Comments on: 7 Reasons Why A Good Schedule Can Keep you On Track

By: --Deb

--Deb — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 11:41:13 +0000

Oh, don’t get me started on Daylight Savings Time. Twice-yearly, government-mandated jet lag without the fun of actually going anywhere.

By: Mary Brown

Mary Brown — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 06:33:07 +0000

Me, too! Whatever works for you is what you should use, definitely.

You also don’t have to deal with the ridiculously fast pace of technological change like the first Mary was mentioning. I also am having a glitch with my system this week because it is “extended” DST time (the time between when DST used to change and when it changes now) and any appointments I put in my wonderful gadget will be off an hour next week and following. Sigh. (DST is a long-standing pet peeve of mine, but that is a subject for another day.)

By: --Deb

--Deb — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 21:06:14 +0000

Scheduling is one of those nasty bugbears of time-management. It’s necessary, but if it’s not done right, it can actually get in the way and make you less efficient (grin).

Frankly, I love the index card idea.

By: Kerry Grier

Kerry Grier — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 20:58:28 +0000

This will give you all a laugh no doubt. I use index cards and iCal. I have a card for each of my children and then one for each work or home related project. I have a box I have decorated in zany colors to take my mind off the many lists it contains. I have an index system within the box from 1 – 31. Each day I see what cards the day holds and transfer tasks onto iCal the night before. Laborious I know but works.

By: Mary Brown

Mary Brown — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 06:16:42 +0000

I use my computer and a pocket pc that link together. I can enter items in either and they link together with Outlook for my calendar and contacts, as well as lists and places to take notes, journal, etc.

The biggest problem I have is remembering what I want to put on a list long enough to get the program open, so i do a lot of things with lists in a notebook (paper) when I’m moving or doing something else that i brainstorm and make lots of lists for.

I really like electronic calendaring because I can schedule things that regularly happen once and tell it to repeat it every week/month/year/etc. They also can be programmed to sound an alarm reminder. Calendared items can be moved, deleted or edited easily. i can put notes in the item that can all be edited at once for ongoing followup. I had a paper planner for years, but didn’t keep up with all the writing, so most of the records I saved from that time are blank paper. Hand held electronic devices are also more lightweight for small people like me. I love my hp iPAQ!

Does it make me more efficient? Scheduling is an ongoing battle for me. I’ve got great organization skills and am good about getting things into my calendar in a way that I can use. The more I use my planner, the more I remember to look at it and use it. I’m getting better at knowing how long to schedule for things, but usually have more things I want to put in a day than there is time for. I guess the next thing to figure out is prioritization and not spending time on things that aren’t productive. (btw, That does not mean fun things must go. Recreation is essential for renewing the body, mind and spirit for better productivity.)

By: --Deb

--Deb — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 01:40:06 +0000

Mary, a big whiteboard is a GREAT idea! Kind of hard to fit in a pocket, though…

By: Mary

Mary — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 00:11:14 +0000

I used to use MindManager 8 when Win was my primary platform. Not only the beauty of a mindmap for organization, but a pretty robust scheduling/reminder system. Unfortunately MindManger 7 on Mac lacks much of the scheduling functionality although I still use it to keep track of all the bits and pieces of my myriad projects. I keep hoping the soon-to-be-released MM8 for Mac will fix that shortcoming, but I’ll have to wait and see. I still use MM8 in a Win VM but if the VM isn’t running, the reminders are pretty useless.

Of course I use iCal, but the notification functionality for recurring events broke with SnowLeopard; still waiting on a fix.

I think I just need a huge whiteboard on my wall.
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