Advice to a Frazzled Reader

I recently received this email from a reader:

I heard you in person about 1 year ago and bought your book. I looked through it and didn't read it. I'm as unorganized as ever and now I have an old iPhone and that's not really helping either. I am teaching full time special education and taking two graduate classes.  Any ideas?

Of course, my first suggestion would be to read the book. Aside from that, what follows is my response in hopes that it would not only help that one reader, but many others who find themselves overwhelmed.

I would suggest starting by reading the chapter on handling paper. The major concept in that chapter is using tickler files to keep your desk clear of papers and have paperwork appear on the day you need to see it.

Start by clearing one drawer in your desk and putting your tickler files (and nothing else) in that drawer. Next, start going through the papers which have accumulated on your desk, on top of the filing cabinet, on tables, etc. Pick up each piece of paper and ask yourself, "What does this piece of paper mean to me? Why is it here? What needs to be done with it?"

You will find some of it going in the trash as a result. At the bottom of most peoples' piles, paper which has outlived its value can be found. Throw it away.

You will come across other papers that serve as reference material. These will include forms which need to go in student folders, correspondence from parents which you may need to keep for documentation purposes, lesson plans, etc. Take time now to file them.

You will likely come across papers that you have no idea what to do with. Ask yourself who would be able to help you understand what to do with them and when you would likely see that person. Put a sticky note on the paper with a reminder to yourself of who you were going to ask about the paper. File it in the tickler file for when you think you will see that person.

You will come across other material which you are going to need at some future time. Instead of allowing it to stay on your desk and hope you will look at it at the right time, make a decision about when you want to see the paper again. File it for the appropriate day in the tickler file.

You mentioned having an iPhone, but it's not helping. As you are finding, having a smartphone does not make you organized. It would be the same as taking someone who does not understand math and giving them a calculator.  Digital systems are good for people who have a good organizational system but need more speed and want to the portability a digital system offers.

I am attaching a paper form to give you a start. Print it, being sure to select "landscape" mode. Put it on a copier and make 30 or so copies for the next month. Date each page and put them in a folder. At the beginning of the day, list any appointments from your calendar. In the "Fab 5" section, list that 5 most important or most critical items for today. In the "Organized Task List" section, list the other things you want to do today in the order you want to do them. Things you want to do during your planning time should be listed together. Things you want to accomplish after school should be listed together.

Keep that one sheet of paper with you throughout the day. On the right-hand side is a place for you to jot down whatever comes up. When you talk with a parent on the phone, take notes in that space. When you meet with a parent or attend a faculty meeting, take notes there. If you fill up that section, continue on the back of the page.

When the day comes to an end, read the notes you have written. Decide what you need to actually do about any of them. Write the results of those decision on your to-list for the next day, some day later in the week, a day next week, etc. If there are items you had on your list for today that you did not do, re-write them for tomorrow or another day.

At the top of the page is a place for you to answer the question, "How did you make today count?" That question forces you to think about whether or not your time was spent accomplishing something of worth. File the completed page in the the same folder where you have the blank pages for future days. You will now have notes from all of your parent contacts, faculty meeting notes, etc.in one place. You will have your to-do list for future days waiting for you.

Ironically, the time to move to a digital system and keep your to-do list and calendar on your iPhone will be when your paper system is working really well. Again, it's like the math and calculator example. Once a person learns the concepts and can do math without a calculator, that's when he or she needs to start using a calculator. It adds speed and efficiency. When your paper system is working well, you can move the same concepts to a digital system on your computer and sync it with your iPhone. So, for now, give the paper planner page a try.

Let me know it works for you.

Frank Buck

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Another Clean Desk

I thought this recent exchange on Twitter was really neat...

Always glad to hear when people are seeing results and feeling good about it!

Why Get Organized?

