I've received a lot of requests lately for help with time management, and I
thought this would be a great opportunity to share my tips with you on this
subject.
Whenever I hold an Assessment with a
new client on organizing their home or business, I'm also evaluating their time
management skills. Time management is the "foundation" to getting organized,
and staying organized. Let's envision time management as four building
blocks.
Building Block #1: The Landing Pad.
Whether you have a nice U-shaped desk at the office or a small nook in the
kitchen, it serves the same purpose. This area is where you have your computer,
your telephone/answering machine, calendar, personal address book,
checkbook, files, shredder and trash can for sorting junkmail. For your Landing
Pad to be effective, you need to maximize your space (especially if it's a small
nook) and keep it free from clutter.
Building Block #2: Your Scheduling
Calendar. Paper or electronic? I used a week-at-a-glance Day Timer for many
years, and never thought I'd use a PDA. I'm a visual person and felt that
keeping track of my appointments via a 2x2-inch screen on a PDA would never
work. Well, two years ago I did convert to a PDA, and it's the best thing I
ever did. Let me explain. All PDA's come with scheduling software that you
download onto your computer, and you then sync your information to your PDA.
You carry your PDA with you (instead of a bulky calendar), and it will beep
reminders to you for your appointments (you can also schedule recurring
appointments--I love this function). Anyway, you determine when you want to be
'reminded': You can set it for 15 minutes in advance of your appointment, an
hour, four hours, a day, five days, etc. This is a valuable tool to ensure
you're not late (and you don't have to rely on your memory!). Most PDA's
feature a 'grafitti' function (with reminder features) and, if not, you can
download a similar feature from the internet for a small fee. Let's say I've
just finished having my stylist cut my hair. Before I leave, I want to schedule
my next appointment. I check my calendar (using my PDA), then use the grafitti
function to actually scribble my next appointment information (using the PDA's
stylus). I set the reminder feature to beep an alarm to me at a time when I
know I'll be back at my Landing Pad. Once back at my Landing Pad, my PDA will
beep a reminder, I check it and, oh yeah, I need to enter that hair appointment
into my computer scheduling software. I do so, then I delete the grafitti
entry. Now, you don't have to do it this way. You can stand there at your
hairstylists and manually enter the future appointment into the PDA (which
would later be uploaded to your computer's scheduling software), but that will
take you several minutes. That's not practicing good time management skills.
You have the alarm capability--use it.
Now, let's talk about the scheduling
software. You don't have to use the software that comes with your PDA. You can
use Microsoft Outlook, MSN's free Hotmail, and others. You just need to ensure
that it's compatible to sync with your PDA.
You also have a feature to view your
Contacts (aka, your personal and business address book). We've all had the
typical phone and address book, with crossed out entries because someone either
got a new phone number, or they moved, got married, divorced, etc. Enter your
Contact information on your computer and download it to your PDA (you can even
assign categories). When you're out and about and need to call someone, all you
have to do is look them up on your PDA. Everything is at your fingertips. And,
again, you can also use Microsoft Outlook, MSN's free Hotmail, and others. They
all have a Contacts feature.
Now, here's the final reason why a
PDA is a smart investment. If you lose it, you haven't lost any information
because it's all on your computer! If you carry a paper appointment book and
lose it (like we've all experienced), well, how shall I describe what you'll be
feeling. Frantic . . . devastated . . . kicking yourself. It would take you
weeks or months to recreate everything you've lost. Definitely not good
time management skills.
(Note: Watch for Part 2 of this article in the next issue.)
