The Organizer: Your Personal Assistant

Written by Richard G. Ensman, Jr.

Personal organizers are one of the most widely used productivity tools today. Whether they're traditional paper or loose-leaf organizers, or the more contemporary electronic variety, people everywhere use these tools to maintain calendars, address lists, and notes of every kind.

As widespread as these organizers are, they're not always used to the maximum benefit. So ask yourself: How can I use my personal organizer to make my workday—and my life—run more efficiently and more effectively? While your answer may be different than that of your coworkers, here are a few tips to help you find the answer that's right for you:

Pull your lists together.—How many collections of lists do you keep at home and at work? A daily to-do list? Lists of family activities? Shopping lists? Lists of long-term projects and opportunities? Lists of upcoming objectives? Gather them together and pull the lists into your organizer. If you're using an electronic organizer, you may be able to consolidate them in a master list, complete with codes that allow you to extract information by topic or date.

Make "priority notes" next to each item on your to-do list.—The classic A-B-C method may work just fine: “A” stands for high priority, “B” for mid-priority, “C” for low priority. Or you can code by degree of urgency. By gauging the relative importance of a task when you enter it in your organizer, you’ll be in a better position to take control of your work life.

Use your organizer as a tickler file.—It should remind you of upcoming tasks, in priority order, at any time—the start of a day, week, or even hour.

Convert your Rolodex into your organizer.—Whenever you receive a business card, enter the data in your organizer. Ditto for names and addresses on important correspondence. Then relegate your Rolodex and your scraps of paper to the storage cabinet.

Keep your appointments in one place.—Use your organizer to record all work and personal appointments.

Block out “quiet” periods.—Whenever you face a major project or task, your first step should be to pull out your organizer and make an appointment with yourself to work on it.

Strategize upcoming activities.—In the “notes” or “planning” section of your organizer, calculate how you're going to achieve important objectives. Sketch out flow charts, calendars, or outlines, whichever works for you. And keep this important information handy; use your planning notes as templates for future projects.

Plan meetings.—Keep an “agenda” section of your organizer up and running. Whenever you schedule a meeting, sketch out your agenda there. Then, prepare it for word processing, or e-mail it directly to participants.

Consolidate reference material.—Chances are you use certain reference material on a regular basis: the names of sales contacts  ... weights and measures ... product lines ... policy guides. Keep this reference material in your paper or electronic organizer so that you can access it anytime.

Check your organizer each morning and afternoon.—Make it one of the first things—and last things—you do each day. Whether you consciously realize it or not, you'll be more mindful of the responsibilities facing you in the hours or day ahead.

Carry your organizer with you.—You can pull out your organizer, anywhere, anytime, to generate information or enter important data. By carrying it—and using it—you’ll never lose track of anything.

Hold notes.—Whenever you're standing in line, or have a few idle minutes, you'll find this time ideal to complete notes to friends or associates, or write reports. Equally important, your organizer can serve as an ongoing diary of activities—an important memory jogger or aid to report writing.

Track expenses.—Track any reimbursable expenses, such as transportation or lunches—and note and track tax-deductible expenses as well. Be sure to keep hard copies of any receipts or invoices.

Share data with those who assist you.—Be sure you share your important organizer information—especially appointments and key deadlines. Your assistant not only helps prevent tasks from being lost, but he or she will be invaluable as you set out to complete the goals important to you.

Adapted and used by permission of Richard G. Ensman, Jr., Rochester, New York.

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