The Scratch Pad Method of Time Management

The almighty scratch pad: a few simple pieces of paper.

You doodle on it. You make notes. You throw it away. 

Is there a more effective tool for staying organized than the scratch-pad? 

 The answer is yes –of course.  Organized tasks lists, project management software and to-do lists should be utilized whenever possible.  However, the scratch pad does have its place and can serve many useful purposes.

A scratch pad is a handy, temporary solution to help you in your project, task, or objective.

Always carry a scratch pad of some sort with you no matter where you go because you never know when a task or an idea is going to hit you.

• During a meeting you often develop new ideas or bring forth ideas of things to be done. It could be calls you have to make or things you need to remember to do when you return to your office.
• When you’re on the phone talking to a client and a list of things to do for that client hits you – what do you do? Exactly, you grab the scratch pad.

A scratch pad isn’t just limited to work. Keeping a scratch pad in your vehicle is a great help when you’re out running errands and think of something you need to remember.

This is a simple yet effective tool for time management. After all, how many times have you sat around trying to figure out what is was you needed to do or needed to get while you were out? It’s also very easy to transcribe these notes onto your computerized task list, software or into your personal planner.

You never know when or where you run into someone and have a conversation that will lead to some task you need to complete. Often you’re not carrying around all of your project files with you or your computer and you may not have access to all of your lists. So having a scratch pad handy at all times is vital.

Getting rid of your completed scratch pads is also as vital as having them with you. If you don’t get rid of the scratch pad lists once you finish with them you could risk getting them mixed up with other lists, you could forget what has been done and what hasn’t, and you’ll end up with more work then you wanted. Make it a habit of getting rid of each sheet as you finish the tasks on them. Draw a line through each completed task so you will know what you have left to finish.

Time management can occur in many forms. Most people would not consider something as simple as a scratch pad as a useful method of time management. But it is. It’s a simple tool that will help bring about big rewards when it comes to your time. It can also help reduce your stress levels because you won’t have to spend time trying to remember the things you’ve written down.
 

    

This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 24th, 2008 at 10:18 am and is filed under Project Management, Time Management, Workplace. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.