Organizing your life and the things you want to get done is a complicated endeavor.
But many tools allow you to plan and prioritize the things you need to get done in order to make the best use of your time and make sure everything gets accomplished.
The most important thing you can do to organize your tasks is write down everything you need to take care of.
While the pen and paper to-do lists will get the job done, digital to-do lists and reminder apps provide several benefits paper lists lack.
First, they sync from device to device.
For example, Apple’s Reminders app lets you create a grocery list you write on your laptop, that will automatically be accessible on your smartphone later.
Evernote, among others, allows you to search, tag and group items to find the one you need right away, and most importantly, you can create time and location-based reminders.
For example, I can ask Siri to remind me to file a report every Monday when I get to work.
Let’s talk about calendars. If you’re not already using an online calendar to keep track of appointments and meetings, start.
They let you invite others to events, and some, like Google Calendar, even let you know who’s attending and who’s not.
One strategy that can take the organizational benefits of a calendar even further, is to mark off 30 minute blocks in your day and design at a each block for a certain task.
For example, you might work on your weekly report on Thursday from 12:30 to 1:00, and clean out your email inbox from 1:00 to 1:30.
Setting a schedule will force you to keep yourself organized and working ahead. Just remember to give yourself some leeway here in there.
It’s often difficult to predict how long a given task will take.
There are a wide variety of tools that can help you stay organized and focused at work.
Explore, and find the best one that’s right for you.
