April 5th
Here’s a story that should warm the hearts of the chronically disorganized: a new book by Eric Abrahamson and David Freedman argues that argues neatness is overrated. The goal of total organization is futile, say the authors, and pursuing it costs money, wastes time, and quashes creativity. Those of us who haven’t seen the surface of our desks in several years are probably tempted to agree. After all, we know—roughly—where everything is.
Of course, Barry Izsak, the head of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO), feels differently about it. “For the average person, disorganization and chaos simply doesn’t feel good,” he told Reuters. But even an organizer will admit that you’ve got to tailor your time management approach to your own work style and personality (“there are no ‘cookie cutter’ solutions,” says the NAPO website).
It’s surely too convenient for the messy to conclude that there’s no room for improvement—although plenty of brilliant people live in cluttered homes, a disorganized desk is hardly definitive proof of intelligence or creativity. All the same, Abrahamson and Freedman make an important point about being neat: there’s no need to freak out about it.
April 2nd
Like paper books, paper planners have managed to survive the advent of the electronic age. Of course, it’s not like there aren’t plenty of digital time-management alternatives: Blackberries, PDAs, and computer-based calendar programs help us coordinate schedules, as well. But there are certain tasks for which a paper planner still seems like the easiest way to go. It’s a simpler way to look up holidays, and it’s also much easier to take notes on (if that’s something you like to do, you might check out the Quo Vadis Academic planner series; some of their desk and pocket weekly planners also give you plenty of room for notes). You don’t need to worry about recharging your paper planner’s batteries, either. And if, like me, you simply like the tactile qualities of paper and leather and ink, using an old fashioned planner just makes sense.
Of course, you can’t send email through a paper planner, and you won’t be able to rearrange your appointments without physically crossing something off of the page. As a sometimes absent-minded person, I find the automatic reminder function of my Outlook calendar an invaluable aid, so I tend to enter most of my work-related appointments into my computer, too. But whenever I leave my desk, it’s my paper planner that goes with me.
How many different kinds of planners do you use? How do you coordinate them?
