Organization is an Art and a Science

Most people who know me would call me one of the most organized people they've ever met. That's probably true. I became obsessively organized at a young age. I don't really know why I'm so organized, but sometimes, I over–organize. There are days when I can't find something I've filed, but when I finally find it ... the place makes total sense to an organizer ...

As a young teacher, I kept things organized on a calendar and that was about it. I just used a binder with a 12–month calendar and followed along from day to day. When I became an athletic director, organization became more crucial and I moved on to a Franklin Planner. I attended a What Matters Most Franklin Planner/Steven Covey training session that taught me how to use the Planner. That changed my planning ways because every task owned a label, A for "must do" down to E for "try to do." From '98 to about '02, I was a Franklinite. I even purchased the Day Planner software and installed it on my office computer. I could print calendars, to do lists, etc. It was okay, but it wasn't the same as writing in a Planner.

I moved to a new job in a new district, though, and organization took on a new role. And, this district had incorporated Palm Pilots and, being a techie, I realized a Palm Pilot was for me. I learned about it; I read about it. I stole ideas form people. I downloaded gadgets and programs that would make the Pilot more efficient. I figured that the Pilot was the perfect extention of the Planner, but electronic. But, I never really liked the Pilot. It was too hard to "see" the big picture or write updated information into the Pilot.

During the past couple of years, I've developed a system that I think works.

1. Keep a small, pocket–sized notebook with you at all times. Keep it in your pocket and write down anything that comes to you during the day. This may include something you have to do, a topic you want to blog about, a reminder to pick up milk, etc. Keep it with you and write things down. This replaces writing several notes on whatever paper is handy during interactions throughout the day. It's even better than writing sloppy information on a napkin as you drive to work in the morning.

2. Use a weekly Moleskine calendar to keep track of your schedule and update it every day with reflections, phone numbers, and additional information. The Moleskine is available at Barnes & Noble and you will soon call it the best planning tool you ever bought.

3. Update your life on several different calendars that you create and share at Google Calendar. The Google Calendar is like an electronic Franklin Planner on steroids (but good steroids ...)

4. By keeping your information "tracked" you'll remember what's on your calendar, be more cognizant of your day(s), and get more done.

This is the beginning of my plan for organization and getting your various projects completed. This will not eliminate how tired you are at the end of the week, nor will it allow you to get up and hour early just "to get more done." But it will make you realize that organization makes life easier. Or something like that.