How to stay organized at work?

[wanderingback]

I’m trying to be more efficient/organized at work. I would much rather just be seeing patients, but alas, for now I have a leadership/administrative role.

So anyway, how do you keep track of tasks you want to or are supposed to do that don’t occur on a regular basis? Some things need to be done monthly, every few months or even yearly. I have 1 day per week for administrative tasks.

Also, how do you keep track of meeting notes and to-do’s after a meeting?

I have a little bit of a system but want to improve it/see what others are doing. Thanks!

[glw]

We're a Microsoft campus, so I use all MS products. I use Outlook calendar for all my meetings and put my upcoming due dates/recurring tasks on Tasks with reminders. I use OneNote for taking notes during meetings; you can embed the meeting into the note so you know which meeting it goes with. We usually meet in Teams, so there's a chat and files folder that goes with the meeting or team, and that's where I store and share files.

I'm in an IT-adjacent field so we use JIRA and Confluence for tracking projects but that's probably beyond what you need.

ETA: our Project Management office uses Asana so I have to use that for certain things and I am not a fan. I can never find anything!

[mrsd2006]

I keep all my meeting notes in a fancy Lily Pulitzer notebook. If there is something I need to follow up on after a meeting, I put a star with a circle by the task.

The rest is reminders on my calendar and post it notes lol.

[eddy]

Meeting notes- OneNote. We use the Microsoft products. If I have a meeting invite on my calendar, there is a feature in there where you can use that to take notes and then it stores to your one note cloud. I have developed a whole system to organize this. Most of my meetings are small group meetings so I just need these notes for FYI. They aren't official.

I also use tasks in Microsoft office for yearly tasks. This takes time to organize and I am not totally sure I have the best system yet.

I also use Microsoft Teams for project management. My department has switched over to using it for big grant projects and it works really well for organization. Lots of features.

My biggest thing was that I had to trial and error a couple systems before I found what worked intuitaively for me. It also helps that these systems are used by people across my department.

[twilightmv]

I have ADHD and am not organized by nature, so I'll never be one of those color-coded files, or paper planner people. For me, out of sight is immediately out of mind. I do a few things-
-If I can do a task immediately (like an action item after a meeting), I do it immediately
-If not, I'll send myself emails of action items and mark them as unread. I'm in my email all day long with filtered for unread, so they'll be in front of me
-I send out calendar invites to myself, blocking off time in advance of due dates to work on specific projects or tasks
-I send out reoccurring calendar invites for weekly or monthly reports. For example, I have a report due on the 5th of every month, so the first weekday of every month I have a "pipeline report" calendar invite set up through year end.
-I also do use One Note, specifically for my staff check ins. You can type notes on a OneNote, or drag in emails. I like them for Check ins, because then I can quickly remind myself what was discussed last month, and I can reference the One Note when putting together Performance Appraisals, but for day to day use OneNote wouldn't be great for me because it's not quite in my face enough.

If you dont use Outlook/Office, all of this is useless.

[sent]

Apr 6, 2023 8:40:20 GMT -5 wanderingback said:

So anyway, how do you keep track of tasks you want to or are supposed to do that don’t occur on a regular basis? Some things need to be done monthly, every few months or even yearly. I have 1 day per week for administrative tasks.

I paid a consulting firm a lot of money for them to say use Google Drive for all of this. Create checklists in Google Sheets for daily/weekly/monthly/annual tasks, store them in Google drive. 

That was 2 years ago and I'm still working on getting there. Our Google Drive is such a mess and needs a deep dive cleanup.

[Patsy Baloney]

For tasks that come out of the blue, I keep a simple written to-do list. Add to it, cross things off, etc. At the end of every week, I re-write it with any tasks that did not get finished or are on a later step and need to be followed-up on. I’ve never found a digital way as effective for me than a notebook that rests by my computer mouse.

For infrequent tasks (monthly reports, etc.), I add reminders to my Outlook calendar. I will ping about a week in advance to give myself prep-time and day-of to send. I also manage this portion of my boss’ calendar for our collaborative projects and she requires more reminders. For her I do 2 weeks, 1 week, 3 days, day before, day-off.

For meeting notes, I have my “brain” files. It’s just a space on my one drive/agency shared drive labeled by subject/meeting where my notes are. I take my notes in Word - One Note and I never got along. I just try to be a little descriptive in my folder names and save everything by date so significant information doesn’t get lost to the ages.

[ECB]

We're a microsoft group too.

