When racing from one thing to the next, how do you keep it together? I don’t mean mentally, though, maybe that too. I mean, literally, how do you know where you’re supposed to be, keep track of what you need to do, and organize or find notes from important meetings. You might laugh and say, “I don’t!” But you do, or you wouldn't be gainfully employed and adulting on a regular basis. Before I share some tips and strategies, I want you to think carefully about how you’re managing now and keep that in mind when you choose what to try next. What’s working for you now? Because no matter how shiny or beautiful my system is, it won’t work if you don’t use it.
Where to Be
I strongly believe in calendars as a productivity tool. When we use calendars for productivity, we maximize our time and make sure we are spending our energy in the best possible way. People tend to fall into a paper calendar or digital calendar camp. I love the beauty of a paper planner but I need to be able to see my schedule wherever I am so I am firmly in the google calendar camp now. Whatever you do, don’t keep two calendars! This is a good way to make mistakes and it’s a lot of extra work for nothing.
What to Do
When I was in a school, I walked around with a small notebook. Each two page spread was one week. The right side was my to do list that I added to and crossed out along the way. The left side was where I jotted little notes to myself, phone numbers, or any other random piece of information. This system worked for me for years! My favorite principal ever walked around with a sticky note pad and turned the pages over as she went through her list. It worked for her. It doesn’t have to be pretty to work.
Now that I am in central office, I tend to spend more time near a computer either in meetings, between visiting schools, and at my desk. Now I’ve found the beauty of Trello. It works like post it notes on your computer. You can create boards of information, I even made itineraries for an upcoming trip! But for work, I have one to-do list board with a list for each day of the week and one overall running list. I then add cards to the list for my to-do items. When an item is done, I archive it and it’s no longer there. It helps me prioritize what must be done today and what can be done later in the week or even into next week. The picture above shows a week on Monday. I will sit down and drag the items from the to-do list on the far right over to the days of the week where I will actually complete the tasks. I can even set up future events with dates and reminders so I don't forget.
For my big plans for the year, I rely on the ASCA National Model. I created a digital organizer that helps you to create year-long planning documents that you can share with your stakeholders.
For my big plans for the year, I rely on the ASCA National Model. I created a digital organizer that helps you to create year-long planning documents that you can share with your stakeholders.
How to Remember
For note-taking, I use Evernote. It allows me to create digital notebooks that I add to with new information. For instance, when I attended #ASCA19, I had one notebook for the conference and then added the PDF versions of the presentation and my notes within that notebook. I also used evernote to keep notes and clip articles when writing our book. You can add a google chrome extension so that you can clip any article or website into your evernote notebooks. It’s very easy to type into the program at meetings and professional development. I can even search to find information I am looking for.
I’m also a paper/pencil person for note-taking. I find it much easier to remember something if I write it rather than type it (and research backs that up). In that case, I use a typical notebook. If it’s important enough, I can then take a photo with the evernote scanning app and add it into my evernote. Most of the time, I don’t find that I extensively look back at notes though so I’m not too careful about scanning and uploading.
I’ve recently scanned and stored most of my files and now only have a small desk-sized file drawer that’s not even full. When I was looking for something, I was much more likely to google it or look in my files than to pull out an old file folder that had who knows what in it. I haven’t missed a single thing but scanning can give you a sense of comfort knowing that you can always find it if you need it. You can see some of my filing strategies in this post about the end-of-the-year list.
And that’s it! You can make a system for where to be, what to do, and how to remember. You have to pick what works best for you! What are your productivity tips? Are you a paper or digital person?? I’d love to hear, let me know in the comments below!
I’m also a paper/pencil person for note-taking. I find it much easier to remember something if I write it rather than type it (and research backs that up). In that case, I use a typical notebook. If it’s important enough, I can then take a photo with the evernote scanning app and add it into my evernote. Most of the time, I don’t find that I extensively look back at notes though so I’m not too careful about scanning and uploading.
I’ve recently scanned and stored most of my files and now only have a small desk-sized file drawer that’s not even full. When I was looking for something, I was much more likely to google it or look in my files than to pull out an old file folder that had who knows what in it. I haven’t missed a single thing but scanning can give you a sense of comfort knowing that you can always find it if you need it. You can see some of my filing strategies in this post about the end-of-the-year list.
And that’s it! You can make a system for where to be, what to do, and how to remember. You have to pick what works best for you! What are your productivity tips? Are you a paper or digital person?? I’d love to hear, let me know in the comments below!
