I’ve tried a variety of electronic devices for my calendar. Palm Pilot, cell phone, iCal on my Mac. And I do use iCal and Google calendar somewhat consistently. So why do I carry a small weekly calendar in my bag?

1) No batteries.
I don’t have to remember to charge a device for my calendar, whether it’s a Palm Pilot, cell phone, or laptop. It doesn’t go dead. I don’t even need electricity at all to manage this calendar. Ever. I could update it by candlelight if needed.

2) No syncing.
With multiple electronic calendars, I have to enter items more than once. And I do, sometimes. I like the online calendar so I can use any computer. I like the calendar on my laptop for when I don’t have internet access. But my paper calendar is where I keep the master list. Everything. If it’s not on there, I won’t remember it. (I do use electronic reminders just before appointments, though. My memory is nowhere near perfect.)

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For the past week, I’ve been using a much slower connection than normal (and it will continue this week). Since I’m used to high-speed internet access, many of my online solutions don’t take connection speed into account. Yet I’m learning that even simple things like Gmail, online calendars, and RSS readers perform completely different when you have to use a modem.

So I’ll be looking for low bandwidth and offline solutions for you. I need to remember that not all organizational tips have to be online or even electronic. Sometimes a good, old-fashioned idea can be the best one.

If you have any tips or tricks you’d like to contribute, or have a question about workarounds, please let me know in the comments or via e-mail (my address is listed in the sidebar).

I already talked about Tickler files, but I may go into more detail about how something like that can still be quite useful, even in the electronic age.

Image: Newscom

Don’t forget our Wednesday Makeovers! If you need help with your office, let us know how we can help you.

We just got a new submission, which I will feature in the next two weeks. I’ll need some time to review the request and come up with some solutions. But you’re welcome to send in a request at any time.

And it doesn’t have to be your entire office. It can be just a section or area that you’re having trouble with. We’re open to any questions, and we’ll answer it or get another expert who can assist. Fire away!

Do you regularly clean out your files? Do you go through and toss everything that you no longer need so you can make room for the more important files? You should be. But it can be a huge task.

I recently cleared out seven years of files (my old job). I had culled things each time I moved offices, but there was still a lot of paper that would make no sense to anyone but me. So I filled up a couple of recycling bins (small ones, mind you, but still!).

I tried to do it over the course of a few weeks since I knew well in advance that I’d be leaving. It was still a monumental task. One that I should have been doing more regularly. As in quarterly.

You probably don’t need to purge files weekly or even monthly. But once a quarter would be a good goal. Set up a calendar reminder for every three months. If you know that a certain time of the month is slower than others, schedule it then.

And then what? Read more

File drawers are nice for organizing your files and keeping things off of your desktop. But sometimes you need a file accessible and easy to grab. If you have a project that you’re constantly working on, looking things up, adding bits of paper to the file, referring to notes, you need that file at hand. If you have to retrieve it from a drawer multiple times a day, it can get irritating and also slow you down.

Yet you don’t necessarily want to leave it lying on your desktop either. It could get covered up. Things could get knocked out of the file. Or something spilled on it.

You could try stackable trays, but they’re not always the best for storing hot files. If you toss in two or three, you still have to shuffle through to find what you need. What works then? Try an upright file, something that holds your files vertically so you can see the folder label. I like a step file, one that stacks folders just like a set of stairs. I can see the labels on all of the files and quickly grab what I need.

It doesn’t take up a huge amount of space, I can see things at a glance, and I can drop something in the file without stopping to dig through and find it. And it keeps my desk much neater than it would be with a pile of files on the corner. In fact, I had one in my old office and probably need a new one. Right now I have stackable clear trays, but they are just gathering clutter. The only one that really works is the top tray, because I can see what’s in it.

What do you do to keep your hot files easily accessible?

Image: Newscom

Are you a visual person? Do you like to see your next steps mapped out? Consider a white board to help you manage your projects. You can use it in a variety of ways.

You can list “hot” items that need your immediate attention. There’s something about a white board that draws attention to itself. And you can use that to keep your important tasks in front of you.

You can also write a list of projects that you’re working on. If you have multiple projects, you can keep a running list of them and when they are due.

Or, try listing the next steps in your projects and their due dates. Maybe write down your daily to-do list. Put a nice, big check next to the items that are done, or cross them off.

What else can you use a whiteboard for? Brainstorming ideas. A list of clients you need to contact. Vendor information for a current project. Design notes. Story ideas. Calendar reminders. Anything that you want to keep in front of you for a period of time.

Do you have a whiteboard? How do you use it?

Image: sxu

I am so spoiled. Where we live, we have a cable modem. It’s easy to take that nice, fast connection for granted.

Until I go see my parents. I won’t say they live out in the middle of nowhere, but both the cable company and phone company refuse to do anything out there except basic phone service. Like, you get a dial tone and that’s it. Even though the fiber optic cable is just right outside their door (not enough of a population – there are probably more deer than people).

So that means they have dialup service. Yes, remember when you used a modem to get online? They still do. So while I’m visiting them, it means I do, too.

Ah, the joys of country living.

I’ll still be posting, but I may not have a lot of pretty visual accompaniment until I can get to my brother’s house. He who lives closer to civilization where they have DSL.

I kid, but only a little.

Let’s say you have a fabulous idea for a business. It could be a service, or a product, and you just know it’s going to do well. Maybe you’re already in demand, with friends and family encouraging you to strike out on your own. It could be something as simple as selling your artwork, or handmade products on etsy. Or maybe you’re a great assistant, manager, or consultant.

But you don’t have a lot of office experience when it comes to managing your own stuff. Did someone else always do it for you? Was it just not necessary when you weren’t “officially” doing business? Or are you being drafted into the family business?

There are many ways to stumble into doing business for yourself. And it can be overwhelming. So how do you go about setting up your files? Read more

(myorganizedbiz.com) – Did you know you can list your way to being a better person? Well, maybe a better organized person. Lists help in all kinds of ways.

A list can help you plan a project. If you write down everything you’ll need to do, you can then make a project timeline. So a list will not only help you plan your project, it’ll keep you from forgetting any important steps. Without a list, you could skip a crucial piece of information, throwing your project off of its timeline or budget.

Lists can help you travel. Make a list of everything you need to take with you, and what you’ll need to do while you’re gone. That same list will help you track your progress, remind you why you’re on the trip, and help you remember everything when it’s time to leave. Ever forgotten something at a hotel? You won’t if you take your original packing list.

Like a sense of accomplishment? Tick things off of your to-do list. Forget things? Write them on your to-do list. Need to delegate? Make a list for someone else.

Of course, I’m being a little facetious here, but lists can be an important part of your day, your planning, or a project. What lists do you find you can’t do without?

Image: Newscom

(myorganizedbiz.com) – I like to save a variety of bookmarks and sites for future reference. It could be something that helps my business. Maybe a site that helps me improve my writing or network. Or I might save a page that I want to read later.

And when I want to access it from a variety of computers, I turn to Delicious (formerly del.icio.us). I can easily save a site to my bookmarks, tag it, and return to it later. Also, it’s linked to my Friend Feed so others can see what I’m bookmarking as well.

You can use a bookmarklet to save your pages, or you can try the Delicious Firefox add-on. I really like the add-on because it saves a little time. I can add notes, tag it, and hit enter. Done. It doesn’t take me off of the page and back again like the Delicious bookmarklet does.

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