I tried to figure out what would be a better approach for me. Many people use a computer to set reminders and tasks. But what if I’m off the computer most of the time? Then it doesn’t work! In order for me to enter a new task or a reminder I have to open up my laptop, wait for it to get online, open whatever program I use, type the task in and then set a reminder for it. Whew, just thinking about it, I know it’s not very realistic.

Another thing I tried is to use a notepad on my Iphone to type in the tasks. It takes a long time, the keypad is tiny. Don’t like that.

I also tried a voice recorder. The convenience is, I can record a task or reminder from anywhere, while driving, at the store, while running, etc..  The problem is, when I get back, I have to listen to what I said earlier and jot it down somewhere. It’s double work and time.

My husband suggested that I buy some sort of a notepad and just start writing down things that need to be done. It makes sense to me, I used to use this method before. I liked it, it doesn’t require any electronics that need to be booted up or typing on a tiny keypad, or transcribing what I said earlier. It doesn’t break, it’s cheap, easily replaceable and easy to operate.

So, while at Wal-Mart, I remembered to get a plain, college ruled, 7″x5″ notebook. I started using it by jotting down tasks that were in my head forever and the ones that popped into my mind as I was going along. I try to keep this notepad handy at all times. It’s either on top of the bar in the main area of the house or in my purse when I’m out. It’s amazing how much more I am able to accomplish when I have a list of tasks on the paper versus inside the head.

While the notebook is workable for tasks that don’t require specific timelines, it’s not very workable for appointments or deadlines. For that I actually use an electronic device, called IPhone . But I’m sure that any modern phone comes with a calendar feature nowdays. The calendar feature is great, I can program my appointments with two optional reminders. The reminder pops up on my IPhone screen accompanied by some sort of a beep, within the time specified by me before the appointment. It works, since I do check my IPhone at least once per day.

This is my system. It’s not uber complicated or expensive and the main thing is, it works for me. Thought I’d share it with you.

So tell me, what works for you?