Time Management and Organizers
Time management is a very difficult task for many modern and active people, however, the ability to manage your time, as a rule, is the secret of success. The speed of the passage of time and the development of technology make competent time allocation a serious problem. Many different courses and seminars can teach you how to use your time more efficiently, correctly plan your activities, set goals and achieve your goals within the stipulated time.
It is not necessary to take any courses to learn how to manage your time. We offer a simple and affordable way to help structure your schedule and free up some of your free time.
Perhaps the simplest and most well-known means of self-organization is the nose on which everything must be cut. Of course, this is not about the organ of smell, but about a simple device for remembering. A wooden plank was called a nose, on which serifs should be made, to remind oneself of some important matter. Unfortunately, it is not always possible to remember which business the user left a note for himself.
With the development of personal equipment, needs arose that could no longer be met by ordinary paper diaries and planners. Let's see what gadgets and time planning programs existed, say, twenty years ago.
In the market of electronic devices, fully functional personal organizers appeared, which fit in your hand (though large enough). A monochrome LCD-display, a small keyboard and 512 kilobytes of memory were enough for the basic functions of a digital organizer.
The Japanese company Sharp Corporation has been releasing a series of organizers “Sharp Wizard”. One of the models, the OZ9600, was equipped with a pen for handwriting or drawing. According to the manufacturer, this allowed to solve the problem of “thumbs”, which are difficult to get through the controls. The device memory could be expanded with external memory cards. To connect two Sharp Wizards, the device has an infrared port, which allows you to transfer contacts, documents and notes to another organizer. In addition, using the infrared port, you could connect to a computer and print the necessary information on a printer. And with the help of a plug-in modem, this little assistant could turn into a small online terminal with which you could send an email or fax.
Another noteworthy representative of this category of gadgets is Casio BOSS (Business Organizer Scheduling System - a business scheduling system). In addition to the usual calendar, task list and telephone directory, the device is highlighted by a built-in spreadsheet editor that is compatible with the popular table processor of the time Lotus 1-2-3. The organizer is really personal: confidential information can be password protected. An external plug-in modem allows you to connect to the network, check and send e-mail and fax.
The Seiko UC-2000 organizer was an experimental product. This seemingly unremarkable wristwatch was in fact a portable mini-computer equipped with an external dock, which, by the way, worked on three AA batteries. Two kilobytes of information were placed in this device, and if necessary, he knew how to show time and remind about upcoming events. Content could be managed without a dock using standard control buttons. In addition, this unusual device could serve as a simple calculator.
Pay attention to the software side. For computers running Macintosh, the In Control program has become widely known. The program is great for team planning and segregation of duties. The main objects of the program are projects and tasks. Tasks can be grouped and prioritized, as well as delegated to specific people. For personal use, the scheduler (To Do list) is more convenient. The program tools allow you to associate any entry in the organizer with a specific file on the computer disk. A convenient presentation of the calendar in the form of a time tape very clearly demonstrates all your plans for the near future.
Of the organizers for the PC, it is worth highlighting the paid Lotus Organizer from Lotus Development Corporation. The developers of this application emphasized the correspondence of the program interface to the appearance of an ordinary paper planner. Which, frankly, in order to harm the usability of the program (fake drawn rings, which supposedly hold virtual pages, occupy almost half of the useful window space). The program uses a system of tabs, with which you can quickly navigate to a calendar, telephone directory or time line. A convenient feature of the program is the ability to create cross-references between records and contacts on the fly.
So, as for modern organizers. Outside the window is the 21st century, and people have come up with a great many ways how to save their time, how to restore order in their heads and lives. It is impossible to consider all of them, in our opinion, but our task is somewhat different. The brightest subjects can be distinguished.
To begin, consider the top 3 category organizers according to the site time-tracking-management-software-review.toptenreviews.com
BillQuick Online is an example of an organizer that is suitable for both one person and large companies. It is also suitable for staff and project managers, as there are an abundance of customization options for your organizer. In the process of recording the time of your activity, the application captures the data in such a way that you can use the built-in business intelligence tools that communicate their solutions to increase efficiency.