When I conduct workshops, I often ask participants, “Why would you want to come to something like this? Why would you turn out for a workshop about organization and time management?” Here are some of the answers I get…

1. Less stress. According to WebMD, seventy-five to 90% of doctor’s office visits are stress related. Too many people can’t sleep and often wake up in the middle of the night concerned about what may have been forgotten. They live with this gnawing sense there is something important they should be doing, but they have no idea what it is. 
2. Feeling of being “in control.” The organized person has a place for everything. What has to be done is neatly trapped in a system, either paper or digital. This person sees everything which needs to be done, examines the time available, and makes choices as to what to do today, and what can wait.
3. Life becomes easier. We can feel victims of the demands placed upon us. We can feel pulled in all directions. Approach the day with a plan and work the plan. Don’t be afraid to decline a request for your time. Leverage available technology to increase efficiency. 
4. You get more done. How many times do you get home from the store only to realize you forgot something? Back in the car and back to the store you go. Work from a list. Organize that list so like items are grouped together and can therefore be completed quicker. Use those random bits of time to knock off some of the small items from your list you would have to do at some point anyway. 
5. The important things get done. All tasks are not created equal. Identify the ones which provide the biggest payoff and “front load” the day with them. In the words of Goethe, “Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least.” 
6. You save money. Do you buy items because you can’t find the ones you already own? Do you lose gift cards and let valuable coupons expire simply because you didn’t realize you had them. Are you spending money on home repairs because you neglect preventive maintenance? When you are organized, you can throw it all in your system and receive reminders at the appropriate times. 
7. You can find things. Benjamin Franklin’s advice, “A place for everything, everything in its place,” is as applicable today as it was then. How much time do we spend looking for car keys, important papers, a particular article of clothing, or that book we just knew we had? If we take seconds to make decisions about logical places to put our belongings, we save hours in retrieving them later. 
8. Others can count on you. Do you know people who operate their lives from three calendars yet can’t fully trust any of them? Has past experience taught you without a reminder call, they are apt to be a “no show” for their appointments or walk in a half-hour late with the same lame excuses? When you are organized, when you have a system in place, you see your commitments in a timely fashion. You are able to come through. You teach other people they can count on you. 
9. You are ready to take advantage of new opportunities. Opportunity knocks not once, but many times. Are we ready to answer? Do you know someone who is mired in details, is always pushing a deadline, and who just seems to constantly be running behind? Know what your commitments are, know where you stand on each one, and work ahead of deadlines. At that point, you are well-positioned to answer when opportunity knocks. 
10. You feel better about yourself. This one is my favorite. When you are organized, when you are on top of your game, you simply feel better about yourself. Another New Year is upon us. 

Among the top resolutions every year is to “get organized.” If that one is on your list, I invite you to follow this blog. We examine the little things you can do which make big differences at work and at home. Maybe this year, you really will keep that resolution to “get organized”!

Winner of Free Book

Congratulations to Brandon Hood. He is the winner of a free book and chose Get Organized!: TIme Management for School Leaders.

Thanks to Brandon and to all who attended one of more of my sessions at the Forum for Innovative Leadership in Memphis. The winner was chosen from people who, following the conference, did one or more of the following things:

• Liked Frank Buck Consulting, Inc. on Facebook and commented
• Followed me on Twitter and commented
• Subscribed to my free monthly newsletter

Pictures from Montreal

The January 23 post talked about the Distinguished Educators Seminar Series sponsored by McGill University. Here are pictures from our time at McGill University in Montreal and Hotel Mont Gabriel.

Change and "Crystal Clear Task Lists"

I recently read Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard, written by Chip and Dan Heath. They are also the authors of the bestseller Made to Stick.

In the book, the Heath brothers say we must do three things for change to occur:

1. Direct the rider
2. Motivate the elephant
3. Shape the path

Directing the rider and motivating the elephant are metaphors for appealing to the intellect and appealing to emotions, respectively.

What strikes me is the wording used to describe what one must do in terms of directing the rider. The authors state on page 17, "What looks like resistance is often a lack of clarity. So provide crystal-clear direction."  We read on page 72, "Clarity dissolves resistance."

In the September 2010 issue of Fast Company, the Heath brothers further explore this concept in their article "Tase the Haze." One of their examples sounds exactly like a line out of the Get Organized! workshop:

Imagine that you have two items on your to-do list. One is "pick up AAA batteries". The other is "deal with tax issues." Guess which one is still unchecked four weeks later?

