Keeping an agenda improves our efficiency in organizing work and in our time management.
The agenda is of fundamental importance. Not surprisingly, one of the most important tasks of executive assistants is to achieve greater efficiency in the organization of work and time management of managers, keeping their agenda up to date.
About the agenda
It is liberating to write down everything that has a specific date and time. As soon as it is reflected in the agenda, a sigh comes out, "now I know that I will not forget it and I will not look bad with the client, colleague, boss, supplier, etc.". Why bother forgetting something? Or why trust our memory and have to be careful not to forget it?
Here self-discipline is essential. For the system to work efficiently, it is essential that we write down everything as it arises, and also that we consult the agenda frequently, at least when arriving at work, when returning from lunch and before leaving work. Although the ideal is to check it more often in case something new has come up, or we have forgotten something.
Auxiliary elements
The trays, whether made of plastic for paper folders, or those in Outlook or in the cloud of your email provider if it is documents received by email, are essential for organizing work, as I mentioned in my article "How to gain efficiency in the organization of work".
It will help you to have several labeled trays stacked, to place the folders according to whether it is a professional or personal topic; if it is something important, to do in the day, urgent, less urgent, to file, etc. You also need a good filing system, both virtual and physical.
The notebook where to write everything down
In addition to the agenda, there are many advantages of a notebook, and in my opinion carrying it is always essential to gain efficiency. Always carry a small notebook and a pen with you, because people tend to forget things, especially if our work moves a lot of information.
Writing down everything we have to do, ask, call, even the ideas that occur to us, reduces stress because we no longer have to be trying not to forget it. If we later put the information on the agenda by putting dates on the tasks, we will be helping to organize the work.
A good work organization requires an agenda to be able to meet commitments, deadlines and to optimize time. It must also be accompanied by folders and a good filing system that will increase efficiency. It is also very important to have in writing everything that comes to mind, we devise, remember or plan, for which it is ideal to always carry a notebook.
“Most people fail not for lack of talent, money or opportunity; it fails because it never plans in writing ”Robert H. Shuller.
