Do you feel like there are never enough hours in the day, days in the week, or weeks in the month to accomplish all the tasks on your plate? Need a master list to keep track of all your To-Do lists? In an age where convenience and efficiency have altered our standards, time is still an increasingly short-supplied commodity for most of us. In the course of our Internet travels, we recently discovered some handy resources that can enhance time management efforts.
Online Tools
A little over a year old, Google’s Calendar tool is free, easy-to-use, and powerful. Your personalized calendar can be accessed via the web, cell phone, or a desktop program. It can integrate events published on the web – local ball games, seminars, and even phases of the moon and weather forecasts! You can opt to share your calendar by publishing it on your web site or blog, and/or publicize upcoming events or programs by including them on Google’s public events search.
Likewise, Yahoo offers many options to customize, view and share its online Calendar tool. User-defined options range from display preferences to weather forecasts and horoscopes. Its task manager provides a handy way to manage your to-do lists, complete with priority designations and reminder notices.
While it may not be a “new find” for seasoned Internet users, Microsoft Office is continually updating and expanding its selection of free templates for a wide variety of calendars, agendas and planners. These templates offer a great deal of flexibility – simply download and customize to fit your personal and/or professional needs and time frame (hourly, monthly, annual, etc.). From a food diary to moving planner, vacation request scheduling tool and project planner, this site covers the full gamut, and is certainly worth a visit if you haven’t seen it lately!
Articles, Tips & Advice
In its article archives, Entrepreneur Magazine devotes a complete section to “Time Management & Organization” in the workplace.
LifeOrganizers.com focuses on time management as one aspect of becoming organized – at the office, home or school. The site offers a plethora of valuable tips and articles, and an opportunity to sign up for a free monthly newsletter.
Many companies that sell software, books, organization products, and consulting services offer free tips and tools on their web sites:
The Library & Resources section of Franklin Covey’s web site features a compilation of articles by Stephen Covey, renowned author perhaps best known for writing “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People” and its related works. The Franklin Covey web site includes a self-scoring “seven habits” profile as well as a free stress assessment.
Day-Timer’s web site offers many time management tips and articles, neatly organized by category – from technology to home, business, or general purpose. The site also includes interesting statistics (compiled by Day-Timers) showing a breakdown of how adults and high school students use their time.
Time Management.com is an online treasure trove of articles that provide tips and tools for setting goals, finding time, making smart decisions, reducing stress, avoiding burnout, and more. One unique feature on this web site is a collection of “power quotes” – insights on motivation, procrastination and time management by well known figures from throughout history and today.