Time Management / Organization

by Jon Martin

Posted: 11 years ago 21 replies

OFFLINE MARKETING

Hey Warriors,

I'm really curious what you guys (offliners especially) use to keep organized in terms of software, or other tricks to keep you productive.

My biggest fault as well as issue right now is probably time management. Balancing both honors in school as well as a business is tricky for me especially at this time of year (exams approaching). I'm a naturally lazy person too, and so I constantly struggle to stay on task.

What do YOU use to stay organized? Calendars, agendas, sticky notes, you name it. Everybody's different. What do you personally like to utilize? Any tips?

Can't wait to hear from you guys.

#management #organization #time

kellyyarnsbro 11 years ago

Here's my tip for you to keep organized. Write it all down and then DO what you wrote, otherwise all plans fail.
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- Jon Martin 11 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by kellyyarnsbro
  
  Here's my tip for you to keep organized. Write it all down and then DO what you wrote, otherwise all plans fail.
  
  I'm great at the writing down part, not so great at the checking off everything aspect. Haha. Need to work on that!
  
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  Bofu2U 11 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by Jon Martin
  
  I'm great at the writing down part, not so great at the checking off everything aspect. Haha. Need to work on that!
  
  One thing that I've started doing is doing the most complex tasks at the beginning, and once you knock out the first it's all downhill from there.
  
  Thanks
  
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- awesummer 11 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by kellyyarnsbro
  
  Here's my tip for you to keep organized. Write it all down and then DO what you wrote, otherwise all plans fail.
  
  You can also do this plus with the help of a productivity tool like a time tracking software. I've been using Time Doctor for quite some time now and it helped me improve my productivity. You can list down your tasks, categorize them and work on them while it's being tracked.
  Right after you've finished, you can see how much time you've spent on every task and you can evaluate on how to organize and make better use of your time. This way, you can eliminate some of the times that you think might have been wasted.
  
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Jason Kanigan 11 years ago

I use Timetrade for bookings. Google Calendar for everything else. EVERYTHING goes into Google Calendar--if it isn't there, I won't get to it.
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CandyxLand 11 years ago

I'm fanatical about "Things to Do" lists. I keep a file on my desktop so that I am constantly looking at it, and it's usually open on my computer. I prioritize the items in terms of their importance and I get cracking. I don't think I'd get anything done without it!
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- RimaNaj2011 11 years ago
  
  I organize client info in Excel but I think my key for organization is a whiteboard calendar I have. I can't use online calendars like Google's or Windows Live. It has to be on my whiteboard so it's in my face.
  
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Andrew H 11 years ago

I have a large whiteboard above my computer desk in my office. I have everything I need to do on the whiteboard. It helps a lot.
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- RimaNaj2011 11 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by Andrew H
  
  I have a large whiteboard above my computer desk in my office. I have everything I need to do on the whiteboard. It helps a lot.
  
  Yeah man. I love trying new software and learning them but for productivity, the whiteboard is the only thing that works.
  
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DaniMc 11 years ago

Look up Getting Things Done by David Allen. An entire cult has risen around this teaching it is so good.

Seriously, get the book and embrace it. Everything will change.

Everything, I mean every single thing in your life, should be organized into a single process flow and you can just bust through them. There should be no separation between personal, business, and school. It is all part of your life and needs to all work together.
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hbteos234 11 years ago

I'd second GTD "Getting things done". It is an awesome strategy and if implemented properly can really be life changing
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frettcarla 11 years ago

We love Replicon time sheet software. Its hassle free experience keeps it in the top. From past 2 years I have been using the same and now you know they have introduced cloud based solutions which is even more easier to keep track of the time.
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DaniMc 11 years ago

Hey Jon - saw this thread pop up and wanted to chime in again.

I have tried dozens of project management solutions because I wanted one that I could use to organize my entire life and coordinate work among my team members.

I finally found Wrike.com - Just wanted to throw it out there. It is excellent and the more I use it - the better I get organized. It is a great platform.
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iAmNameLess 11 years ago

You want to see how productive you are in your business? Then use Toggl. It's free, and eye opening.
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shane_k 11 years ago

Well since this thread is live again I also suggest Getting Things Done by David Allen

The great thing about it is it is a book that will teach you basic skills and habits to organize every part of your life.

Then you can take those skills and habit and use them with pretty much any software, or app out there.

Whereas just suggesting a piece of software to you might help for say your online business but might not help for your school work or other areas of your life.

David has a second book called Make it All work that I also recommend you read (or anyone else who is interested in organization and productivity)
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ChrisMBevo 11 years ago

Hey Jon,

Just happened to stumble upon your post - good question btw.

I guess regardless of the tools I use I always keep in mind 4 things (which help me categorize my to-dos), as they help me prioritize what needs to be done:

1. Urgent and Important
2. Important but NOT Urgent
3. Urgent but NOT Important
4. NOT Important and NOT Urgent

Got it from 7 Habits years ago and it still works for me today.
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anikahanan 11 years ago

Hi Jon,

Try using Replicon's time recording software to manage all your regular tasks. Actually, I was using Invoicera until a few months ago for time recording and invoicing. As the scope of my needs increased, I started searching for a software that could handle all my time management needs.

Finally, My search ended when I came across this software as it had all the capabilities I was expecting to have. Try out this link ( http://www.replicon.com/olp/online-time-recording-software.aspx ). It is a very effective solution to save time and control our expenses too.

Hope it helps you!
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alexdb7 11 years ago

Always keep a note pad around, and never rip the pages out of it. This way you can always go back to an old idea.
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- NBianco 11 years ago
  
  I've been breaking my day down into 30 minute intervals and assigning my tasks an interval. Then, during that time period I complete the tasks I set up for myself (or don't). When I'm done I highlight in bright green if I completed them on time, dark green if they are completed, but weren't completed on time and no highlight or a yellow one if an item was not completed at all. I do this in excel and store it in dropbox so I can make changes on the fly. Here is an image to help -
  
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  ThomasTe 11 years ago
  
  For effective time tracking, you should take a look at TimeSheet Reporter (discloser: I'm affiliated). It makes it possible to report time via your Outlook calendar appointments, and you can also share data with your other programs, for example Excel.
  
  More Info at http:TimeSheet Reporter - Time Reporting in Your MS Outlook Calendar - TimeSheet Reporting Made Simple
  
  Cheers,
  Thomas
  
  Thanks
  
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Bayo 11 years ago

I use a good old fashioned notebook that has sections for different things, Google calendar and Microsoft project. That's all I use to service clients that offer professional services e.g. Chiropractors, Lawyers, Dentists etc

In the past I tried numerous gadget-type resources but just managing those alone was a challenge, so I ditched them.

The truth is, unless a person is so busy or inundated with actually doing all the work, it's fairly easy to do (and if someone is really that busy they should be making enough to be able to outsource anyway).

The key isn't time 'management' instead, I believe it's time PRIORITIZATION.
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