How I Do Time Management
In the Get More Buyers Review comments Carole asked about how I do time management. Well, I’ll go over different things I’ve tried and what works or doesn’t work for me.
Notepads I use for things like jotting notes while in a conference room or discussing details about things I’m working on with other people. I use these for specific lists and tasks where there are details I need to remember and will forget otherwise.
Outlook is my big thing now. Paul Kinder told me he used it, and so I was like yeah yeah ok I’ll try it. But now I love it. I only use it for the To-Do list because it’s got some really smart things.
My favorites are follow ups and recurring tasks. You can have a task and have it remind you to follow up on the task tomorrow or next week or whatever. And the recurring stuff is sweet because there are the options to have it recur daily, weekly, etc but my favorite is the option to have it recur that long after the last time you complete it.
This is good for tasks that aren’t as important but should be around weekly. For instance I have reminders to check my credit balance at certain exchanges. If I do it Monday, it’ll tell me next Monday to do it again. But if next week I do it Saturday it won’t tell me to do it again Monday (2 days later) it’ll tell me to do it the next Saturday. This is great because I don’t always do thinks weekly, but I don’t want a bazillion reminders to pile up on me when it’s not really necessary.
Whiteboard I use for general ideas and things I should keep on my mind or use frequently. For instance I’ve got all my expenses written down the side of it, so I visually am reminded that I need to pay bills and not waste my money. I also have some different ideas written down, less detailed then the notebook. Just general stuff that isn’t crucial but I do want to do (like ideas for the blog that I forgot about till just now!)
Whiteboard calendar I was using to remind myself when my blog posts were going out and the owner interviews. I kinda lost track of that but should get into it. I was in such a groove for a while banging out great content, and that was the reason why. And for the owners who’s interview didn’t go out yet.. Well I know I’ve got a few that I just need to put in, but don’t feel bad about sending me one reminder about it. I may not have gotten it or lost it, etc.
What do you do? That’s what I use, but I’m sure there are other great tools out there. For instance I wouldn’t have known about Outlook’s tasks list if Paul didn’t mention it. So I’m open to any time management things you are using!
Tim,
Congrats, you have taken control of your time :)
As you mentioned, some time management tools work for you and others don’t. Thanks for pointing that out.
That’s the problem for many people. They go in search of time management tools and techniques and forget about their goal – taking control of their time. They lose sight of their goal and keep searching for more time management tools and techniques. No wonder they find effective time management elusive.
Having the largest collection of time management tools and techniques may be a bragging point for some. But are they doing more in less time?
Be like Time and go with what works in your struggles with time. Ditch what does not produce results.
Again, how you use your time management tools and techniques is more important than collecting them. Using a variety of time management tools, both online and off, is how many people have found success in managing their time. But it comes down to using what’s right for you.
That’s just my 2 cents, but who am I, just a time guy.
Arthur Hawkins
Hi Arthur,
I completely agree. All the tools and gadgets in the world don’t help if you haven’t already planned out your major goals.
As Tim said, I use Outlook and basically that is pretty much it. I have a project manager for erm, projects LOL but even then I use Outlook to remind me when its time to hit up the project manager.
My mate Mike Paetzold uses Mindmaps – which are far more use for those who respond to more graphical than linear planners but really, there is no great need for too many tools.
I say, stay focussed and keep it simple. Simple works best for me :-)
Yes, I don’t actually use ALL of those tools at the same time. I seem to bounce around, Outlook primary the other’s as extras. I hate typing lots of notes and thoughts up so writing that part helps, but Outlook tells me to do something LOL
Hi,
I use some of the same tools as already mentioned, one additional tool I use is the calender on my ISP. They give you notification a day or so in advance for what task you need it for. Easy to set up also.
Bill
Great tips Tim, Like Bill, I also use a calendar except mine in on my taskbar and has a pop-up reminder when I log on. I can add events, Holidays and really any thing that needs keeping track of. It’s really a great tool to have. I also have a few notebooks and pen right beside my keyboard so I can jot down ideas and messages I don’t want to forget. The whiteboard is an AWESOME idea! Thanks for that tip!
Crystal
Thank you so much, Tim, for answering my questions. I’ m going to give some of these suggestions a try, and find out what works best for me. I really do appreciate you taking the time to spell out some of the things that are available.
I enjoy your blog – keep it up!!
Thanks again,
Carole
Thanks for the question! I like getting questions, especially when they aren’t the NORM I get.
Hi, I use a program called stickies that is great and doesn’t hog up your Pc’s resources…www.zhornsoftware.co.uk/stickies/
It’s free too which makes it awesome in my book. :)
Cori- http://www.writesyntax.coms lastest blog post..Buying A First Guitar- The Importance Of Quality
yes,the stickies is the best tool to remind me the thing what i should do now. It’s really perfect.It is our free manager.
I too have difficulty with time management. Thanks for the tip on outlook. I will be trying some of the suggestions made in this blog.I really ejoy reading this.
There’s no need for a time management tools, if You can’t fight your distractions
and if You don’t have your big goals set up in a first place (specially true in my case, lol)
Making money online is not a goal, but making a full time income in 3 month time is a goal.
You can’t hit a target if You don’t see it.
The shortest way between You and your goal is a straight line and here comes the
planing part in it. Break your ultimate goal down into small steps, starting with a last
step that You should take to get there.
If You can figure it out, You should have a blueprint in front of your eyes.
But if You struggle, start observing people who already got what You want
and take the steps he has taken ( read an interview with Paul Kinder, great stuff)
My biggest recommendation is to get Mark Joyner’s simple-ology course and the tools and use them on a daily basis.
However, I like the idea of notepad. It’s a quick way to catch Your idea when it’s still fresh :)
Cheers!
Andrew Levin
I’m using a little FireFox plugin called ReminderFox. It does a lot of the things that Tim talked about that Outlook does, although maybe the features are not as advanced.
It’s a free tool, and one the best things is that it shows you that day’s reminders in the lower right corner of your FireFox window, and you can bring the program in full view with a single click of the mouse.
I couldn’t go without it now!
lelrkm4etwp4b6lt