Many of us carry planners. Unfortunately, only one in twenty use it effectively. For many of us it is more effective as a doorstop than a calendar. Therefore, I feel compelled to write these simple and easy to follow instructions for the EFFECTIVE use of a planner. For those of you who prefer electronic devices, skip to the last paragraph.
What are the components of an effective planner? Four things are absolutely necessary. Is it so:
– Monthly tabs for the whole year
– Daily pages for two months
– A page finder to bookmark today
– A future planning calendar
The most popular size is 8.5″ x 5.5″ (preferred by 80% of users). The month tabs should be two pages each so that you have enough room to write. Daily pages must consist of two pages for each day. One side is divided into two columns: one for to-dos and one divided into hours for appointments. The other page simply has lines for you to take notes of things that will or did happen that day. The last page(s) of any planner should be “things beyond the scope of this book” so that you have a place to record ANYTHING, no matter how far into the future it extends.
Your planner should be the one stop shop for everything you promised someone you would do. This includes promises to co-workers, clients, family, friends, and even yourself. Yes, you will mix business and personal, but you are not schizophrenic: you have a life, so have a planner.
Write down EVERYTHING, not just the “really” important stuff, not just the business stuff, and not just what’s convenient. Write EVERYTHING! The most significant things to note are your interrupted outages. What is an interrupt interrupt? Here’s an example: You’re on the phone with Stanley, and he asks you to email him addresses. “I’d love to,” you say, hanging up the phone, heading to your computer, and beginning to send Stanley the instructions. Suddenly, Josephine bursts into your office screaming, “Mrs. Peabody is in the hall and we can’t find her file!” Instantly, Stanley is forgotten and Mrs. Peabody now demands your full attention. If she remembers that she forgot Stanley’s instructions, she will be on the way home that night, or when she sits up right in bed at 3 AM. The moral? ALWAYS take a second to write down “Stanley’s instructions” in today’s to-do section before moving on to the Peabody meltdown.
If you are conscious of keeping good records, giving up the illusion that you still have a reliable memory, giving up the habit of sticky notes and the system of lots of things to do later, your productivity will decrease. go up and your stress will go down. 95% of the papers on your desk, the post-its on your monitor, and the pink phone call receipts can go straight in the trash. 95% of them are just reminders. You don’t really need the paper, you just need the reminder. When you write down what you need to do and when you need to do it, 95% of all that clutter goes straight to the trash/recycle bin. Admit it, that system isn’t working anyway!
Your goal, like a busy air traffic controller who handles hundreds of planes a day, is to have just one radar screen to look at. No post-its, batteries and memory. The average business person has eight different systems to keep track of what he needs to do and where he needs to go. How many do you have? Interestingly, this simple paper system was invented by Benjamin Franklin over 200 years ago because he had trouble keeping track of everything. Ben’s was the best system then and it’s still the best system today.
Now some of you are wondering about those fancy electronic devices. Studies have shown that it takes more time and discipline to maintain an electronic system than a paper system. Also, right now, 60% of people who switch to electronic systems eventually go back to using paper. There may come a time when electronic is faster and easier than paper, but not today. I don’t know about you, but I ALWAYS choose the quickest and easiest method!
