Growing up I was never what you would call an organized person. I never had to be. My parents always reminded me about my chores, teachers reminded me about my assignments, and I was always bright enough to turn in at least B quality work when doing it at the last minute. Life was simple enough that I could nearly always remember what I needed too. In short, I never worried about being organized because I never needed to be nor cared about it.
This all changed about 2 years ago. My daughter was born, my responsibilities at work changed, and I realized there are a lot of things I wanted to do that just were not getting done. Life was no longer as simple as it used to be and I was becoming stressed out about the each thing I forgot to complete.
I decided to fix the problem and take control of everything on my plate. In the past 18 months I’ve read a number of books and web articles. I’ve talked to numerous people I respect who handle difficult responsibilities. What I learned is that I needed a system. And the search began.
I’ve tried using, email based organization, outlook tasks, calendars, notebooks, post-its, day planners, PDA’s, OneNote, Evernote, Get Things Done, AutoFocus, 7 Habits among others. All the tools and systems are great and have many very dedicated followers. Unfortunately I could not stick to any of them. I’d spend time moving my life into a new tool or system only to find myself straying away from using the tool after a few weeks. It was frustrating but I have learned some very valuable things.
There are some basic tools that you will require no matter how you try to stay organized.
- Calendar – everyone has time sensitive commitments, a calendar will help you keep track of the commitments.
- Note taking device – This could be a notebook, post-its, OneNote, EverNote, the back of printed paper. It really doesn’t matter what it is, you just need something to write with.
- Task tracker – The ever present to do list. Outlook tasks, a note book, OneNote, EverNote, a piece of paper. It all works.
Pick the smallest set of tools possible that will meet your needs. Make them something that fits in your budget, is easy to access wherever you need it, and is easy to use.
Tools are great but by themselves they will not make you organized. A tool is only as good as the person who uses them. So just like any skill, staying organized requires training and practice. Here is where I have a problem. I absolutely love toys, gadgets, software, and tools. I would switch between every new toy and system and never stick with any of them. This is because what I was trying to do was not natural for me and I was having a hard time developing the habits required to use these tools consistently and well.
This is where Zen To Done (ZTD) comes into play. ZTD is a system I found at the website Zen Habits. ZTD is a combination of multiple systems with a philosophy for adoption I agree with. All organization systems require the adoption of new habits to be successful. Almost every system asks you to adopt a significant number of new habits from the very beginning. For most people this is a recipe for failure. Creating a new habit takes time, effort, and focus. Creating 5, 10, 20 new habits all at the same time…. good luck. If you figure out how to do that in a repeatable manner, write a book and start a business coaching and public speaking because your recipe for success is in high demand. ZTD consists of 10 core habits and asks you to adopt them one at a time taking 30 days per habit to fully ingrain it into your life. Yes it does take 10 months to adopt the system, the difference is, at the end of 10 months, the system is second nature and part of the way you think and work.
If I started with this system 2 years ago, I would have been using it fully and actively for over a year now instead of running out of steam on every other system in 4-8 weeks and switching. I highly recommend reading up on this system if you are looking to get organized. I am actively working on adopting it now and am excited about what the future holds for me.
My tools:
3x5in pocket notebook with a bookmark that keeps my place
OneNote 2010 as my digital note taking/reference system. (Evernote works well too)
My.GTDify.com as my task tracking tool
Shuffle on Android to access my tasks on the road
Outlook 2010 as my calander
Outlook 2010 as my email system
