back like its been snoozed until you sort out the pressie which then dismisses it. She even reminds me with a simple question, "what do you want for your birthday?" What a leading question that is and one month before isn't enough time for me to list everything out anyway.

I sometimes write out my to do's in my A5 works diary (I ask for one every year meaning to start the year off organised). I then proceed to do everything by memory as I forget I've written it all out. Or I write it out and two weeks later I still haven't crossed it all off so have to spend some time copying things across to the current date.

I do like the single piece of paper list. I could just keep moving it and clipping it to each day as they pass. Filo fax do something like that with a monthly organiser page in the Professional range. However at the cheapest price of £117 for one of their professional range organisers without the pages in it does seem a bit steep to me.

A friend has a calendar that stuff gets written on. However that doesn't work for them as they keep forgetting events and dates as it is always at home. Things need to be simple, portable (compact to you are likely to have it with you) and not easily lost. That last point makes me think a sheet of paper on its own is not suitable for me.

 

[Suffolksteve]

This is something I have struggled with and its about getting it down to something simple that you will actually use.

For work I have a book that I write all my tasks in and tick them off when I have done them, if (as is invariably the case) I haven't done all my tasks I just put them on the next page. For anything long term over 2 days away I use my outlook calender so it pops up.

For home I have a book that I use for everything, lists, plans, drawings, diagrams, more lists and every 10 pages or so is a new to do list. I stable or clip photos in, news cuttings, pictures, scrap pieces of paper with important notes on it. I did invest in this though, it isn't a soul less cheap as a4 binder but a suede coloured brown book with good quality paper in it. It just means I know that any important jobs get put in it, weekend task lists, bills, reference numbers etc

This keeps it simple and unlike a diary if you forget to look at it for a week or 2 the relevant info is still there on the most recent page. I have had the same book for over 3 years, its nice to look back at photos, notes from when researching and planning things, like a memoir but only I understand the relevance.

 

[Biker]

Pen & paper for me too, only I keep a sheet of A4 paper in my wallet devoted entirely to little notes of stuff I need to remember. It's become very dog-earred but works for me. Notes like what type of RAM fits into Alison's PC should I be lucky enough see some at a botfair, or length and size screws I need to buy the next time I'm at the DIY shop.

Obviously the paper get replaced over time but this is my little jotting down reminder. I carry an A5 note pad in my tool box for specs on jobs and sketches etc, that helps a lot.

My phone is a UK one and doesn't get used outside of the UK and I have no other electronic devices that I use for reminders. I figure it's good to use your own memory, I'm a firm believer in the "If you don't use it, you lose it." policy.

Alison used to be a secretary so our kitchen calendar is dotted with notes and reminders, but I rarely look at it to be honest. About the ony ting I do write down on a regular basis is a shopping list if I happen to have to go into town for supplies. I know I'd end up forgetting something otherwise.

 

[SimonM]

Outlook calendar synchronised with my phone.

Both my work and personal diary are on my phone...I just have to remember to make the appointments on the PC otherwise it doesn't get done!

Simon

 

[bilmo-p5]

I was always hopeless with book- or computer-diaries and ended up in a hopeless mess with everything on bits of paper or post-it notes. Then I found those A3 desktop, month-to-view diaries and they worked very well for me.

 

[Paul_B]

A3?!! Wow! That's most of my free deskspace taken up right there. I have a nice (freebie from supplier) A5 diary and I use an A5 hardback (black and red) notebook. I used to always use an A4 black and red notebook as a day book. I guess that is kinda what some are doing with various pads, diaries and sheets of paper. It seems the dated noebook (diary) is not always popular but a blank (lined obviously) book allows you to just keep adding to the to do list and crossing off things as done. I guess I should do that. It used to be mypractise to put a date on the first page of my daybook then I can look back to the date to find past information. YOu work something out and 3 months later someone asks you about something about that project so if you can remember about when it happened you find the old notes and have the answer to hand without repeating the working. Perhaps I should go back to that.

I reckon a diary involves you having to copy the half finished list every so many days. Also you will have blank or nearly blank days too. Might not be so suitable.

Thanks for your ideas and suggestion. Currently I have put some personaly dates and events on both work BB and home android phone. Does anyone know about glaxy s2 and their calendar function. Or is there a handy organisational app on android that would say sync my various electronic calendars and contacts and to do lists, etc.????

