The tickler file is a classic time management tool. But it has its limits.  Understanding how a tickler file works, and its drawbacks, is a great way to appreciate the benefits of an online project management system.
 
The classic tickler file is a filing system used to keep things in order by due date.  A conventional tickler file consists of 43 files: 12 folders for each month of the year plus 31 files for each day of the month.  The files are organized by month and then by dates of the month.  Your tickler file can be created using anything from a box to a crate, or you can buy a plastic file box from your local office supply store. This classic format generally allows you to plan for tasks up to one month ahead.  The difference between a tickler file and a planner is that the tickler file allows you to place documents in the file.

When you have a task or assignment due on a particular day, place a description of the task and the relevant related documents in the file folder of that particular date of the month. Then, every day get in the habit of checking the tickler file for that day.  Everything you need for that day’s tasks is right in front of you. You’ll need to rotate the folders each day and month. So when you are done with January move it to the back of the file and February will be in front. This applies also to the days of the month. This rotation keeps the most current month and date always in front of you. This type of filing system is used to help keep you on top of time sensitive documents and projects that need to be completed on a particular date.

Of course, if you are dealing with more than one project or multiple tasks a standard paper tickler filing system can get a little burdensome.  The classic answer is to create a tickler file for each separate project or area of responsibility. For example, you can create a tickler file for your bills, for each specific project, for each client and for general reminders.  You can also create tickler files for each member of your team and color coordinate file folders by projects to keep everyone on the same page. When you have a meeting and want to discuss a particular project you could tell everyone to bring their blue file folder, for example,

A paper-based tickler file, however, can get overly cumbersome very quickly. Here are seven drawbacks of a paper-based approach.

1.  It requires everyone to be as organized as you or, at least,
2.  Requires one person to run around and update everyone else’s tickler files.
3.  It only allows planning a month ahead of time.
4.  It takes up a lot of physical space.
5.  It is limited in the number of documents it can hold.
6.  Updating the related documents across a team requires making numerous physical copies of the same document.
7.  Task updates require calling everyone or having meetings every time you want to tell people something changed and; getting information on how everyone is doing on a project requires another meeting and a lot of time going around asking each person about each task.

An online project management system, like Vertabase (the people behind this blog), does exactly what a paper-based filing system can’t.  Here are nine benefits to an online project management system that speak directly to the drawbacks above.

1.  An online tool doesn’t require everyone to be super-organized.
2.  People can continue to be themselves, but still stay on-track with their tasks. 
3.  The online system can remind them of due dates directly via email so people don’t have to change their habits and check a system every day. 
4.  One person can plan and manage the tasks for a particular project and through that alone, the whole team can stay on track. 
5.  You can plan for months or years in advance –and easily change tasks when you need to.
6.  You can store and work on a nearly unlimited number of documents for each task or project since everything is kept digitally.
7.  When something changes, you don’t need to call a meeting. Once it’s changed in the system, everyone get’s automatically notified about it.
8.  People can update their task information from anywhere via the internet so it’s easy for people to keep you in the loop on how things are going.
9.  Checking project or task status is a breeze since everyone’s task information is centralized in one convenient location –available from anywhere on the internet.

The paper-based tickler filing system is a classic tool for managing tasks and time.  For many people, it is a great stepping stone towards getting more organized. It also provides a good framework for understanding the benefits of an online project management tool.  If it works for you, it is valuable. If you have run into the limitations and drawbacks of a paper-based filing system, though, you probably already know that an online project management tool could really pay off for you.

If you are new to getting things done by using better time management skills or better project management skills and are looking to learn a specific management system, you could significantly improve your productivity by learning an online project management like Vertabase.  Besides being able to get more done, these skills are in high demand in today’s marketplace and can help your chances of success in the job market.