For items that are spread out, obviously Tasks is one option. I used to use Tasks in my old job. I actually now just put stuff on my calendar - it's always open on one of my monitors and I see stuff I need to do much more readily in my Calendar than I would in Tasks.

Note taking - depending on the meeting/content, I have a normal paper notebook that is entirely for work and I just date and title my notes. But I do also use OneNote- usually for meetings where there is a lot of information being conveyed and I want to be able to organize as I go (it's so easy to add a new page, or move information around so that it's in a logical order - unlike with pen to paper!) Or any training I attend - I'll open OneNote to take notes. It's so easy!

[moreace01]

I've tried to doing everything digitally and failed. Mostly notetaking doesn't work for me digitally. I don't like typing on a zoom call and I've found that trying to write on a tablet and uploading it digitally just doesn't work for me. So, I have an old school notebook with sticky tabs for different sections. My to do list is one section.

For meeting notes that need to be shared and for agendas, my org is on sharepoint (dear god...why...) so I put stuff out there or on our confluence wiki.

For things that I need an alert reminder, I'll set one in my calendar.

For documents I need to keep track of - I have a monster spreadsheet workbook - each tab organized by product or whatever, who sent me the doc, any notes, etc.

[jinkies]

This is a low-tech option, but at my last job we just had a word doc that listed the month, then bullet points below of each recurring task that should be done that month.

We had weekly staff meetings, and the first meeting of the month we would review that month's tasks.

I don't have a great system for notes. I prefer hand writing them, and then I refer back over the next month or so. But beyond that I don't have a way to know where my notes from last year's meetings are or anything. I tried a
rocketbook for a while but never got into a system of archiving the notes.

[momin2013]

I shifted from using a paper planner to my Outlook calendar for to-do’s and I love it.

What I do is enter to-do’s into my calendar on the day I plan to do them (usually I’ll list several steps in a list form for a certain task in one to-do entry). When I do the steps I remove them from the list on the entry, and also, if I don’t get to them all that day, I just move the entry to another day when I want to get to them.

For meetings, if the meeting is online I have a to do calendar entry open, and just add up it during the meeting. For in-person meetings, I write to-do’s in a notebook then transfer them into my calendar when I get back to my desk.

For recurring to-do’s (say monthly like reconcile budgets, enter payroll, etc) I just set the to-do as recurring on a certain day each month.

[shauni27]

I use my outlook Calendar and Reminders for EVERYTHING. Like, if I send an email and it is important that I get an answer, I set a reminder on outlook to have me follow up in 3 days/a week/whatever. Or if I have something due on X date, and I know I need to schedule time to work on that, I block that on my calendar, too.

[glw]

Apr 6, 2023 9:02:22 GMT -5 ECB said:

For items that are spread out, obviously Tasks is one option. I used to use Tasks in my old job. I actually now just put stuff on my calendar - it's always open on one of my monitors and I see stuff I need to do much more readily in my Calendar than I would in Tasks.

I display Tasks as a pane in my calendar, so I see both in one window. I like them at the bottom under each day, but you can put them to the side as a list instead.

[minzy]

We are extremely deadline driven and for tasks I have to do, I quadruple check myself - it goes into my monthly paper planner (color coded so I can see an immediate snapshot of what needs to be done, when), on my outlook calendar, and on a task list. I also keep a living Word document of all the matters I’m responsible for and update it constantly, and run through that document start to finish about once a week. That one is key for helping me plan out work I need to do. The paper planner is my bible, the most important, and I use it constantly. Some people think it’s overkill to do it my way, and I’d agree, until the fourth way catches something the other three don’t. I am able to stay on top of things this way, and have yet to miss a deadline despite thousands of tweaks and changes as I go.

Notes I take by hand or do in Microsoft Word.

[lab7979]

Do you have an assistant that can help you with some of this? I've worked for multiple physicians in the past and find that most of them underutilize their secretaries. I use outlook to keep track of tasks. There is a task feature but I usually just put reminders on my calendar. I'm also post-it note crazy. I used to work for a research manager who swore by Trello. I wasn't a huge fan but she loved it and one nice feature is you can share it with other people if you work on projects with others. I didn't care for it because I still wanted to keep track of things in outlook where I spend most of my time so it was double work for me. We have OneNote but I don't use it. Maybe I should. There is usually a note taker at most of our meetings that distributes notes to the group. The notes usually include a task list and who each task is assigned to.

[glitzy07]

The app Todoist has been an absolute lifesaver for me, both in my personal and my professional life. You can set up recurring or one time tasks and create reminders and different projects for different things as needed. Could not possibly recommend more highly.

