Thanks for all your comments and feedback on my previous posts, and particular thanks to AGCAS for promoting it! My last post on video interviewing via Skype or other technology really seems to have caught people’s attention, so I’ll write an update on that later in the week. Apologies for the virtual silence in the last week by the way – my ISP is playing up at home, and since this is an out-of-hours blog, it has been a little tricky!
Time Management and Organisational Skills. Hmmm…
I’ve run student workshops on these, but it’s still something that I have to work hard at myself, in spite of many years as a project manager… In the past, I’ve had ‘to do’ lists that look something like this, probably written on the back of something I can’t find again:
[Image from Flickr courtesy of Eamon Brett, www.ebbybrett.co.uk]
But I do love tools and gadgets, so I’ve tried PDAs, the ‘tasks’ function in Outlook and numerous other “technology-enhanced” techniques. My latest discovery is a little tool at www.rememberthemilk.com. (Thanks to Matt Lingard at LSE for that one.) It’s another example of what has traditionally been a desktop application going web-based. If, [cont...]
[...cont] like me, you use a computer at work, another one at home, and sometimes a laptop or two, you’ll really see the advantages of web-based applications like this. No more copying files onto memory stick, e-mailing yourself important documents, or (heaven forbid!) printing things out… You might even be able to access them via your mobile if you’re so inclined.
I like the way that Remember The Milk incorporates tagging, so you can group your tasks easily and flexibly, and the no-fuss approach to setting priorities and deadlines is nice too. You can also synchronise it with your Google mail or iPhone if you happen to use those, although these features are reserved for ‘pro’ users (i.e. they’re not free). Tasks can be categorised into different types – personal, work, customisable etc – so that “Clean out the freezer” doesn’t have to sit next to “Write funding bid for web 2.0 project”!
I’d be interested to hear what tools you use to organise your work. Anybody out there have a Blackberry, provided by their employer (go on, surprise me!) or otherwise?
Right, all I need now is a robot to actually clean out the freezer for me…