Replace "AAA batteries" and "deal with taxes" with the examples "buy shoestrings" and 'improve the math curriculum" and you could be sitting right there listening to me!

In both Get Organized! and Organization Made Easy!, we talk about the elements which go into making an "organized task list," a list that stands a chance of having the items on it accomplished. The first rule of an organized task list? Make the next step crystal clear.

Eye on Education featured this idea on their blog in November of 2009. You can read that post here.

The fact that the same idea shows up again worded in virtually the same way is simply evidence of its truth. Before we can make progress, we have to define what progress looks like. We must know exactly what is being asked of us. When worded in a crystal-clear manner, tasks become easier to do. Mountains become easier to move. Wasted motion goes away. Stress goes down. Productivity goes up. Take a look at your own to-do list with the filter of clarity in mind. How could you re-write so that items which have been sitting there suddenly start to get done?

 

Have you ever had an item that sat in your to-do list for what seems like forever? What did you finally do to get it moving?

University of Montevallo to Sponsor "Get Organized!"

As a part of their summer workshop offerings, the University of Montevallo is again sponsoring several workshop. The series will begin with a three-hour version of Get Organized! We will explore the five keys necessary for a complete personal and professional organizational system.

The workshop is free and open to the entire state. The UM Regional Inservice Center is providing a complimentary copy of Get Organized! Time Management for School Leaders to those who attend.

The workshop will be held June 16 from 8:30 to 11:30. Registration is free and open to the entire state. Registration is done through STIPD. Search for title UMINS10.

Troy University Offering "Get Organized! The Five Keys to Organization and Time Management"

The second day of Learning Fest '10 will feature this 4-hour workshop designed to give you a total system for organizing your surroundings and managing your time. This interactive workshop will help you create a comprehensive system for bringing order and control to your personal and and professional life. Your level of stress will diminish as your level or organization and time management increases.

TOPICS
• Handling the paper blizzard.
• Using a single “signature tool” to organize your life.
• Establishing a system for tasks which repeat.
• Mastering the flood of information.
• Handling multiple projects.

LEARN
• How to organize using digital or paper tools.
• How to document effortlessly.
• How to get your e-mail to empty every day.
• How to use the “Fab 5” to give focus to your day.
• How to reduce stress and increase the joy in your job.

The workshop will be held on June 15 from 9:00-2:30. Registration is free and open to the entire state. For who are within the Troy University Inservice Center region will receive a complimentary copy of my original book Get Organized!: Time Management for School Leaders. Registration is done through STIPD. Search for PD title number TU421.

A Day in the Life of a Digital Administrator

As a part of Troy University's Learning Fest '10, you will have the unique opportunity to experience what life is like for a "digital administrator."

A growing number of people are opting for a cell phone which can do far more than make a phone call. The BlackBerry has the capability to be a total life organizer that fits neatly in a pocket. However, a lack of training exists on how to use its capabilities. In this workshop, you will learn:

• How to enter an appointment once and have it appear on the calendar every week, every month, etc.
• How to create an “organized task list” which presents items clearly and in the order they need to be done.
• How to handle tasks that must be done every week, month, or year.
• How to use “Contacts” as the one and only address/phone list you will ever need.
• How to keep a wealth of reference information at your fingertips using “Notes.”
• How to use the search capabilities of the device to find any information quickly.
• How to get your e-mail Inbox empty every day.
• How to synchronize Outlook with a smartphone.

The workshop will be held June 14 from 1:30 to 3:30. Registration is open to the entire state. To register for complete and submit the form found here.

"Get Organized With Outlook" to be Offered at Troy University

Troy Universityis sponsoring several of my workshops as a part of Learning Fest '10. Below is a description of what you will get from "Get Organized With Outlook"

Whether you organize with a Palm, a BlackBerry, or other smartphone, the common denominator is the ability to synchronize with Outlook. This workshop teaches strategies for using Outlook to access, store, and retrieve information easily. The aim is increased productivity in a complex world.

