How to Stay Organized

I have been on struggle street for years when it comes to organization for myself and my workspace.

I usually run into the same problem most of us half-assed, partially organized people do. I start neat and orderly and slowly degrade into a rat's nest within a few weeks. I eventually get fed up and organize myself again only to repeat history time and time again. I have tried almost every method to organize myself one can think of, including PDA’s, a pocket full of post it’s and dozens of online to do lists and organizers.  All of these attempts usually last about a month before I slowly stop using it and revert back to scraps of paper in my pocket.

I have been trying a new method for several months now and this one seems to be working. It is using a combination of tried and true paper and an integration of technology. I keep a small notebook with me everywhere I go.  For this I use a nifty little notepad ( 4×3 inch) pad from Moleskin(Moleskine Square Notebook Pocket), it’s great.  Whenever I’m out and about and get hit by my next million dollar idea (to date I have had a total of none), I just pull out my nifty notepad with mini pen attached and quickly write down my ideas before the thought of lunch pushes it from my memory forever.  Every few days I will log into my own personal Wiki website and log everything I want to keep on my long running idea list.  I currently use Google sites for this as I am an avid user of Google Apps.  The great thing with using this method is when I finally transfer my thoughts and ideas from paper to web, I can include additional resources to each idea in the form of links and file attachments.  Neat!

A recent addition to organizing myself is Evernote.  This is an all-encompassing archive for everything you ever want to remember, sort of like having a second storage bin for your brain.  I have the Evernote app for my IPhone and use it everyday.  The app allows you record your thoughts and ideas through pictures, text and audio.  I won’t go into all of the features here as there are many but you can read more about Evernote Here.  The great thing about Evernote is that it compliments my current organization method instead of replacing it.  I use Evernote when I see something I want to reference later and take a picture of it or when I’m driving in the car and want to record an idea I have.  It’s also great for taking a picture of written text, like business cards for archiving.

Currently I have reached a semi level of harmony when it comes to organizing myself, but I have only been using it for a few months now so I will keep you updated as things may change.  I would love to hear how you keep yourself organized so post your comments below.