In addition to the online service, BillQuick has local versions. You can install the program on your working computer and use the organizer without an Internet connection, or you can install the application on your working server for remote users, which, again, allows you to work with BillQuick on your computers, even when there is no Internet connection.
Tenrox Timesheet is a "web-based" organizer that allows you to monitor the status of your project, track the hours of execution and send information about payrolls from almost anywhere. All you need is an internet connection.
Tenrox will help you track whether your company meets all the necessary requirements and assigned tasks. You can also program your application to support your personal internal requirements for overtime, illness, and project requirements.
Replicon is a web-based organizer that allows you to manage time for large and small organizations. Since Replicon contains your data online, you do not need to worry about any platform updates and store data recovery files.
Workers can use Replicon to send information to their colleagues, and there are various modules for management to help you learn things like project costs, client accounts, payroll, and productivity. The account supports multi-level access, the hierarchy of resolutions is respected.
Unfortunately, in our opinion, a very convenient organizer for companies called MinuteHound did not fall into the rating of this review.
- "web-based" time manager, which provides the ability to see all operations in the current time. You can see who works and who doesn't, how many hours have been spent, and many other things. This organizer is very flexible in settings.
If your organization is large enough, then you will pay not for the license, but for the number of employees and enterprises that you manage.
With the help of this management, you will monitor the workflow in the "live broadcast" mode, you will be able to manage loads and tasks. For all this, you have all the necessary tools.
Well, all these organizers are extremely convenient, but they are still more designed for large companies. Naturally, they can be programmed for personal use, but we will consider a couple of "personal" organizers.
- A way to manage time for modern and active people.
The program allows you to plan your work day, manage your projects, store the necessary documents, analyze tasks of any complexity, presenting them visually.
LeaderTask is both a scheduler, file and password manager, phone and address book, and calendar. The program gives you the opportunity to see tasks for a month, week or day, but you can always return to notes made earlier and make any changes, set a reminder, or connect with other events on your calendar.
This organizer is very easy to learn and use. The service also offers you application manuals, offline and online help.
All of the above applications are paid options for your time management. But you don’t have to pay to get what you want? In skilled hands, even a simple calendar on your phone or computer becomes a fairly flexible and powerful organizer. Assess your needs and take a closer look at the standard tools of such an application on your favorite device: perhaps this calendar can do everything you need from it.
Also on the Internet, it is possible to find quite convenient and free programs for your time management.
One of the options for a free and convenient time manager is the online version of miniplan.ru.
- One of the best free organizers, which is a truncated version of the more serious and paid project "Megaplan". On the one hand, this is a regular organizer in which you can add files and notes, but on the other hand it is a very powerful tool for self-organization. Thanks to the notification capabilities by email, phone and jabber, you definitely won’t miss a single case, and the local taskwatch panel will allow you to store many notes, add cases directly to your watch and even draw (it can be very useful to focus on some or information).
The miniplane is extremely easy to use, and you can learn how to use it in one minute, thanks to the training video on the main page, and registration takes no more than ten seconds, which allows you to quickly and easily get to work. In general, we were very pleased with this service, as He really helped to use time more efficiently and introduced us to online organizers in general. If you have a lot to do and you do not need to store a lot of notes, then this service will be your ideal assistant.
Impressive functionality of the organizer program from Microsoft, which is part of the Microsoft Office suite - Microsoft OneNote. Text notes are easily sorted into directories, and the tree structure allows you to keep your notes in order. Audio notes and video clips can be added to notes quickly and conveniently, if they are relevant to the recording. Handwriting is also supported if you use OneNote on your tablet. The program supports the synchronization of information between devices running Windows, including Windows Mobile. In Windows 8, a metro application has become available that allows you to access your notes online.
Among the giants of online organizers, Evernote and the recently launched Google Keep stand out boldly.
- multi-platform cloud storage service for various text notes, documents, images, media files. Your data stored on the project server can easily be synchronized between all devices. Files can be attached to text notes (for a free account - up to 25 megabytes, which is quite enough), and the notes themselves can be sorted by directory. All images attached to the records are recognized on the Evernote server, and the results are included in the search index. Evernote has the ability to add audio notes or save your location. And, of course, your data will always be safe - it can be easily encrypted.
