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[HollyUK]

I am looking for a better way to organise myself as I am pretty overwhelmed at the moment.

I work freelance for more than one company and for each company often have more than one project.  I also have to consider developing the business itself and of course all the usual personal things that have to get done.

I am also the sort of person that if I can't see something I forget about it. This means that if I have a list for each business for example, I promptly forget all the stuff I have to do for the others! (This also means I have a messy desk as I am frightened to put anything away).  I also have a massive inbox as I only file stuff when I've got around to doing the task - and I often have to be reminded as I forget!

I am on the computer most of the time, but do travel.  I've even tried to set up reminders in outlook but I somehow overlook them!  I guess I just have too many tasks!

I am looking for a simple system. Can anyone offer me some ideas - or desribe their own way of being organised so I can take the bits that would work for me? I've tried reading some of the books in this, but they all seem very complex!

[bensimo]

Holly,

You need some self-discipline and a system to follow, same as all of us.

My own "system" was to have three action lists.

Long term list - this is generally quite long and has everthing including very little ones that I want to do and must do. I add items to this list as they arise.

One week list - at the end of each week, I review the long term list and from it I select those items I must, should or want to accomplish in the next week. I may add items to this list during the week or take items off.

One day list - after I create next week's list, I select items from it for my day list. On Monday I try to do the things on the day list. At the end of each day, I make up a new list for the next day by reviewing the items still on the week list. I cross off the items I did that day. At the end of the week, I use the week list update the long term list by crossing off those items I accomplished.

The day list often is made up to progress me through the day by prioritizing it with numbers from 1 to whatever meaning I plan to start by doing item 1, then 2 and so on.

After using this system for a few months, it became second nature and prevented me from ever missing anything. I managed people for over 30 years and found these lists to be invaluable.

Hope this helps.

Best regards, Ben
http://www.bensimonton.com/articles.com

[Bookworm]

Dear Holly,

It sounds like you are a visual person. 

What if you had a white board (or bulletin board) that you could use to list all your clients and projects (so you wouldn't have to keep the files out to remind you of them?

Maybe your daily list (suggested by Bensimo) could be written on the white board (or posted on the bulletin board) each morning?

If you went with the b.b. instead of the white board, you could assign a color to each client and print their list on that color paper, which could be matched to colored file folders -- if you felt that was a helpful way to tie it all together.


Good luck!

Laura

[Patrick Rhone]

As many know, I am a big fan of keeping one "master list" and then using a "today card" to be the daily driver of my execution. the Today card is just three or four tasks that I want to focus on for the day to make sure I keep moving things forward. That being said, I mainly use this for my personal stuff.

I am a technology consultant so, like you, I also have many projects with many tasks for many clients going on at any given time. For management of all of that I use 37 Signal's Basecamp to keep a "master list" of all of the tasks/projects broken out by client. Then, I still use a today card in the same manner.

Note: Another 37 Signal's product, Backpack, could work for this as well. I use Basecamp because it is more geared for this specific usage but YMMV.

[vatark]

I've tried reading some of the books in this, but they all seem very complex!

Which books have you tried, Laura?

I'm self-employed with a number of clients, some of whom I have several projects running at a time. I sometimes find myself hunting around to make sure I've completed the projects in good time. That's why I've been trying to get to grips with David Allen's Getting Things Done for the past four or five years. It might seems complex to begin with, but it is a system that works - and you get to keep your working files close by. He has a nice work flow that you can follow.

There are several things you have to do with any system: capture everything you have to do, decide what to do, do it, review what you have to do regularly so nothing (or very little) slips through the cracks.

Ultimately its down to discipline - remember to use the system (my biggest downfall is just jumping in to do whatever is in front of me). It'll need time to get it working, and time to maintain it. But the time you invest in those aspects will help in the long run to give you better choice over how you use what's left of the day!

David Allen's new book - Making it All Work - is out. If you have read any of his you could start with this one as it covers what is in the others. Also worth visiting his web site if you are interested.

Whatever system you choose, try to stick with it for as long as possible. I've spent years hunting for the elusive perfect system. I've yet to find it, and doubt I ever will, but what I'm using will get easier and better with the passing of time. Good luck!

[HollyUK]

Thanks everyone. I think the reason I've had so much difficulty with David Allen's book is I have had flu and my brain has been seriously addled. I intend to give this a go - as you say there is no perfect system! 

I'm not sure I can collect everyone before I start, I may have to just jump in and add to it as I go along - will this work do you think?  I thought I would gather everything on my desk and in my email system (and my head if I can) and add it on, then persuse some of the older stuff hanging around as I go - I can't really afford to give up a couple of days to do the intial set up. This way I can at least start to use the system. At the moment I had read about it and of course can't imagine it in use - like everything once you use it in anger it all becomes clearer!

My brother has directed me to a site called vitalist which again is based on this same system.  However to use it properly you need to subscribe so you get enough in the way of projects and categories.  I also downloaded the Outlook version from DAs site to see if I could use that instead. I think I may try to outlook system first to see if that will work for me before getting into subscribing to an online solution. Unless of course any of you have had serious issues with using outlook.

I think the big issue is to have the self discipline to work the system when things get hairy - that is the time I tend to drop the ball. 

Anyhow I hope this site continues and I look forward to 2009 sharing my journey with you all.

[Stephen Smith]

Hi Holly, one of the hardest parts of being organized is getting there in the first place. I have a suggestion that may help you get to a good starting point, then you can choose a maintenance system that fits your own style.
First, start with your e-mail, go to Outlook and make 3 sub-folders for your in-box. Label them "today", "tomorrow", and "later". Now go through your in-box and ruthlessly sort the incoming messages into those sub-folders.

Second, do the same thing with all of the stuff in your in-box and on your desk. Make 3 piles on the floor next to you (wait for it): "today", "tomorrow", and "later". Be strong, but be quick and decisive.

Once this is done you have a place to start and the best way to do that is to go ahead and process/handle/do the things in the "today" pile and e-mail folder. Don't worry if you can't actually do them all today, just keep your head down and do the best that you can.

At the end of the day you should be able to feel good about what you have accomplished, AND you are in good shape for starting tomorrow. When you come in to work "tomorrow" then that stack becomes the "today" stack and you know just what you need to do. At the end of the second day just go through the "later" stack and re-prioritize.

You can maintain a system like this indefinitely while you create a manageable workflow method for yourself. Be forewarned - this system is only a patch on your productivity as it does not work for forecasting future tasks. It is a way to get out from under the mess and get yourself moving forward again.

I trust this helps!

[vatark]

I'm not sure I can collect everyone before I start, I may have to just jump in and add to it as I go along - will this work do you think?

Yes! In his new book David Allen actually says that this is one way to get to grips with the GTD approach. So long as you put in place the framework to capture, process, etc. as set out in the book you can start with GTD tomorrow using it for new 'stuff' adding old stuff when you have a moment.

[HollyUK]

Thanks Stephen and Robert I'll try what you suggest. I've got very behind these last couple of weeks with flu so it would be a good way to start the new year in a positive way.