Most people know Outlook as a program which can manage e-mail. The workshop shows how this powerful program can organize your life. In this session, you will learn:
• How to enter an appointment once and have it appear on the calendar every week, every month, etc.
• How to create an “organized task list” which presents items clearly and in the order they need to be done.
• How to handle tasks that must be done every week, month, or year.
• How to use “Contacts” as the one and only address/phone list you will ever need.
• How to keep a wealth of reference information at your fingertips using “Notes.”
• How to use the search capabilities of the software to find any information quickly.
• How to get your e-mail Inbox empty every day.
• How to synchronize Outlook with a smartphone.

Today’s world moves quickly. Outlook can keep the busy teacher or administrator on track.

This workshop is being offered June 14 from 10:00-12:00 at Troy University. Attendance is being opened to the entire state. To register, complete and submit the form found here.

Check back for information on other workshops being offered this summer.

Time Management and the Art of the Juggler

Looks like they stole a page from my playbook...

Page 75 from Get Organized!: Time Management for School Leaders:

"You can stay on top of multiple projects. At times, you may feel like a juggler. In a way your role in handling multiple projects and the role of a juggler are much the same. A juggler keeps a number of balls in the air by giving each one a little attention on a regular basis. The juggler knows just how many objects are in the air, where each one is, when attention is needed, and how much attention is needed. We need to know exactly the same thing about each of our projects."

Check out this commercial for the Palm Pre:

Get Organized!

Another New Year's Day is here, and with it come the best of intentions in the form of "New Year's Resolution." Along with losing weight and quitting smoking, the resolve to "get organized" is among the most popular. In fact, January is "Get Organized Month" as declared by the National Association of Professional Organizers. Governor Jennifer Granholm of Michigan issued this proclamation, making January "Get Organized Month" in Michigan.

This blog was created over in August 2004. Over five years and five hundred posts later, it still brings messages designed to make life easier through better organization and time management.

Every day this month, we will be bringing back some of the best posts from the last five years, sort of our way of celebrating "Get Organized Month."

There are other reasons to celebrate. Later this month, Organization Made Easy: Tools for Today's Teachers will be out. During January, the Eye on Education Blog and Tales from a Teacher's Heart will be spotlighting the ideas that have made a difference for many people.

Thanks to MEMSPA Participants

Thanks to everyone who attended the Get Organized! workshop sponsored by Michigan Elementary and Middle School Principals Association. If you signed to receive the monthly e-mails, you should have already received your first one. If you did not sign up, you still can do so. Simply click here.

The spreadsheets that we demonstrated during the workshop are now on the Free Resources page of the my website. I will devote an upcoming post to the DIBELS spreadsheet and what it is designed to do.

As we talked about the using smartphones as a "signature tool," we discussed the possible mixed message that could be sent when the principal is seen using a smartphone while students are banned from using theirs. I don't know that I have all of the answers. I do think it is a topic worthy of a great deal of discussion. While probably none of us has the total answer, together we can fashion experience which keep learning in the center and put educational leaders on the cutting edge rather than bringing up the rear.

Vicki Davis is a technology educator in Camilla, Georgia and the author of the blog "Cool Cat Teacher." In August, she discussed how smartphones are used in her classroom. Her strategies and her thoughts are well worth the read. That post can be found here. Several posts on this blog follow-up on that subject. The dates of those posts run from August 20-26.

NMSA Banner

If you are attending the NMSA national convention, I hope you will attend my half-day session.

Details are here.

Looking Forward to Returning to Michigan

Thanks to Bob Howe and his staff for inviting me back to Michigan. We will be doing a full-day workshop for the Michigan Elementary and Middle School Principals Association on October 8. The morning will be devoted to the major concepts in the Get Organized! Time Management for School Leaders book. In the afternoon, we will take a look at how spreadsheets make the life of a busy principal much easier.

Here is the promotion flyer that MEMPSA is sending to its membership.

Time Management and the Art of the Juggler

Looks like they stole a page from my playbook...

Page 75 from Get Organized!: Time Management for School Leaders:

"You can stay on top of multiple projects. At times, you may feel like a juggler. In a way your role in handling multiple projects and the role of a juggler are much the same. A juggler keeps a number of balls in the air by giving each one a little attention on a regular basis. The juggler knows just how many objects are in the air, where each one is, when attention is needed, and how much attention is needed. We need to know exactly the same thing about each of our projects."