Google’s online organizer (https://drive.google.com/keep/) seems pretty straightforward to use. The service allows you to create “on the fly” unordered notes anywhere where there is Internet access. Full integration with other Google services is provided. Google Keep is accessible from a browser or Android application.
So, the whole variety of existing tools or techniques does not relieve you of the need to keep in mind the main plans and tasks. There are various methods, perhaps you already have your own, which allows you to remain self-organized. If not already, we can offer you some recommendations on how to use organizers correctly.
If you are a person who is far from modern information technology, you have a wonderful memory and you do not have a smarter gadget than you, it is quite possible that you should not think about third-party devices. Perhaps pen and paper are your best helpers in organizing yourself. On the other hand, if you are a happy owner of a device convenient for accessing the Internet, and you want to squeeze out more benefits for yourself (and yourself), then you can use any online service if you are not assembled enough.
Set yourself a reminder if your short-term memory periodically fails you. This will help not to be late for an important meeting (or date). The main convenience of such a device is that it is always at hand. But be careful: if you are easily distracted, you can easily end up not in your favorite organizer, but somewhere on VKontakte. If your organizer has the function of moving the program widget to a prominent place on the desktop, do it. If this is an online service, then make the page of this service the main one. (If after that another browser becomes your favorite browser - well, you have to make this page the main one there too.)
Try to get in the habit of writing down your interesting thoughts and plans and revising your notes every week. After some of them you can send to the archive or develop further. Free your memory for more important things. And do not forget to backup!
And yet, all modern services and gadgets will be useful only if you really want to use your time to the maximum and do more. It is unlikely that a weekly to-do list will be useful if it remains dead kilobytes in the memory of your organizer.
In the event that you still have not found a suitable method of managing your own time, we advise you to pay attention to such time management technologies as MindMap , GTD , Do Less. Experiment and choose what suits you best, and someday you will become a true owner of your time.
time-tracking-management-software-review.toptenreviews.com
Television show “Computer Chronicles” - “The Best Organizer Software And Hardware”, 1993.
It is not necessary to take any courses to learn how to manage your time. We offer a simple and affordable way to help structure your schedule and free up some of your free time.
Organizers of the past
Perhaps the simplest and most well-known means of self-organization is the nose on which everything must be cut. Of course, this is not about the organ of smell, but about a simple device for remembering. A wooden plank was called a nose, on which serifs should be made, to remind oneself of some important matter. Unfortunately, it is not always possible to remember which business the user left a note for himself.
With the development of personal equipment, needs arose that could no longer be met by ordinary paper diaries and planners. Let's see what gadgets and time planning programs existed, say, twenty years ago.
In the market of electronic devices, fully functional personal organizers appeared, which fit in your hand (though large enough). A monochrome LCD-display, a small keyboard and 512 kilobytes of memory were enough for the basic functions of a digital organizer.
The Japanese company Sharp Corporation has been releasing a series of organizers “Sharp Wizard”. One of the models, the OZ9600, was equipped with a pen for handwriting or drawing. According to the manufacturer, this allowed to solve the problem of “thumbs”, which are difficult to get through the controls. The device memory could be expanded with external memory cards. To connect two Sharp Wizards, the device has an infrared port, which allows you to transfer contacts, documents and notes to another organizer. In addition, using the infrared port, you could connect to a computer and print the necessary information on a printer. And with the help of a plug-in modem, this little assistant could turn into a small online terminal with which you could send an email or fax.
Another noteworthy representative of this category of gadgets is Casio BOSS (Business Organizer Scheduling System - a business scheduling system). In addition to the usual calendar, task list and telephone directory, the device is highlighted by a built-in spreadsheet editor that is compatible with the popular table processor of the time Lotus 1-2-3. The organizer is really personal: confidential information can be password protected. An external plug-in modem allows you to connect to the network, check and send e-mail and fax.
