Time Management
Q&D 2 page per day calendar
Submitted by willowhaus on Thu, 2009-04-30 17:08.I use the 2-page system with simple scheduling & task lists on one page and a diary page on the other for various things, such as daily meeting notes. I've found the stuff on the site very interesting - but one of my frustrations has been trying to get calendar pages printed correctly. The Dynamic Templates app is pretty good, but personally I think it needs some refinement - after trying to make it print usable pages, I gave up & created this very simple page setup for a generic, undated calendar & diary page using OpenOffice's Calc (spreadsheet application).
It's black & white, and pretty plain looking - I'm printing on a B&W laser, so I didn't want color. However, it's easy enough to customize this, as well as editing the fields for time of day (my shift starts at 7AM). Granted, it's not very flashy - I also worked a bit with the DIY kit, but found it cumbersome to work with - but it does what it's supposed to do.
Feel free to customize it any way you see fit, and please upload any cool variations for others.
Note that this will print pages with the schedule on the right-hand page, while the diary is on the left. This works for me, but it's backwards from the Day Timer page I patterned this after.
[EDIT] If you want it the other way around, then I suggest adjusting the inner & outer columns. Notice that the image has the wider margins (1/2") on the outer edges of the page. If you make them smaller, and then make the center columns on either side of the cut line 1/2" wide, you should be good to go. The two 8-1/2" x 11" pages are created vertically (i.e. scroll down to see page 2) so your changes should reflect on both pages if you work with columns.
FYI, I made it 2 pages so I could easily do duplex printing.
Also, row height should be .25" all the way down.
A5 Filofax Day Planner
Submitted by TempsPerdu on Sat, 2009-04-04 03:11.I had some preprinted pages like this one in the 1980's in my Personal size Filofax. Having converted to an A5 binder a couple of years ago, I decided to recreate the page for A5 usage.
Feel free to edit the page to meet your own requirements.
I've found this useful to planning my day when I seem to have more tasks ahead of me than I think I can manage. Or I use it at the end of the day to plan the next day.
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Weekly Action Sheet
Submitted by Dognpony on Fri, 2009-02-13 14:17.A double-sided template designed to help you keep track of your main goals and to-do list for the week.
Shows Aims, Deadlines and Daily Goals on the face and a To-Do List on the rear.
I use an electronic device to manage my diary (linked to my networked office calendar) but find that this 'hard-copy' sheet that I can physically see and touch on my desk helps me to keep an eye on those pressing issues that don't appear in my diary.
I take the opportunity at the weekend to review my priorities for the week ahead and to transfer any unresolved items from my previous to-do list to the new sheet.
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2009 Monthly Dated Calendar (3"x5")
Submitted by linuxwitch on Wed, 2009-01-28 13:53.A very basic one month per card setup. Sunday through Saturday format. There are four 3x5 "pages" per printed sheet of paper.
I designed these to be printed on a 8.5"x11" sheet of paper, and cut out and pasted onto a 3x5 index card for durability. Can be printed on card stock or regular paper, as needs dictate.
Priority Planner LS
Submitted by LSan on Tue, 2009-01-27 10:10.This single-page PlannerPad-ish format incorporates your choice of priorities (a La Stephen Covey), project lists, GTD-ish contextual Next Action lists, a spot to write this week's MUST DO goal, and space for a week's list of appointments for those who only have one or two appointments a day. This form is very flexible, Word-based, and can be tweaked any number of ways.
1. Works either Landscape or Portrait, though Portrait gives more cell room.
2. The Priority numbers across the top are a system I created several years ago after reading Stephen Covey's 7-Habits book that allow me to key everything from notes on the back of a business card to massive files to 7 pre-decided priorities in my life (God, family, etc). In other words, the numbers are pre-decided priorities, not a rating for the projects below. If I have a project under my Number 1 Priority, it takes first importance and gets the majority of my time until completed and I try not to take on more than 3 major projects at any one time. Though that's the way I use the numbers, feel free to use them as a project rating system if you'd like, or delete them completely.
3. The Next Action section is loosely based on David Allen's Getting Things Done contextual task lists and the headings can be tweaked as you see fit.