 

[Ahjno]

Brains M1

I'm cursed with a good memory. Rarely forget anything (much to SWMBO, and sometimes also to my, annoyance) - including whole conversations Though when there are important things coming up, I tend to make:
a) chronological lists (usually per day)
2) make a note in my phone
iii) put post-its in (often weird & unrelated) places, where I can't miss them

 

[bilmo-p5]

A3?!! Wow! That's most of my free deskspace taken up right there. I have a nice (freebie from supplier) A5 diary and I use an A5 hardback (black and red) notebook.I used to always use an A4 black and red notebook as a day book.

A3 isn't that big; in fact it's no different to an open A4 notebook. The difference is that the A3 desk diary sits on your desk all the time like the old fashioned desk blotter and when you need to check or make an entry you just move whatever's on it to one side. They quite often come as promo freebies. When I had access to an A3 printer I used to do my own with all the current month and half the next on each page.

 

[rik_uk3]

Before I retired the wife and I shared an A4 diary to plan off duty with home duty sort of thing, don't bother much now though. I never trusted me to check on a computer and or phone to be honest.

 

[sandbender]

Pencil and paper for me, usually I use several sheets of A4 cut or torn into eighths and held together (along with the pencil) with a binder clip, something like the 'Hipster PDA'.

I do use google's services, mostly the addressbook and calendar. Not everybody knows that you view your google contacts or google task list in a full page view, which makes things a little easier I find. Try these links...

https://mail.google.com/mail/contacts/ui/ContactManager

https://mail.google.com/tasks/ig?pli=1

...obviously you have to be logged in to your google account for these to work.

 

[Tadpole]

For work, I have a daily planner (six month one with a to do list and jotting page
Just like this one
I make notes straight into it from either a phone call or from me email account. I have three outlook calendars at work, which update themselves from emails; I just have to mess with it if there are any conflicts. I have a Sony Ericsson phone running the latest Android, so have ‘office suite’ to manage documents that I export to the phone using PC companion. It has a calendar that I sync with Sony’s online calendar /Google calendar and at the same time backs up my files, contacts, diary, music downloads and apps. At home I have a family calendar that everything family is transferred on to, (take a whole day just after Christmas to write in all the birthdays and anniversaries) Any time I want a day to do something I just check the calendar for blank weekends and write it in, once it’s on the family calendar its carved in stone as it were.
If it's not on that calendar it doesn't happen

 

[Maggot]

I use Google calendars, different ones for different things, so red for work, green for Scouts and blue for personal. All synched with my Android phone. Easy peasy!

 

[Paul_B]

Some good ideas there.

I like the hPDA idea.

I guess my ideal thing would be a paper system that could be stored on my phone(s). What I mean is a filofax layout but its on my Galaxy s2. I think the screen is big enough for it. I like to write on paper for the feel of it but I have problems with a book type thing with dates. I worry about filling up a day then still having to write more in so I only put very little in or don't use it.

Anyone use MS one note? I like the idea of an electronic cut and paste app but perhaps one that can scan handwritten notes into it. I mean ther is a camera on a phone so why not be able to write notes on paper then scan them into a one note type app in the phone?? You could put notes on to do lists and notes on the work being done into a diary type arrangement without fear of filling a single page per day diary up. Important info at the top, rough working you want to keep lower down grouped as you desire.

I guess that this is not available on android so I'll have to have two systems or more based on what you guys have suggested. I see there is a popularity with just written notes not in diaries, filofaxes or phones but some do use calendars in phones as part of their system but not the core.

Can I thank you guys again. It is interesting to me to find out how people get organised and it has helped. Think I might even get this time management thingy sorted now.

 

[Wayland]

I have a small slim leather pocket sized "Filofax" type thing which has fold out planners in it for this year and the next two. I rarely need more than a one or two word entry to remind me what's happening so there is plenty of room there.

The rest of the book is filled with useful information (not the kind of junk that most diaries have) note paper and a few loose address type pages. I have a very small propelling pencil slipped down the centre of the binding rings and a couple of useful bits and pieces slipped into the cover pockets.

The whole thing is just a tiny bit bigger than a Moleskine notebook and keeps my life in order for me as well as anything can.

 

[dwardo]

Notepad and calendar on my phone, but you gotta put them in ther for them to work so a little self discipline is needed