Check out this commercial for the Palm Pre:

Avoid Facebook and Twitter Disasters

Social networks are great for keeping in touch with others. At the same time, what you put out there for the world to see can come back to haunt you. This article, taken from the August issue of PC World, gives tips for avoiding the pitfalls.

MEMSPA 2009 Summer Leadership Institute

Thanks to Bob Howe for inviting me to present at the Michigan Elementary & Middle School Principals Association Summer Leadership Institute! I was met at the airport by Rachel Turner, a delightful first-year elementary principal. Talking with her reminds me of the challenges of leadership at the school level, especially the challenges of beginning leadership.

Time management is a challenge for any school leader, and that is the reason for my invitation. We will be conducting a full-day workshop. I have refined some points in the workshop and will going into more detail about the use of the BlackBerry as a time management tool. This should be fun experience for all of us, and I hope that it provides principals with some tools that will increase their productivity and decrease stress for years to come.

Folks must have known I was coming, because at check-in, I was given just-out-of-the-oven chocolate chip cookies. In my room was a tin of cookies and a nice note from Bob.

The hospitality is great, as evidenced by this gathering.

The accommodations are first-class, the Double Tree in Bay City.

Sign Up for "Get Organized! Time Management for School Leaders"

Every good thing we do for our students, our families, our communities, or ourselves is accomplished through the dimension of time. Learn to manage your time and organize your surroundings, and you open the potential for accomplishment in many areas.

This session provides a total system for organizing your surroundings and effectively managing your time. Time management is an essential, yet often missing, skill in the development of classroom teachers and school administrators.

In this session, you will learn:

* The essential four habits that eliminate forgetting and reduce stress.
* How to keep your desktop clear and have papers reappear at just the right time.
* How to use a paper or digital “signature tool” to organize your life.
* How to effortlessly handle tasks which repeat.
* How to document quickly, completely, and easily.
* How to organize your computer.
* How do get your e-mail Inbox empty every day.

This session is very “nuts-and-bolts.” The tools and techniques can be implemented immediately and will save you an estimate of one to two hours a day. You will accomplish more and experience less stress.

The workshop will be held August 12 from 8:30-11:30. Registration is free! Registration is being opened to anyone in the state regardless of inservice center region. To register, go to STIPD and search for "umin09" in the PD Title Number field.

Everyone who attends the workshop receives a copy of the book Get Organized! Time Management for School Leaders for free!

Direction to the inservice center, located in Pelham, are found here.

Sign Up for "Get Organized With Your BlackBerry"

A growing number of people are opting for a cell phone which can do far more than make a phone call. The BlackBerry has the capability to be a total life organizer that fits neatly in your pocket. However, a lack of training exists on how to use its capabilities. The University of Montevallo Regional Inservice is sponsoring a half-day workshop designed to help you make you use the BlackBerry to its full potential. Contents of the workshop include:

* Enter it once and forget it—The magic of repeating appointments and repeating tasks.
* When do I want to see this again?—Make that decision as you create a task.
Watch it disappear and then re-appear on just the right day.
* How convenient! —Program the two convenience keys to open your calendar and task list.
* The one and only address book you will ever need—E-mail, address, phone number, birthday, and
a wealth of personal information. “Contacts” will handle it all.
* The “Fab Five”—Making sure what’s really important gets done.
* Stress be gone—The crystal clear, organized task list.
* A wealth of information at your fingertips—What to keep in “Notes.”
* “In” to “empty” every day—Becoming the master of e-mail.
* Taking your data anywhere—How to synchronize Outlook with a smartphone.
* reQall here—From your voice to your e-mail on the fly.
* The Devil is in the details—How to store and access all of the details related to an appointment,
task or contact.
* Find it fast—Take advantage of the tremendous search capabilities of the handheld.
* Tricks and tips—Use these timesavers to make handheld experience more productive.

The workshop will be held August 11 from 8:30-11:30. Registration is free! Registration is being opened to anyone in the state regardless of inservice center region. To register, go to STIPD and search for "umin09" in the PD Title Number field.

Direction to the inservice center, located in Pelham, are found here.