4. An AM/PM Appointments section is included here; however, for those who find it's more convenient to keep appointments on a timed calendar, simply delete the Appointments section and add the Appointments space to the Next Action section, or vice-versa if you have a lot of appointments and few Next Actions.
5. The Priority Planner LS is Letter size, but can be printed 2 per page to create "Classic" or "Junior" 5.5 x8.5 size. However, printing Letter gives more cell space, so I find it preferable to print it full Letter size, then punch the TOP edge, fold it in half and insert into my Rollabind dayplanner. Folds out for full viewing, or I can leave it folded and just turn the page to see the other half.
Feel free to tweak as you see fit, though if you please also feel free to change the copyright line to say "Copyright DDDD, [your name]. Adapted with permission from the Priority Planner LS, copyright 2007, Laura D. Sanders"
Task Cards
Submitted by LisaPT on Sun, 2009-01-04 06:57.Color coded and labeled 3x5 task cards. The labels are on both the top and bottom so they are visible if stored upright or bound on top. Print out 5 per letter sized sheet. Sorry the colors are a little girly. I included the power point file so the user can modify the color and labels.
Note: I've removed the Power Point file because it is not working. I'll try to figure it out and put an editable file up some time.
Print out on card stock and cut. I use one task per card, then recycle.
Daily Dairy, One page, Classic
Submitted by diamond66 on Sat, 2009-01-03 10:55.My days are task and information heavy, with the occasional appointment. On my perpetual quest for the perfect planner, I was browsing the Paper Chase planners and notebooks at Borders when I came across their page per day diaries, a simple lined page with the date at the top that allows you to write whatever and however you want. Two days ago, a forum topic here led me to the Quo Vadis website which had a page per day diary format with a little bit of space for appointments. My first submission to DIYP is my attempt at both of those formats.
These are MS Word 2000 documents, so they should be easy to manipulate. I use a 0.6 inch margin on the hole punch side and a 0.4 inch margin on the free side. The top of the document is a two cell table so the date can be easily changed and it will still align properly. I spent an afternoon trying to learn OOo draw and using the widgets, but I never got the hang of it.
I'm still in the experimental stage with these, so I've only printed a week's worth. I suppose if I was going to do a lot of them I would just blank out the dates and handwrite them in later.
Action Plan Worksheet
Submitted by mezickjm on Mon, 2008-12-22 07:07.Action Plan Worksheet
Created for managing action plans.
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Keep the Ball Moving: Using Your Planner to Maintain Momentum
Submitted by dsolot on Fri, 2008-12-12 23:23.David Solot is a vice president and organizational development consultant working out of Princeton, NJ. He specializes in helping companies hire and develop top performers, using a combination of psychological assessments, individual coaching, and strategic planning tools. David holds a Masters Degree in clinical psychology from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and is an active member of both SHRM and the APA.
“The ball's in your court.” Regardless of our interest in sports, we've all heard and used that metaphor. Even in your day-to-day working environment. The meaning is pretty simple – it's your turn to act. You might be working on a project with peers and need to provide the next piece of data. You could be negotiating a deal over the phone and need to make the next call. You could be doing market research for a new product and need to pass along what you've learned. Whatever the topic may be, when the ball's in your court, it means you need to act.
The ability to handle the ball when it's in your court is critical to how your peers, your managers, and your clients perceive you. One of the worst mistakes you can make in business is to “drop the ball.” Like the original expression, you don't need to be an athlete to understand what this one means. When the ball's in your court and you drop it, you failed to act. Or failed to act appropriately. You may have gotten distracted and failed to make a critical phone call at the right time. You might have failed to give information to the key stakeholders by a required due date. You might have failed to sign the new contract sitting on your desk instead of getting it into the hands of your client. All these actions say one thing: You dropped the ball.
In this economy, our actions or inactions takes on a monumental level of importance. When times are good and sales are plentiful, dropping the ball can be a minor annoyance. When times are hard, however, each opportunity for your business or career becomes critical. Dropping the ball results in lost revenue, a lost job offer, or even the insidious downwards creep of your performance evaluation.
So you have the ball. It's in your court ... how do you handle it? With my clients and my employees, I teach two simple concepts for maintaining momentum.