I'm terrible about note taking though and survive with post-its that stick around until I don't need them anymore. lol

[livinitup]

We also have the full suite of Microsoft products and I use a combination of the Outlook calendar and OneNote.

I learned how to get started & the basics from watching random YouTube lessons. I could not have imagined all of the bells, whistles, and useful functions without a few tutorials. It’s all quite random but extremely helpful.

OneNote is a game changer for organization.

[eddy]

Oh and this is really great tip someone gave me. In my email I have a folder called "emails waiting on follow up." If I send an email that is important I drag the sent message to that folder. Then I preodically check it to remnd myself what hasn't been responded too. When you are juggling a ton of projects, this is a simple way to remind yourself what unanswered questions are out there.

This tip is especially great for people you know are not good at responding to emails. I use it for one of my direct reports that is administratively challenged.

[wanderingback]

Apr 6, 2023 9:32:22 GMT -5 lab7979 said:

Do you have an assistant that can help you with some of this? I've worked for multiple physicians in the past and find that most of them underutilize their secretaries. I use outlook to keep track of tasks. There is a task feature but I usually just put reminders on my calendar. I'm also post-it note crazy. I used to work for a research manager who swore by Trello. I wasn't a huge fan but she loved it and one nice feature is you can share it with other people if you work on projects with others. I didn't care for it because I still wanted to keep track of things in outlook where I spend most of my time so it was double work for me. We have OneNote but I don't use it. Maybe I should. There is usually a note taker at most of our meetings that distributes notes to the group. The notes usually include a task list and who each task is assigned to.

Lol, I work in public health. No assistant/secretary.

[wanderingback]

Thanks for all these tips so far!
Next week I’ll dive in to some of these options.
We have Microsoft and Teams. Had no clue about OneNote.

[fryjack2]

I am Not that tech savvy, but learning how to use tech resources available to me is one of my goals for the year.

What I do now:

Make a hand written to do list for the day once all my morning huddles are done. Anything I don’t finish, I send to myself in an email to open the next day.

I take my own meeting minutes by short hand or ask someone from the group to take them and type them up. Each meeting type (staff meeting, policy meeting, new therapy roll out meeting, etc) has their own folder in my drive that I add the minutes to and any important email/communication.

I read emails and then mark them unread if they need follow up or j need to do something with. And then get marked read when I can close them out.

For monthly tasks, I put them in my outlook calendar. For instance, I follow up and close out all the safety reports. The first Tuesday of the month, it’s in my calendar to close them out.

I’m a visual person so I also have a hanging calendar that I put all my meeting on so that I don’t have to always open my outlook calendar.

Some Days I feel like I have it all organized and a good system. Other days, I feel like I’m in a whirlpool of information trying to find air. Hoping with time, that feeling is less frequent

[purplepenguin7]

Apr 6, 2023 8:57:36 GMT -5 Patsy Baloney said:

For tasks that come out of the blue, I keep a simple written to-do list. Add to it, cross things off, etc. At the end of every week, I re-write it with any tasks that did not get finished or are on a later step and need to be followed-up on. I’ve never found a digital way as effective for me than a notebook that rests by my computer mouse.

I started using a Rocketbook for my do lists and other quick notes. I love that i can erase and start all over without going through tons of paper. You can also scan/photograph the pages to save digitally but I don't generally save the things I use it for. 

www.amazon.com/Rocketbook-Smart-Reusable-Notebook-Friendly/dp/B07WGVWM2L/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?crid=2URUJX7AHWH7M&keywords=rocketbook&qid=1680806449&sprefix=rocketbook%2Caps%2C97&sr=8-2-spons&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEyV1BGT01SWFg2SDNGJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMzY3NjA3M04xVkJKSEo4RURUUCZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwNDUxNDA0MlIxVTA5UFpKRjRXNSZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU&th=1

[meanie]

I will list some things below but I think the most important advice I have is once you find a system you need to stick to it every time.

I use my Outlook calendar for all reminders and set reoccurring calendars for weekly/monthly/etc tasks

I have a lot of sub folders in Outlook to organize e-mails by client/task - I sort e-mails as they are handled and use the flag/check mark to track action items needed

I have monthly word docs for my to-do list. This is where I transfer meeting notes if follow up is needed. I do not delete anything if it is done, just mark it done or highlight green, and roll over pending items to the next month

I write up a lot of procedures. No one else seems to do this in my team but we are supposed to, I actually enjoy procedure writing.

