photo credit: gruntzooki

We live in a society where we are bombarded with information from every angle and we are especially overloaded by incoming email. Try Googling “Email Overload“- you will get 299,000 results. Everyone seems to be suffering from it.

So, why are we so overloaded by email? Here are some points of pain that seem to be common among email users:

• One of the basic frustrations of disorganization in general, and email specifically, is not being able to find what you need when you need it.
• Your inbox fills up quicker than you can empty it. Therefore, if you don’t keep up you will be perpetually trying to catch up.
• You can’t get any REAL work done because you are too busy dealing with email.
• You feel pressured to reply to ALL of your emails quickly.

I’d love to hear your email pain points and why you may be frustrated and overwhelmed by email in the comments section. More on email overload next week…

I often have clients that have updated their computer equipment (mouse, keyboard, cpu, monitor, etc.) with the latest and greatest and held onto the old one ‘just in case’.  Which is reasonable to do for a set amount of time (i.e. 3 months is being quite conservative), in case there is a problem, etc.  However, after 3 months I would recommend finding a friend or relative who could use the equipment that you no longer have a use for.  Otherwise, you may find yourself in the same situation as many of my clients who have cpu’s, keyboards, peripherals, etc. that were outdated the minute they were purchased, nevermind 4 years later after you have sucked the useful life out of them but they still ‘work’. 

Let me share with you a harsh reality, your old equipment is not worth the time you will spend trying to get good money for it.  Believe me, I have learned through my own experience and that of my clients, that the highest expectation you should have for your used computer equipment is to donate it to a friend, family member, post it on a free site like craigslist OR drop it off at a recycling center.  If you are looking for someplace to recycle a cpu or hard drive, even that is an risky situation unless you know how to wipe your data clean.  If you have a clean drive or other equipment, there are a handful of donation sites you can bring your equipment to.  They will charge you $10-20 per piece of large equipment to cover handling, recycling, etc. No charge for smaller computer peripherals like keyboards, mice, and speakers. 

Trust me…No, you are not going to sell it on ebay (you won’t get much more than what you will need to shell out for postage so it’s not worth your time).  If you don’t believe me, feel free to invest your already-scarce time researching what comparable products have sold for (and then taking pics, gathering specification information, researching postage, posting it, packing it and bringing it to your local shipping store).   And No, you are not likely to sell it at a garage sale either.

Please let us know of any resources you know for recycling used computer equipment by posting a comment.

photo credit: Matthew Oliphant

When choosing between computer and paper-based planners, here are a few things to consider:

How often are you on the computer? If you use a computer or smartphone for most of your daily tasks and activities a software based planning system is an option for you.

Are you willing to invest?
Software Investment
$$$- There are tons of great freeware options available but many of them are standalone. In other words, they only provide one function like calendaring, or email or tasks, etc. If you are a small business owner that relies on your planner, email and to-do list, I highly recommend investing in an integrated personal information manager like MS Outlook, Entourage, or Sage’s ACT. The stand-alone price for MS Outlook 2007 is $109.95 and the MS Office Suite ranges from $149-$679 (you could probably do well with the comprehensive small business version which includes word processing, spreadsheet, personal information manager, presentation, desktop publishing and accounting programs). There are also industry specific tools like Top Producer for real estate agents.

Time- I highly urge you to invest some time into learning your system. If you don’t understand it, it won’t facilitate the process and in a few months your software or smartphone will have become another expensive item in the gadget graveyard. I guarantee that if you take the time to learn what you need, you will get a high return on your investment.

Smartphone Investment
$$$- If you are going to use software to manage this information, consider where you do your scheduling. For example, if you work a 9-5 job and mostly schedule appointments at your computer at work and events and limited appointments at home, it makes sense to use software at work and a paper calendar at home. However, I find that it is not frequently the case any longer that our work and home lives don’t overlap. And if you are an entrepreneur, small business owner, or real estate agent, there is constant overlap. You may also want to invest in a smartphone that can sync with your computer, which can range from $99- $400 depending on features, service, discounts and area.

