Wednesday, March 07, 2012

The Time/Project/Paper Management Experiment

I've used various time management systems over the years.

Zig Ziglar's was one of my favorites due to its daily goal-tracking section, but it was difficult to shift address information from year to year. [I found the new version published by Ziglar and Seth Godin to be a pale version of the original.] All in all though, time management systems are like diets: all of them work if you stick with them.

And that is the rub. You have to find a system that fits your work and inclinations.

Recently, I've cobbled together an approach combining my calendar with a notebook with sections for each weekday. I can shift documents and reminders from day to day and insert new items. The idea is to put relevant materials in the appropriate day. It is more of a paper management than a time management system.

I'll keep you posted on its progress.

2 comments:

Rick Knowles said...

Sounds a lot like David Allen's Getting Things Done approach. Which, like a diet, works great when you use it. I liked it, got organized, then fell off the rails as I didn't complete the whole system. Certain elements stayed, such as an organized file cabinet, but others fell behind - much like my personal blogging lately. I enjoy n=1 experiments, perhaps it's time to give it another go!

Michael Wade said...

Rick,

It's not going to be as complicated as David Allen's approach. I'm aiming for simplicity.

Michael