Productivity and Efficiency: A new Series

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I am fascinated by the methods available for getting and staying organized. 
I work full time, and am a single mother. I have two school-aged children and their schedules to contend with, we are active parishioners and volunteers at our church, and I have a household to manage and maintain. I, like everyone else in the world, am busy and have a lot of information I need to keep track of.
And that's just at home! That's not even getting into the details I deal with at work.
So then we come to you - you, my piano teacher friends, are busy managing a life and a career, and managing details - so many details! - for an entire studio of students. How do you do it? I'm always amazed by how well the teachers I know seem to manage so much information. 
So how do you do it? Technology? A paper planner? A combination of both? I would love to hear from you! If you're interested in sharing, you can email me at vbernardo@dollarhide.com and let me know your system for managing tasks and information, or just offer some suggestions that other teachers might appreciate! Guest posts for this series would certainly be welcome, so just send me an email and let me know.

In the interest of being fair, I'll share some of the tools I use in my attempts at productivity. You will find it to be Google heavy and largely digital, which is just what has turned out to work for me. To explain myself a little, I can derail rather easily, and when I derail, I find it very difficult to get back on track. Knowing myself and my tendencies, I have set up a system that helps me stay on task, and is also set up to help me get back on task when (because sadly, this is a "when", not an "if") I crash.



Google Drive (formerly Google Docs): I use a series of checklists, both at home and at work, that details what needs to be done on a daily/weekly/monthly/quarterly basis. These checklists live in my Google Drive documents (although I do keep a printed copy of my household lists in a binder at home). I came up with the checklists with the help of the Flylady system. I don't have to refer to these checklists often because once I set my routine and learned it much of the tasks became rote, but for those times when I get off task for one reason or another, having them to refer back to is priceless. I even keep the printed checklists at home in plastic page protectors, so when I'm really off task and need the sense of accomplishment, I can mark items off the list as I go. Because sometimes I'm both lazy AND in need of validation. :) And of course, all of my documents live in Drive - word documents, spreadsheets, you name it. Very handy.



Google Calendar: I don't always put daily to-dos in my calendar, but I do try and plot out weekly/monthly tasks and put them there. I have multiple calendars on my business account calendar (one for inventory, one for special order reminders, etc) that I can view individually, or all together. I generally don't set reminders for calendar items, the idea being that I check my calendar on a daily basis. I aspire to check my calendar on a daily basis, anyway, so for important tasks I set a reminder.


ColorNote Memo System for Android: You could probably use practically any memo pad-type of app for the same purpose. I installed this on my Android phone and copied my checklists to it, then created shortcuts to each checklist on my home screen. This is just another way I can stay on task, should I need to refer to any of these, and I can have the information at hand with one click. Sends reminders to your phone status bar, which is nice.

Google Chrome Web Browser: Fast and easy to use, and has some VERY useful extensions. I have installed the following:


Bit.ly: Link shortening with one - well, maybe 2 clicks, but still, it's super easy.


Evernote Web Clipper: see below.


Chromodoro: 'Pomodoro' is a time management technique - you use a timer to break down periods of work into 25-minute intervals called 'Pomodoros' (from the Italian word for 'tomato'), separated by breaks. The Chromodoro is a visible, 25-minute timer that hangs out in your extension area, keeping you (or in this case, me) on task. It even reminds you to take a break, and I like anything that reminds me to do that.

Google Tasks: Just like it sounds. A drop down of your google task list.


Google Chrome to Phone:  Lets you push links, maps, and currently selected text and phone numbers to your Android device.


Shortcuts for Google: I use a fair number of different Google applications multiple times on a daily basis. This drop-down gives me fast access to a list of their products that I have customized to fit my needs.


Evernote: I could wax poetic about Evernote. I would like to write it love letters. I love it that much. I use it at work as a journal, and also as a 'read later' type of function - I installed the Evernote web clipper into Chrome, and now when I encounter something I would like to link to, or think is useful for any other reason, I click one button and BAM! right into Evernote. And personally? Forget it. I use Evernote for a million different things, and have it syncing between my desktop, my phone and my tablet. (Evernote is not paying me, by the way, I just love it and it has made my life easier, and I kind of want it to be my boyfriend.)

I have read David Allen's Getting Things Done and would highly recommend it. I don't follow his program to the letter, but I do incorporate some of his principles into my system.

I would love to hear how you work and manage time and information, so if you would like to share, drop me an email or leave a comment!