The Seiko UC-2000 organizer was an experimental product. This seemingly unremarkable wristwatch was in fact a portable mini-computer equipped with an external dock, which, by the way, worked on three AA batteries. Two kilobytes of information were placed in this device, and if necessary, he knew how to show time and remind about upcoming events. Content could be managed without a dock using standard control buttons. In addition, this unusual device could serve as a simple calculator.
Pay attention to the software side. For computers running Macintosh, the In Control program has become widely known. The program is great for team planning and segregation of duties. The main objects of the program are projects and tasks. Tasks can be grouped and prioritized, as well as delegated to specific people. For personal use, the scheduler (To Do list) is more convenient. The program tools allow you to associate any entry in the organizer with a specific file on the computer disk. A convenient presentation of the calendar in the form of a time tape very clearly demonstrates all your plans for the near future.
Of the organizers for the PC, it is worth highlighting the paid Lotus Organizer from Lotus Development Corporation. The developers of this application emphasized the correspondence of the program interface to the appearance of an ordinary paper planner. Which, frankly, in order to harm the usability of the program (fake drawn rings, which supposedly hold virtual pages, occupy almost half of the useful window space). The program uses a system of tabs, with which you can quickly navigate to a calendar, telephone directory or time line. A convenient feature of the program is the ability to create cross-references between records and contacts on the fly.
Modern organizers
So, as for modern organizers. Outside the window is the 21st century, and people have come up with a great many ways how to save their time, how to restore order in their heads and lives. It is impossible to consider all of them, in our opinion, but our task is somewhat different. The brightest subjects can be distinguished.
To begin, consider the top 3 category organizers according to the site time-tracking-management-software-review.toptenreviews.com
Billquick online
BillQuick Online is an example of an organizer that is suitable for both one person and large companies. It is also suitable for staff and project managers, as there are an abundance of customization options for your organizer. In the process of recording the time of your activity, the application captures the data in such a way that you can use the built-in business intelligence tools that communicate their solutions to increase efficiency.
In addition to the online service, BillQuick has local versions. You can install the program on your working computer and use the organizer without an Internet connection, or you can install the application on your working server for remote users, which, again, allows you to work with BillQuick on your computers, even when there is no Internet connection.
Tenrox timesheet
Tenrox Timesheet is a "web-based" organizer that allows you to monitor the status of your project, track the hours of execution and send information about payrolls from almost anywhere. All you need is an internet connection.
Tenrox will help you track whether your company meets all the necessary requirements and assigned tasks. You can also program your application to support your personal internal requirements for overtime, illness, and project requirements.
Replicon
Replicon is a web-based organizer that allows you to manage time for large and small organizations. Since Replicon contains your data online, you do not need to worry about any platform updates and store data recovery files.
Workers can use Replicon to send information to their colleagues, and there are various modules for management to help you learn things like project costs, client accounts, payroll, and productivity. The account supports multi-level access, the hierarchy of resolutions is respected.
Unfortunately, in our opinion, a very convenient organizer for companies called MinuteHound did not fall into the rating of this review.
Minutehound
- "web-based" time manager, which provides the ability to see all operations in the current time. You can see who works and who doesn't, how many hours have been spent, and many other things. This organizer is very flexible in settings.
If your organization is large enough, then you will pay not for the license, but for the number of employees and enterprises that you manage.
With the help of this management, you will monitor the workflow in the "live broadcast" mode, you will be able to manage loads and tasks. For all this, you have all the necessary tools.
Well, all these organizers are extremely convenient, but they are still more designed for large companies. Naturally, they can be programmed for personal use, but we will consider a couple of "personal" organizers.
The LeaderTask electronic organizer
- A way to manage time for modern and active people.
The program allows you to plan your work day, manage your projects, store the necessary documents, analyze tasks of any complexity, presenting them visually.
LeaderTask is both a scheduler, file and password manager, phone and address book, and calendar. The program gives you the opportunity to see tasks for a month, week or day, but you can always return to notes made earlier and make any changes, set a reminder, or connect with other events on your calendar.
This organizer is very easy to learn and use. The service also offers you application manuals, offline and online help.
All of the above applications are paid options for your time management. But you don’t have to pay to get what you want? In skilled hands, even a simple calendar on your phone or computer becomes a fairly flexible and powerful organizer. Assess your needs and take a closer look at the standard tools of such an application on your favorite device: perhaps this calendar can do everything you need from it.
