Being More Efficient (Part 1)

Wow! Its been a while since I last posted. There's something to be said for taking a little time now and then to stop, collect your thoughts, and take a look around you.

During the past few weeks, I have been trying to slow things down a little and get myself reorganized. It seems a little odd saying that given that I already use my Treo 650 to keep track of my work, meetings, life... you name it. But I've found over the years that its easy to get stuck in a rut; to get comfortable with a certain way of doing things and although it works, it may not necessarily still be the best way to do things.

So I've been following Mike Rohde's example and taking a close look at how I organize my work. How I stay efficient and what role my Treo plays in that process. As a result of this reflection, I've come to a few conclusions:

1) There is always room for improvement in the way that I stay organized. What worked for me last week, last month or last year is not necessarily going to be the most efficient approach in the future. Its a good thing to stop and take a look around now and then in order to see what can be done better or even just to appreciate what you have done!

2) Its important to try and think outside the box. Despite comments to the contrary, a square peg can sometimes fit in a round hole. In the case of my Treo, I have discovered that more isn't necessarily better. Sometimes a complicated (and expensive) application can actually hinder my efficiency rather than help it (as it was intended). Or rather, sometimes a simple application can be made to do things it wasn't originally intended for...and it can do them well. I'll go into more detail later but suffice it to say I have been doing some house cleaning on my Treo and taking a close look at what applications I really need versus those applications that look 'cool' but don't necessarily assist in me being more productive.

3) Organization is a state of mind and if its not at the forefront of my mind all the time, I won't follow through on it. What this means is that consistency is important when trying to stay organized. If I don't make an effort to enter projects into my Task List as they arise, there's no point in doing it some of the time or any time at all. Similarly, I've been training myself to use designated Palm programs for particular organizational tasks. In looking at my time management, I've discovered that I can spend a great deal of time just looking for where I recorded a particular task, project or meeting. II have a habit of recording meting notes as a memo, sometimes as a Docs to Go file, and sometimes as a journal entry in my Datebk calendar. Now imagine trying to find those notes quickly! I'm learning that having powerful programs on your Palm is good but it also makes it easy to spread your thoughts and ideas around thereby creating disorganization rather than reducing it. DOH!

So here's the bottom line. I've been reorganizing things both on my Treo and in my life and over the next week or so I will post some of my findings and ideas. My hope is that some of my thoughts will enlighten my fellow Palm Enthusiasts and perhaps encourage you to post your own ideas on how you use your palm to be more efficient.

Stay tuned for part 2!

Cheers.