[DefenseAgainstTheDarkArts22]

I may come back with additional thoughts if I don't completely forget. But, I think the quickest add onto your current workflow would be to use outlooks built in tasks (also links to To Do).

When you are writing your reply, on the menu bar on the main ribbon will be a red flag. Choose a date you want to follow up by if you don't hear back. You can also add a reminder if you want.

Then, if you have the space, show outlook tasks in your main view and filter out those you don't need to work on yet. Or, I think the Microsoft To Do app has a Today view that'll show you those that you marked for follow up on that day.

[sonrisa]

Apr 6, 2023 13:43:29 GMT -5 purplepenguin7 said:

I started using a Rocketbook for my do lists and other quick notes. I love that i can erase and start all over without going through tons of paper. You can also scan/photograph the pages to save digitally but I don't generally save the things I use it for. 

www.amazon.com/Rocketbook-Smart-Reusable-Notebook-Friendly/dp/B07WGVWM2L/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?crid=2URUJX7AHWH7M&keywords=rocketbook&qid=1680806449&sprefix=rocketbook%2Caps%2C97&sr=8-2-spons&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEyV1BGT01SWFg2SDNGJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMzY3NjA3M04xVkJKSEo4RURUUCZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwNDUxNDA0MlIxVTA5UFpKRjRXNSZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU&th=1

tell me you are right handed without telling me you are right handed. lol.

[ssmjlm]

I use my outlook calendar heavily for recurring items. I’m not a fan of the task module at all.

So I just setup things are recurring as needed. Some are listed as available and some block my calendar for X time.

Then I work off a written to do list that gets updated as needed.

[purplepenguin7]

Apr 6, 2023 14:33:49 GMT -5 sonrisa said:

Apr 6, 2023 13:43:29 GMT -5 purplepenguin7 said:

I started using a Rocketbook for my do lists and other quick notes. I love that i can erase and start all over without going through tons of paper. You can also scan/photograph the pages to save digitally but I don't generally save the things I use it for. 

www.amazon.com/Rocketbook-Smart-Reusable-Notebook-Friendly/dp/B07WGVWM2L/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?crid=2URUJX7AHWH7M&keywords=rocketbook&qid=1680806449&sprefix=rocketbook%2Caps%2C97&sr=8-2-spons&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEyV1BGT01SWFg2SDNGJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMzY3NjA3M04xVkJKSEo4RURUUCZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwNDUxNDA0MlIxVTA5UFpKRjRXNSZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU&th=1

tell me you are right handed without telling me you are right handed. lol.

it doesn't smudge, like say a whiteboard would, if thats what you mean?  It does take about 1 second to dry but you won't mess it up with your hand if that's what you mean.  

[SusanBAnthony]

Less frequent reoccurring tasks: I set calendar blocks for however long the task takes, and set them to reoccur however often I need to do them.

I have an excel file (my standard work) that lists out all my reoccurring things, and every December I reschedule for the next year.

For to do items I have a notebook with two sections.

In one section I take notes. In the other section, each page is to do list for 1 week. I add things and cross them off when done. Anything left at the end of the week, I write onto the next week. If I have a to do I know I won't work on for a couple weeks, I write it 2 or 3 pages out. If it is further out than that, I schedule a 30 minute block to do it.

[sonrisa]

Apr 6, 2023 14:41:16 GMT -5 purplepenguin7 said:

Apr 6, 2023 14:33:49 GMT -5 sonrisa said:

tell me you are right handed without telling me you are right handed. lol.

it doesn't smudge, like say a whiteboard would, if thats what you mean?  It does take about 1 second to dry but you won't mess it up with your hand if that's what you mean.  

If it works for you, that's great

Most writing implements function and feel different if you are pushing rather than pulling and most ink or gel pens are much more smudgy than the average right hander realizes. White boards are awful, but anything that takes a whole second to dry/absorb is going to smudge. 

[RoxMonster]

For meeting notes/to-dos, I use OneNote. I have a folder in OneNote for each project. Within each folder, I have different pages that are labeled - for meeting notes, I always title that page with "Meeting Notes Date." Separate pages will be to-do lists or questions for upcoming meetings.

We use Outlook/Teams, so that is how I organize meetings. If I have a meeting (or task) that doesn't happen that often (maybe monthly or every few months), I will immediately schedule the next one when the previous one ends and go ahead and get it put on my calendar (and everyone else's calendars). That way it's there, it's done, and I don't have to worry about forgetting. In Teams, I can also choose the cadence of a meeting, so it will automatically schedule it using the cadence I provide, too.