A master calendar is your best assistant when trying to manage time, people and tasks.  The key is "Master".  Whether you use a paper or electronic calendar, use one source as a daily log of what you need to do, buy, call, read, see, dream.

 

If you use a paper calendar, try to find one that has extra space each week for notes.  Use this area to jot down goals for the week, business expenses, etc.  Some calendars have tabbed note sections.  I usually tear out any pages I know I won't need (like metric conversions, really who cares?)  In the notes section I write down books I want to read, names I need to remember, interesting quotes, or anything that brings value to my time and life.

 

Electronic calendars always have the capability to easily manage notes, thoughts and lists through separate folders or directories.  Personally, I don't use electronic calendaring because I find it takes too long to boot up, search, and type in data.  Plus, if the power or battery goes out....well you know.  This is just a personal preference and a reminder that you should use the system that works for your style.  Sometimes work requires the use of electronic calendaring; you can still keep a paper calendar if you prefer that style.  You will just need to make an extra effort to keep things in sync.  If you must maintain several calendars (like work and home), designate one as your primary master calendar.  Keep that one up to date and periodically cross check entries with the secondary one.

Yearly Planner

 

Sometimes a large annual dry-erase wall calendar works best when you have repetitious tasks (like club meetings) or complicated events (like a wedding).  Write down the major deadlines so you can see well in advance what is coming due.  Then you can use your paper calendar to fill in the daily tasks.

 

 

 

I use my calendar in conjunction with my brain dump. 

When my brain gets too full I grab a pad of sticky notes and jot down everything that I have to do.  It doesn't need to be in any particular order, just write down one thought per sticky note.  Then I take these sticky notes and lay them out on the table, wall or paper in some sense of order like:  errands, calendar, projects, etc. 

 

 

I then gather up all the similar tasks and put them in my paper calendar on the week that I plan to get them accomplished. 

Instant "TO DO" list!!  As I finish the task I toss the note - very satisfying.  If the task doesn't get done I just move it to the next week.

 

 

Do you remember when doctor offices set up appointments on a paper calendar?  You could see all the daily appointments at one time.  Now they do it electronically.  You can also use these two methods to help you stay organized.

 

You can track appointments for several people side-by-side on one daily calendar page.  I have a template I created that does that job.  Click here to see my printable calendar template.

 

Electronic versions of multi-calendaring are available through many online sources.  Click on www.cozi.com to see an example.  This site has a simple calendaring system designed for a family, but could also be applied to a small office.  Google also has it's version at www.google.com/calendar.  Look for applications that are simple and easy to navigate and use.

  

Whether you use paper or electronic, use these multi-entry methods to track and record projects or tasks instead of people.  Instead of names, use project headers like personal, home, office, medical, exercise, homework, mileage, expenses, etc.