Choosing the Right Notebook organizers
People repeatedly ask me these two questions : do you recommend using any of the notebook organizer / Planner system ? If so, which one do you recommend ? The question is easy – Yes, I recommend using them! The second question is more Difficult.
There are dozens of planning and organizing systems on the market. Most are useful, although some seem better than others. The best answer for which one to buy is this: choose the one you will use.
“The Difficulty in Recommending One is That I Don’t Know Enough About You.”
Do you want one for your work, your personal life, or both ? what size do you prefer ?
Will you be carrying it around or leaving it on your desk ?
How many and what kind of activities are your predominant work Style ?
For 30 years I have been studying how people work, how they use their time, and how they can work smarter. I have seen just about every planner and organizer there is.
1.A Yearly Calendar.
2.Monthly Calendars.
3.Planning sheets for each day.
4.A telephone and address section.
5.A set of A-Z Tabs.
6.A second set of tabs with customizable labels.
7..A variety of specialized forms or worksheets.
8.A sheet for recording notes.
Use of The System
Any system that omits one or more of these elements would be suspect. Without these eight elements, the system would not be flexible and, therefore, less useful.
For systems which have all the elements, the next set of criteria concern the daily planning sheets. These sheets should direct you to identify goals and activities, set priorities, estimate time needed for each activity, and schedule specific activities. Many notebook systems omit the time estimates. However, without this you won’t know whether or not your plan is realistic – you run out of time, not
activities.
Use these guidelines to help sort out the different products and you’ll probably pick the one that is right for you.