Time- Take the time to MAP it out, Make A Plan! Believe me, I am familiar with the urge to just jump in and do it- and I believe it is a recipe for disaster (ok, maybe I’m being a little dramatic here). If you don’t take the time to research your options and make the right purchase for your lifestyle, personality and preferences, you will be in the red on this investment. What features do you need? Which ones would be nice to have? Ask friends and family about there software and smartphones, but dig past emotions and get the facts. What features and functions do they like and dislike?

What You’ll Love
I love the fact that you can easily see your tasks and appointments in the context of a day, week, month, year, or desired date range. If you receive an email re: an appointment, you can simply drag it into your calendar and create an appointment from the email. Then, when you are on the road, you can view the details of the email from your smartphone. You can link appointments to contacts for quick and easy access which works great for conference calls, etc. Of course, you can set up reminders for appointments and tasks which will sync to your smartphone. You can also easily set up recurring or repeating events, i.e. first monday of the month, every 4th thursday, every

Challenges- One of the challenges to using a computer based planning system is mobility. Syncing with a smartphone will help alleviate this challenge. However, mobile data entry can pose a problem for some, especially when information is thrown at you quicker than you can enter it. It is helpful to note that not all smartphones offer the same features. If you haven’t already done so, checkout my free Productivity Toolkit E-course (Look for the signup in the orange box in the top right corner…). In session four, I provide a more detailed overview of smartphone and functionality. For example, some have touchscreens and a stylus, while others like the Motorola Q does not; some have QWERTY keyboards; some are pc based, and so on.

Check back for more info on paper-based planners…

If you haven’t already done so, you will want to choose your planner for 2008 very soon but before you do, here are a few things to consider in the software vs. paper-based planner battle.

Everyone probably assumes that I am going to recommend a computer based planner for all. I admit, I am a big fan of automating things, especially calendaring and managing information. But I have also found that I need to utilize paper for my weekly planning because it supports the creative planning process for me. And overall, I am big proponent of finding what works for you and your lifestyle, personality, and preferences!

Benefits of Automation

• With one click, you can view your calendar in day, week, month, year formats which can help put appointments and tasks in context when scheduling. This eliminates the need to enter appointments in multiple locations as well as the instance of forgetting to input an appointment.
• You can utilize an integrated personal information management system which can allow you to manage email, tasks, calendar and contacts all from one program. Less task switching means higher productivity.
• You have the ability to sync your calendar with a pda, smartphone or online calendar sharing tools.

Benefits of Paper

• Paper has its purpose and is especially good for creative planning.
• It’s easily mobile and doesn’t require syncing.
• It takes no time at all to enter appointments and tasks and there is virtually no learning curve.
• It doesn’t need to be booted up or turned on for easy access.

Either way…

Regardless of which way you decide to go, choose a planner, make it yours and make it your only planner. There are not many individuals who acutally invest in a planning system. Whether on paper or on the computer, you need a planning system that works for you. It doesn’t have to be complicated, in fact, the simpler the better. A system is simply a process that saves you space, time, energy, money, and stress.

Make sure whatever method you choose, you make it simple to store and retrieve information. If you don’t have it handy when you are in the position to schedule an appointment, you risk forgetting about it or double booking.

Check back on Monday to read more on software-based planning systems…

Hello and welcome to my new blog. I am so excited about being able to share tips and tricks, ideas, advice and reflections about organizing your B.I.T.S. (belongings, informaition, time and space) and your bytes.

Almost four years ago, I became a professional organizer and have learned so much about fantastic, effective methods, tools and rules for organizing your stuff, dealing with your paper, and managing your stuff.

My professional experience as a project manager of software implementations has provided me with unique outlook on how to apply organizing principles to help you choose and use the right software tools to get and finally, stay organized.

Thanks for visiting and I hope you enjoy and learn something new!