Are you the type of mom who always finds herself calling up other school moms to find out what your child needs for the latest trip? Do you tend to forget which birthday party is on at what weekend or send your kids to school on a teacher-training day? If you’re fed up with your system of doing things, here are some great pointers on how to be more organised.
Calendar
First things first, its essential that you invest in a good calendar. If you’re used to using a physical calendar such as one on your kitchen wall, choose one you can view by month rather than a desktop-style one where you tear a page off on a daily basis. If you have a monthly-view calendar then you’ll simply find it easier to see what’s on every week at a quick glance; you’ll be able to compare events and see how close they are to each other. And most of all, you’ll be able to check whether you’re in a position to commit to meetings and events without fear of double-booking.
Contacts
In tandem with a good calendar, it’s important that you also have all your contacts in one easily-accessible place, whether that is a portable address book or stored within a smartphone. Either way, by keeping your contacts all properly filed according to their surname, business or industry, you’ll find it much easier to schedule, reschedule or cancel appointments.
A Smartphone
Consider shopping for a smartphone. A smartphone is exactly what’s on the tin: it’s a phone that can help take the inconvenience out of your day. They provide great functionality; built-in calendar, easy-access and retrievable contacts, email functions and access to the internet but fit easily into your pocket, a handbag or just as easily into the palm of your hand.
On top of all these benefits it’s still a phone, so it incorporates and houses all that you really need for a complete overhaul of your system, all packed into one small device. With organisation in mind, going for something a little more business oriented would be a great choice so go online and shop for the latest Blackberry Bold deals.
In-Tray
Besides sorting out access to a calendar, your contacts and the internet, it’s also worth looking into purchasing a box large enough for A4-sized documents in which you can place miscellaneous items that need filing, sorting or simply putting away. Think of this as your big to-do box and it doesn’t have to be limited to certain items. You can literally place anything from insurance letters to holiday brochures in there, just as long as you’re mindful of where each item should go when you’re sorting. A word of warning, this box is not the final destination of the documents held within! It’s just a way of storing things for a time when you can file them away properly.
