Published On: August 13th, 2024|Categories: Blog, Home page, On the go, Paper Management|

For those of you who prefer to read, here is a transcription of my video with this title.

One of my subscribers Christine Williams writes. “I’m a freelance performing artist and I’m constantly juggling different kinds of projects and the business around them. I also do my work in various locations, so I love the idea of surveying my current projects in the morning and simply putting doable task post-its in my day planner to take with me. Maybe this can be the topic of a new video…?” Indeed it can!

This comment came from my video Organizing Paper Action Files Made Easy. It explains why I favor a paper solution for getting your to-do’s to done. This solution is within the confines of a stationary office space. But what if you are organizing to-do’s to go?

 

Using a Clear Folder for Organizing on the Go

My solution is as easy as using this clear folder. I call this my Today folder. Things that go in to it today, come out today. So beside my task collector, I can add (and extract) things like receipts and notes. This daily circulation keeps it thin and manageable. BUT it is just big enough to be… noticed… and that’s important.

 

The Benefits of a Clear Folder

Organizing and digital solutions both tend to hide everything away from view. There are many benefits to this including a calm work environment, enhanced focus, and of course, a clear work surface. Out of sight, out of mind is the goal, but there is a point where out of mind becomes a liability, not an asset. When you want to make a point of doing something you need a highly VISIBLE reminder. Our company mission is to relocate less important stuff, so that you can get to the most important stuff. The thing you want to make a point of acting on in your office IS the most important stuff. The same holds true for your to-do’s to go. The structure of this folder allows your to-do’s to be vertical. The clear cover allows your to-do’s to be visible. One page limits your to-do’s so that they are minimal.

 

When Organizing on the Go May be Necessary

90% of the time that I leave my home office it is for a (fixed time) event or two. I typically have no plans to take on tasks while I am on the go, but here are some exceptions:

  1. Errands– if I want to coordinate a supply pick up with meeting in the same area
  2. Conferences– maybe there are some tasks to take care of between a packed schedule of events
  3. Long events– if I want to squeeze in some calls during intermission of a long meeting

You may have noticed some of the “shorthand shortcuts” Christine was asking about, C for call, E for email, R for review, G for research (Google). A time estimate in the lower right helps me be realistic about how many tasks I can fit, during a half hour segment. If you have a full-time job, most of your day’s commitments will be defined by the job. My system of to-do’s to-go are for those of us who need to determine our own priorities and schedules every day.

If you’re covering all your priorities with an all-digital system or an all-paper system, great! But, if finding the right digital/paper time management balance makes sense to you, I hope this has been helpful.

Do you prefer paper systems, digital systems, or a combination of both?

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