Also on the Internet, it is possible to find quite convenient and free programs for your time management.
One of the options for a free and convenient time manager is the online version of miniplan.ru.
Miniplane
- One of the best free organizers, which is a truncated version of the more serious and paid project "Megaplan". On the one hand, this is a regular organizer in which you can add files and notes, but on the other hand it is a very powerful tool for self-organization. Thanks to the notification capabilities by email, phone and jabber, you definitely won’t miss a single case, and the local taskwatch panel will allow you to store many notes, add cases directly to your watch and even draw (it can be very useful to focus on some or information).
The miniplane is extremely easy to use, and you can learn how to use it in one minute, thanks to the training video on the main page, and registration takes no more than ten seconds, which allows you to quickly and easily get to work. In general, we were very pleased with this service, as He really helped to use time more efficiently and introduced us to online organizers in general. If you have a lot to do and you do not need to store a lot of notes, then this service will be your ideal assistant.
Microsoft OneNote
Impressive functionality of the organizer program from Microsoft, which is part of the Microsoft Office suite - Microsoft OneNote. Text notes are easily sorted into directories, and the tree structure allows you to keep your notes in order. Audio notes and video clips can be added to notes quickly and conveniently, if they are relevant to the recording. Handwriting is also supported if you use OneNote on your tablet. The program supports the synchronization of information between devices running Windows, including Windows Mobile. In Windows 8, a metro application has become available that allows you to access your notes online.
Among the giants of online organizers, Evernote and the recently launched Google Keep stand out boldly.
Evernote
- multi-platform cloud storage service for various text notes, documents, images, media files. Your data stored on the project server can easily be synchronized between all devices. Files can be attached to text notes (for a free account - up to 25 megabytes, which is quite enough), and the notes themselves can be sorted by directory. All images attached to the records are recognized on the Evernote server, and the results are included in the search index. Evernote has the ability to add audio notes or save your location. And, of course, your data will always be safe - it can be easily encrypted.
Google keep
Google’s online organizer (https://drive.google.com/keep/) seems pretty straightforward to use. The service allows you to create “on the fly” unordered notes anywhere where there is Internet access. Full integration with other Google services is provided. Google Keep is accessible from a browser or Android application.
How to use it?
So, the whole variety of existing tools or techniques does not relieve you of the need to keep in mind the main plans and tasks. There are various methods, perhaps you already have your own, which allows you to remain self-organized. If not already, we can offer you some recommendations on how to use organizers correctly.
If you are a person who is far from modern information technology, you have a wonderful memory and you do not have a smarter gadget than you, it is quite possible that you should not think about third-party devices. Perhaps pen and paper are your best helpers in organizing yourself. On the other hand, if you are a happy owner of a device convenient for accessing the Internet, and you want to squeeze out more benefits for yourself (and yourself), then you can use any online service if you are not assembled enough.
Set yourself a reminder if your short-term memory periodically fails you. This will help not to be late for an important meeting (or date). The main convenience of such a device is that it is always at hand. But be careful: if you are easily distracted, you can easily end up not in your favorite organizer, but somewhere on VKontakte. If your organizer has the function of moving the program widget to a prominent place on the desktop, do it. If this is an online service, then make the page of this service the main one. (If after that another browser becomes your favorite browser - well, you have to make this page the main one there too.)
Try to get in the habit of writing down your interesting thoughts and plans and revising your notes every week. After some of them you can send to the archive or develop further. Free your memory for more important things. And do not forget to backup!
And yet, all modern services and gadgets will be useful only if you really want to use your time to the maximum and do more. It is unlikely that a weekly to-do list will be useful if it remains dead kilobytes in the memory of your organizer.
In the event that you still have not found a suitable method of managing your own time, we advise you to pay attention to such time management technologies as MindMap , GTD , Do Less. Experiment and choose what suits you best, and someday you will become a true owner of your time.
Sources:
time-tracking-management-software-review.toptenreviews.com
Television show “Computer Chronicles” - “The Best Organizer Software And Hardware”, 1993.