My 3-Step Time & Information Management System
Time is always ticking by and information is always coming at us with the full force of a firehose. How do I managed it all? I've learned so much by simply observing others and asking questions. What I am sharing here are my methods of time and information management. Perhaps you can learn something from what I do, and perhaps I can learn from your tips you share in the comments. It's hopefully a win-win situation.
Simple Gets Done
My first bit of advice is "simple gets done." Don't get lost in the trappings of designing a complex, colorful, multi-faceted time and information management plan. It may be fun to develop, but in the end, will you really follow it more than a day or week? Start simple and stay simple. Add one method to your daily routine at a time...drop by drop, as I like to say.
1: Outlook Calendar
I use my Outlook calendar RELIGIOUSLY. I block off time for everything I wish to do in a day or week on my calendar. I mark them as busy or free depending upon whether I really want to hold that time (e.g., a meeting) or if it's a reminder of something I need to fit in sometime that day. Outlook also makes it very easy to move events around as the day and week progress. I use a simple color coding that fits me:
That's it. Three colors. I like the power of three. It's easier to remember.
2: OneNote
I take ALL my meeting notes in OneNote. I also have pages setup for ideas and brainstorming. While OneNote is marketed as a collaboration tool, I use it for just me. It's simpler that way. I basically have one notebook with multiple section tabs and multiple pages under them.
I have pages for just meetings, where I start with the date and then add my meeting notes in bullets under that. Simple. My first bullet item is usually the list of attendees in that meeting.
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3: Teams
Microsoft Teams is how I stay connected with my coworkers and group I manage. Not only can we quickly call other "face to face," but we can setup team task lists (which we review weekly), share files, create a Wiki page to store ideas and guidance, and capture our conversations beyond email.
The Simple Power of Three
Outlook Calendar, OneNote and Teams are my trifecta for keeping not only myself on task, but my team as well. They integrate well together, which is a plus. I did not adopt them all at once either. That would have been too much. I started with my Outlook calendar years ago. Then OneNote came into my life to replace my notepads of meeting notes. Lastly, Teams became a necessity as I began working remotely more frequently.
The Power of Search
An underlying secret to all three of these items is the power of search. I don't have tons of subfolders in my Outlook. I search for what I need. I may not have all the right notebooks and pages in my OneNote, but I can very quickly search and find what I need. I may not remember which thread a topic was discussed in Teams, but once again, I can search.
The point is your time and information management plan does NOT need to be perfect. Just start and then refine it as you go. The search tools will bail you out along the way.
Conclusions
I make no claims that my system is perfect or will work for you. It just works for me at this point in my career, and perhaps others can gain something from it, too. Do you have other time and information management tools and tips that you use frequently? I'd love to hear about them in the comments section.