There are many ways technology can help you to better organize your life. You can use GTD (getting things done) software or productivity tools to help you keep a clean head and a well-maintained life.- The one I use most frequently; email. My task list is essentially my inbox. I have a task manager inside my email client of choice; Mozilla Thunderbird. I prefer Thunderbird for a few good reasons:
- It's easy to add multiple accounts which was important to me
- It has a lot of extensions (which I don't really use)
- And it just works.
My email inbox fills up throughout the day, and so I need to get it emptied before I go to sleep at night or I won't be able to rest. As soon as someone asks me to do something, I tell them to email me at either my business address or my personal address. I can then tag that message and add it as a task within my email client.
- Another on of my favourites, Calendar. If you run either Mac or Windows (or Linux), there are some great software for calendars. Of course you could use Mac's iCal which is a good piece of software or you could download something different.
If you're like me and run Windows, you could download Mozilla Sunbird which is a great calendar application. I happen to use the Lightning addon for Mozilla Thunderbird as my default task list and calendar app, which happens to use Mozilla Sunbird as the foundation.
- Another route you may want to go down is the good ole' paper list. You've undoubtedly used this form of note-taking before, simply write things down in a list form and tick off the item when you've completed it. Pretty self explanatory.
You could always buy a list tattoo (which they do sell, believe it or not!) and write on the back of your hand. That serves as a great reminder.
- Note-Taking Software solutions. I use these all the time. My 2 favourites are Evernote and Windows Journal, however there are other great ones out there like OneNote (by Microsoft, which does cost money).
I like Evernote because it syncs notes across all of my devices no matter what Operating System they're running. As soon as I take a note on my PC, it get's synced across to my tablet, Android Phone and other Computers instantly. I also use EverNote to organize reciepts. I HATE paper. I simple create a new picture note with the app on my phone and add tags to do with whatever the receipt was for. These tags are then searchable and therefore a lot easier to manage.
Windows Journal is my business note app. I use it to quickly write down (using my Graphics Tablet) ideas for blog posts for this website and other websites that I might have to write for at the time. It is a really simple application and works well. It's basically a virtual notepad.
- If you need to remember something important, one of the easiest ways to do so is by putting something in a weird place. An example would be like taking a plate out of your kitchen and placing it in the bathroom. When you go in there in the morning, you'll wonder why it's sitting there. Then you'll remember you had to go to lunch with someone.
This technique is my favourite way of remembering things (besides my email inbox!).
If you have any tips or tricks, be sure to either email us or leave a comment. Scan the QR code at the top of the page to share!
