Being efficient with your time and using a Pocket PC to do it
I use a blended system to keep me productive – that is to say one that combines paper (in the form of a customized Franklin planner) and electronic device (in the shape of a Pocket PC). They’re the wonder twins.
One of the really great productivity tips I like says that you need to be ready to fill your free time efficiently. Now some of the time I just need a break and that is what I choose to do with my free time between meetings or in the car. It all depends on my energy level at that moment but for those times when I’m engaged in my environment I try and use that time to my advantage.
I attend a fair amount of meetings. I have found that it is rare for anyone to actually be on-time so I generally use the five minutes before everyone bothers to arrive as a time to review my agenda for the meeting (if I have one), jot down any questions that I think might need to be asked in the meeting, label my Quad Notes with the date of the meeting and the general topic, and make sure that I have a good chair. I may also take a look at my pocket PC and review my calendar for the time I have scoped out for the meeting and glance at the rest of my day. When the organizer arrives I let them know if I need to leave at a certain time due to another meeting. This is much more polite than just leaving during the middle of someone’s train of thought.
My Pocket PC is used to keep track of my calendar and actions with Agenda Fusion which I sync to Outlook 2003. In addition to this traditional use of the Pocket PC I also leverage the removable SD Card. I use it to store photos, podcasts, music, and ebooks. Each of these items has a separate directory in order to keep things organized. Most of this information is deleted on a regular basis or “refreshed” as I like to call it.
When I have a free moment or two I can listen to music or a podcast or if time allows I can read an ebook on my Pocket PC. I use to download technology articles to read but I find that I prefer to take notes or underline specific sections which lends itself to having them printed. Typically these items are placed in my “Read At Leisure” folder that is kept on top of my filing cabinet.
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