ComputerHunter.org |
|
|
|||
|
 |
Family Management Tip #2: Choosing the Right Organizer for Your Family
What method do you currently use to organize your family? Do you mean my paper calendars or my electronic ones, you ask? If you're like the vast majority of people we surveyed, you're probably using a wall calendar on or near the fridge. And, for portability, you keep the same information on your pocket day planner, which you carry around. You might also have some information on a personal digital assistant (PDA) and your calendar at work, perhaps Microsoft® Outlook® or Lotus® Notes®. You worry about how to keep all these calendars synchronized, along with those of your spouse's. And you really manage your family in a day-to-day manner - sending an email or IM reminder or calling someone to make sure they've done something. Or perhaps you're a little better than that. Maybe you've chosen a paper calendar/organizer that's specifically oriented to busy families. That's a great first step. As long as you're mostly home-bound and you don't need to share that information with anyone outside of the house, a paper-based family organizer is a good choice. If you have school-age children, no doubt you have to deal with a mountain of paper that keeps piling up every time they empty their school bags. How do you keep track of their homework schedules? Maybe you need to share your kids' appointments and activities with a babysitter, relative, or ex-spouse. How do you do that? Perhaps you use a web-based calendaring system such as the one provided by Yahoo®, MSN®, or AOL®. But you still keep the wall calendar, because you still need to communicate that information with your family - now you have more places to keep the information synchronized. A newer crop of web-based calendaring applications has debuted this year. These are specifically aimed at making it easier to share calendars with family and friends and "to bring it all together". So the choice just got more confusing. What's the right tool for your family? Should you just stick with the tried-and-true wall calendar and live with its inadequacies, or should you attempt an electronic solution? Glad you asked. Here's a set of questions to ask of any tool that you're considering. The tool that's right for you will depend on your answers:
You're probably asking yourself by now, is this all really worth it? This is a fairly daunting set of questions to ask. Isn't there a review somewhere of the different solutions available? That is material for another article. Saro Saravanan is the Founder-CEO of Mediabee, which makes Mediabee Family Dashboard, a free family management tool built to address the needs of busy families and their organizers. In the past, he was the chief architect who launched Fidelity NetBenefitsSM, an employee benefits and retirement services portal used by over 10 million users. Be sure to read the rest of his articles from this series on Family Management. Download Mediabee Family Dashboard today at http://mediabee.com and streamline your family life.
Google News - Top Stories
|
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Digging out of Paper Clutter - part 2 We previously noted that papers must be sorted before they can be properly filed. Continuing from our last article, your sort has left you with two piles - 'to file' and 'to throw away/recycle.' You've tossed the garbage/recycling, so now you have a stack of papers to file. Let's finish the sort, and create a basic filing system. Keep in mind three things: Can You Make a ?Torpedo? Out of Personal Junk? How to Optimize What You Have "Junkyard Wars," a TV series showed two teams of experts contending for a title. The aim of the competition was for teams to construct a torpedo that can hit a target. But the challenge was more than just the process of construction. The challenge was creating a torpedo out of a junk. Organization Tips - How To Get Things Done What stops you from 'getting things done?' To Make a Change -- Take a Chance Life is really all about CHANGE. In order to make a CHANGE, you have to be willing to take a CHANCE. To take a chance is to risk. So let's spend a few minutes investigating RISK. We'll examine these characteristics and contingencies: Organization Tips - How to Set Up Your Database What's in a Name? How Long Do I Need to Keep This? - A Guide to Receipts, Statements and Financial Clutter at Home In most homes, paper causes clutter. And it seems to mysteriously multiply by itself. But just how long do you need to keep all those receipts, bank and credit card statements and other financial papers? Below is a handy reference that you can use for dealing with your home paper trail. 10 Simple Steps to a More Organized Household 1. Divide big jobs into smaller jobs. Make a list of all the places in your house that you would like to see become more organized. Now you may seem overwhelmed by some of the jobs so break those jobs down into smaller jobs. Now each task is more manageable. Take each job one at a time and before you know it you'll be done. 10 Simple Ways to Clear Clutter from Your Home and Office There is nothing worse then spending ten minutes looking for something to accomplish a three minute task. Clear the clutter and clear your mind. Getting Organized - Getting Fit In a speech entitled "Organized Living in a Disorganized World" I made the statement "Getting organized is much like exercise and healthy eating. It is something you incorporate into your daily living." Immediately one attendee sighed loudly and blurted out, "I'm doomed!" Many people feel the same way, but based on my own experience with incorporating exercise into my daily life style, I can offer new hope. Sticking to Your New Years Resolutions: Ten Tips for a More Organized Life 1. A calendar is an essential organizing tool ? start the year with one that works for you! And whether you use a paper or electronic version, using Post-it® notes as reminders will help you "stick" to your resolutions. Creating The Perfect Closet Your closet is often the first thing you see in the morning, and its condition can determine your mood for the day. There is something about an orderly closet that makes a person feel stylish and in-control. But digging through a cluttered closet, trying to find a matching outfit can dampen even the brightest of spirits. Not a very good way to start the day! Organizing for Today, Tomorrow and the Next Day Getting organized is hard. If it weren't, we wouldn't put it off until it got even harder. There are hundreds of books out there on how to get organized; they have ideas on how to work in your garage, in your living room, in your mind, in your job. They offer every sort of idea for every sort of situation... but you know what happens to most of those books? They end up in the middle of some pile on our disorganized tables and desks. Its Time To Clear Out! Clutter Busting For Every Aspect Of Your Life 'A well-ordered life is like climbing a tower; the view halfway up is better than the view from the base, and it steadily becomes finer as the horizon expands.' --William Lyon Phelps (1895 - 1985) English novelist, poet, writer 8 Signs Your Home is Out of Control -- and What to Do About It It happens without warning. One day you notice your home has turned into a collage of papers, junk, and stuff ? everywhere. You're not alone. Today more than ever it seems that the flotsam and jetsam of living, like the waves of an ocean, continually beat at our doors, flooding our houses with all manner of stuff until our homes are bulging at the seams. A typical home is now cluttered and dirty to the point of exhaustion -- yours. Have an Ugly Day "Do something every day that you don't want to-do; this is the golden rule for acquiring the habit of doing your duty without pain." --Mark Twain Introducing the Power Hour Concept to Plough Through Mountainous Tasks Have you ever been totally overwhelmed by a massive task confronting you? Ever felt daunted by the thought of even making a start on such a massive quest? I thought so. Read on... Feng Shui Guidlines for Storage Spaces Professional organizers and helpful-hint sources often recommend storage solutions such as shelves above doors and in corners, hooks on the backs of doors, and peg-board or tools and small appliances. They are masters at maximizing every square inch of a closet with bins, baskets, shelf dividers, and multiple hanging rods. What they don't realize is that, from a feng shui perspective, these techniques can cause as many problems as they solve. Addiction to Clutter Clutter is a big problem for many people. At a lecture that I gave, I asked for a show of hands regarding how many people had problems with clutter and disorganization. I was surprised to find that at least half the people raised their hands. Letting Go of Clutter In Your Office Some people would say I'm the last person in the world to be writing about clearing out clutter; I seem to accumulate so much of it. But I also get rid of it, when it reaches the point of bothering me. Getting Organized For The New Year - Part 1 The following procedures will insure an organized and well run office.
|
|
|
|
|
