How do you organise your day?
Discussion
For all the captains of industry and PBCDs on here, how do you organise your tasks and to do list in life and in work. I have always been a pen and paper person plus simple outlook calendar but with so many apps and online tools out there I wondered if I was being a laggard.
What's your system or tool/s of choice?
What's your system or tool/s of choice?
I've struggled with organisational skills for years, tried everything, problem is sticking with it. I'm currently trying onenote again, very popular tool and integrates well with outlook. I use it to track initiatives/projects/meetings and have a general todo list.
Aside from that I've always been a pen and paper guy - the only consistent thing that works for me, but after comments at a recent leadership meeting were made that its funny having an IT manager using a pen and paper I'm trying to get more 'tech' again so I take my laptop/tablet with me and type directly into Onenote.
Aside from that I've always been a pen and paper guy - the only consistent thing that works for me, but after comments at a recent leadership meeting were made that its funny having an IT manager using a pen and paper I'm trying to get more 'tech' again so I take my laptop/tablet with me and type directly into Onenote.
As this is pistonheads isn’t it simply a case of shouting at your PA through the intercom to find out who the next minion is in your diary?
On the rare occasion my EA and PA are both on annual leave at the same time I timeblock in my outlook calendar, task grouping as appropriate and fitting around appointments.
On the rare occasion my EA and PA are both on annual leave at the same time I timeblock in my outlook calendar, task grouping as appropriate and fitting around appointments.
- Some of the above may be true**
I'm self-employed, working from home.
I keep a list of appointments (house calls, and customers visiting me) on piece of paper next to my coffee machine.
I keep a list of which jobs I should be doing for the next week on a piece of paper next to my workbench. I tick them off as I go. As well as keeping the work flow going in a logical fashion, it also stops me doing too much work each day.
I keep a master job list in a folder by the workbench.
As I get older, and the workload increases (as my fellow clockmakers retire or die), I find I'm relying on these lists more and more.
I keep a list of appointments (house calls, and customers visiting me) on piece of paper next to my coffee machine.
I keep a list of which jobs I should be doing for the next week on a piece of paper next to my workbench. I tick them off as I go. As well as keeping the work flow going in a logical fashion, it also stops me doing too much work each day.
I keep a master job list in a folder by the workbench.
As I get older, and the workload increases (as my fellow clockmakers retire or die), I find I'm relying on these lists more and more.
If you don’t have people to organise and prioritise your day then it’s down to the things that you already know.
Split your day up into blocks, ensure that you make each block work for you, measure your progress on each item, use to-do lists intelligently, monitor your progress towards each deliverable, and be able to notice when you start wandering, mentally.
Split your day up into blocks, ensure that you make each block work for you, measure your progress on each item, use to-do lists intelligently, monitor your progress towards each deliverable, and be able to notice when you start wandering, mentally.
k I like....Kent Border Kenny said:
Split your day up into blocks, ensure that you make each block work for you, measure your progress on each item, use to-do lists intelligently, monitor your progress towards each deliverable, and be able to notice when you start wandering, mentally.
Mines made easy for me living next door to a primary school. I can hear the bell for break and lunch time so know if I’m on track!Summer holidays are hard though, I forget to eat
I have a whiteboard on the wall next to my desk that serves as a to-do list. I tick off things as I go and periodically rewrite it when it's mostly filled with completed tasks or I run out of space.
My theory with this approach is that by making my task list easily visible (and there's not generally anything particularly secret that I need to avoid writing on there) means that I'm making myself accountable to both me and the rest of the company when they view it. It forces me to set an example of productivity, if that makes sense (he says, posting on PH instead of working).
My theory with this approach is that by making my task list easily visible (and there's not generally anything particularly secret that I need to avoid writing on there) means that I'm making myself accountable to both me and the rest of the company when they view it. It forces me to set an example of productivity, if that makes sense (he says, posting on PH instead of working).
To do list pad on my desk that I scribble tasks onto.
OneNote for notes of calls etc. throughout the day.
Notebook for more ad hoc scribbles.
Outlook calendar for calls and meetings, managed by my PA.
Folders within Outlook for individual matters where I store e-mails and can colour code or flag important e-mails.
OneNote for notes of calls etc. throughout the day.
Notebook for more ad hoc scribbles.
Outlook calendar for calls and meetings, managed by my PA.
Folders within Outlook for individual matters where I store e-mails and can colour code or flag important e-mails.
Having tried many To Do List tools over the years the only one that seems to work is the good old pen and paper...
I've got a basic Word document template with regular tasks listed plus columns for the different projects on it.
I print off a copy each week or so and then cross off tasks and add new ones in pen and then update the template
just before printing a new one.
I've got a basic Word document template with regular tasks listed plus columns for the different projects on it.
I print off a copy each week or so and then cross off tasks and add new ones in pen and then update the template
just before printing a new one.
I use to commit everything to memory , and that was fine to a point but as workload increased (full time job aswell as a business) I found I wasn’t able to recall things or would forget , so now I keep notes / diarise so I can refer or look back if I need to .
I have some assistance with meetings I can’t make etc otherwise I wouldn’t be able to do half the things I do.
Monkeylegend said:
Get up when I want and do whatever the f*** I want.
When I was working I always had a diary and a pen. I found they never went off line or crashed at inopportune moments.
Mind you my pen did run out of ink once.
I tried it myself for a year, ten years back, and it just wasn’t for me. It turns out that I do really like being in a challenging job.When I was working I always had a diary and a pen. I found they never went off line or crashed at inopportune moments.
Mind you my pen did run out of ink once.
I’ll stop again at some point, but only when I’ve worked out something enjoyable to do with my time.
Gassing Station | Jobs & Employment Matters | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff