Family Management Tip #2: Choosing the Right Organizer for Your Family
What method do you currently use to organize your family? Do you mean my paper calendars or my electronic ones, you ask? If you're like the vast majority of people we surveyed, you're probably using a wall calendar on or near the fridge. And, for portability, you keep the same information on your pocket day planner, which you carry around.
You might also have some information on a personal digital assistant (PDA) and your calendar at work, perhaps Microsoft® Outlook® or Lotus® Notes®. You worry about how to keep all these calendars synchronized, along with those of your spouse's. And you really manage your family in a day-to-day manner - sending an email or IM reminder or calling someone to make sure they've done something.
Or perhaps you're a little better than that. Maybe you've chosen a paper calendar/organizer that's specifically oriented to busy families. That's a great first step. As long as you're mostly home-bound and you don't need to share that information with anyone outside of the house, a paper-based family organizer is a good choice.
If you have school-age children, no doubt you have to deal with a mountain of paper that keeps piling up every time they empty their school bags. How do you keep track of their homework schedules?
Maybe you need to share your kids' appointments and activities with a babysitter, relative, or ex-spouse. How do you do that? Perhaps you use a web-based calendaring system such as the one provided by Yahoo®, MSN®, or AOL®.
But you still keep the wall calendar, because you still need to communicate that information with your family - now you have more places to keep the information synchronized.
A newer crop of web-based calendaring applications has debuted this year. These are specifically aimed at making it easier to share calendars with family and friends and "to bring it all together". So the choice just got more confusing.
What's the right tool for your family? Should you just stick with the tried-and-true wall calendar and live with its inadequacies, or should you attempt an electronic solution?
Glad you asked. Here's a set of questions to ask of any tool that you're considering. The tool that's right for you will depend on your answers:
- What is the set of problems you're looking to solve? Do you mostly care about coordinating appointments? Do you want to keep track of things like chores, homework, medication, and so on? Do you need to share information with friends and relatives? Do you want to share ALL information, or only selectively share the information?
- How easy is it to use? Paper tools are easy and quick, but they're not accessible from everywhere and keeping them up-to-date is a problem. Often, but not always, using computer-based solutions (whether using the web, desktop, or PDA) requires a certain amount of patience, but they tend to be more portable and accessible. Will the benefits of the computer-based solution make up for the inconvenience? Even if it does, is the system easy enough to use that you will use it consistently?
- Will it work for my whole family? Feeding a time management system is a chore that's more likely to be completed if everyone in your family can easily use it.
- How likely are you to continue using it? Making a commitment to time management, in whatever form, requires a certain amount of discipline. If a system is not delightful to use, it could quickly become a chore that is unsustainable. So weigh the usability of the system from that perspective.
- How accessible and portable is it? This is an important reason to choose an electronic solution in the first place. If you're on the road or in the dentist's office, how can you easily find out if there's a conflict with some other appointment you're trying to make? Is the solution usable by a mere mortal (namely you) who may not have the patience to deal with clumsy little keyboards or the multiple steps it takes to navigate, for example, a cell phone calendar?
- How easy is it to share information? Are members outside your family easily able to access the appropriate information (and only the appropriate information)? How much effort does it take on your part to share that information?
- Does the system give back more than you put in? How easy is it to synchronize your information with, say, your spouse's work calendar and your own work calendar? If you make an entry on the system, does it automatically synchronize with other calendars that are important to you?
- How much automatic input do I get from the system? How automatically does information that you care about, like your kids' homework or athletic schedules, and your local community schedules, come into the system?
You're probably asking yourself by now, is this all really worth it? This is a fairly daunting set of questions to ask. Isn't there a review somewhere of the different solutions available? That is material for another article.
Saro Saravanan is the Founder-CEO of Mediabee, which makes Mediabee Family Dashboard, a free family management tool built to address the needs of busy families and their organizers. In the past, he was the chief architect who launched Fidelity NetBenefitsSM, an employee benefits and retirement services portal used by over 10 million users. Be sure to read the rest of his articles from this series on Family Management. Download Mediabee Family Dashboard today at http://mediabee.com and streamline your family life.
 Google News Updated : Thu, 04 Dec 2008 20:34:03 GMT Hutchison takes step toward run for governor - USA Today
USA Today - WASHINGTON (AP) (AP) - US Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison took the first formal step Thursday toward a run for Texas governor, setting up what was already becoming a bruising Republican primary battle in 2010 between her and Gov. Hutchinson files to form exploratory comm. Kay Bailey Hutchison edges toward governor's run Publ.Date : Thu, 04 Dec 2008 19:06:53 GMT Franken's campaign protests 133 mystery ballots from Minneapolis - Minneapolis Star Tribune
Minneapolis Star Tribune - only concerned with a fair vote count when it benefits his numbers. That so many voted for this ignorant fraud in my beloved home state is … read more a source of great concern to me. Coleman campaign withdraws 650 ballot challenges Franken Demands 'Immediate and Intensive' Search for 133 Lost Ballots Publ.Date : Thu, 04 Dec 2008 19:11:30 GMT Sports of The Times Giants Leave Door Open to a Burress Return - New York Times
New York Times - By WILLIAM C. RHODEN On Tuesday, a day after Plaxico Burress was hit with two counts of illegal weapons possession, Jerry Reese, the Giants’ general manager, broke the news to Burress: He was finished for the season, suspended without pay and fined. Report: Pierce will testify before grand jury Pierce Reportedly to Testify to Grand Jury Publ.Date : Thu, 04 Dec 2008 19:20:44 GMT Report critical of NY education - Bizjournals.com
Bizjournals.com - New York high schools lag behind several states when it comes to educating students who go on to college. The likelihood of a New York high school freshman enrolling in college by age 19 is 44 percent, according to a new report by the Natonal Center ... New College Cry: Affordability Colleges say they're struggling to make ends meet Publ.Date : Thu, 04 Dec 2008 19:55:34 GMT Zimbabwe Declares Cholera Emergency - New York Times New York Times - By BARRY BEARAK JOHANNESBURG - The Zimbabwean health minister, David Parirenyatwa, has declared the nation’s cholera outbreak a national emergency and appealed for outside help, the state-controlled Herald newspaper reported on Thursday. WHO Says Zimbabwe Cholera Estimates May Be Too Low Zimbabwe declares cholera national emergency Publ.Date : Thu, 04 Dec 2008 17:56:36 GMT Rice satisfied with Pakistan's anti-terror stance - The Associated Press
The Associated Press - ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) - Pakistan's leaders know what's at stake after the terror attack in Mumbai and have acknowledged their duty to evict terrorists and prevent future attacks, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Thursday. Video: Rice in Pakistan to Push Terror Probe Protesters in Mumbai have chanted anti-Pakistan slogans Publ.Date : Thu, 04 Dec 2008 20:02:38 GMT Health Buzz: State Health Rankings and Other News - U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report - Vermont is the healthiest US state, while Louisiana is the least healthy, according to the 19th annual America's Health Rankings report, issued by the United Health Foundation, the American Public Health Association, and the Partnership for Prevention ... Washington Ranked Tenth Healthiest State Florida slips in health survey Publ.Date : Thu, 04 Dec 2008 16:59:46 GMT Website Traffic Promotion |
PARLOT::Ebooks, Scripts,
Websites, and more... In many of the companies I have worked in, there... Read More One of my mother-in-law's many oft-quoted and wise declarations was... Read More The Mexican VillagerThe American investment banker was at the pier... Read More My mother is one of the most productive people I... Read More Spring is such a refreshing time- we are filled with... Read More When the things in your home start crowding in around... Read More I recently conducted a survey to look at the relationship... Read More 1. In terms of organization, what is the first thing... Read More What do you gain if you SIMPLIFY?Dictionary* says:to reduce to... Read More Whether you are in your own business or an employee... Read More Light, Work, and YouWinter is here-and with it, short days,... Read More Obviously, productivity involves producing. Producing widgets, events, reports, sales. The... Read More I talk about the mail a lot in my newsletter,... Read More Questions come my way all the time regarding my God-given... Read More "Junkyard Wars," a TV series showed two teams of experts... Read More Life is really all about CHANGE. In order to make... Read More Take time to declutter this summer...Writing can certainly consume the... Read More Remember when you charged into the office that first day,... Read More Have you ever wondered how some people seem to have... Read More (This is the third in a series of three articles... Read More Collections are the outward manifestation of a deeply-felt principle or... Read More You know, in psychology there is a rule, especially within... Read More 1. Teach your children to use an alarm clock or... Read More Professional organizers and helpful-hint sources often recommend storage solutions such... Read More Q. I have several projects going at once -- but... Read More
Adsense
websites
Organization and the Opposite Sex
Finish in Style - Organizing Works!
Balance - And Other Things
Get Organized - Stay Organized
Spring Cleaning
Creative Storage Solutions
Calendars and Personality Type
The Most Frequently Asked Questions about Organizing Your Kids Rooms
Words That Inspire - SIMPLIFY
10 Easy Maintenance Tips vs Piling on the Chaos
5 Easy Tips on Light that You Can Use to Improve Your Day
Be More Productive at Work: Avoid These Eight Traps
Create A Working Mail Center
Organized For Life
Can You Make a ?Torpedo? Out of Personal Junk? How to Optimize What You Have
To Make a Change -- Take a Chance
Five Simple Tips to Get Organized Today!
Clutter Control
The Top 10 Habits of Organized People
The Organized Move: Unpacking with a Plan
Are You A Collector?
Making Life Easier, with NLP Chunking!
10 Tips for a More Organized Morning
Feng Shui Guidlines for Storage Spaces
Too Many Unfinished Projects? 7 Time Management Strategies to Move Stalled Projects to Finish Line
Affordable and Reliable Web Hosting Starting at $4.49/Month
Without a Plan, You?re Doomed to Failure
"My job is an endless series of deadlines, I am... Read More
Clutter Crisis?
Clutter costs you time, money, space, and peace of mind.... Read More
Files vs Piles
I recently read an article that had some interesting but... Read More
10 Myths of Clutter Clearing
1) It's easy to have a good clear out: Not... Read More
10 Easy Maintenance Tips vs Piling on the Chaos
Whether you are in your own business or an employee... Read More
The Organized Move: Unpacking with a Plan
(This is the third in a series of three articles... Read More
Clutter Campaign - Commit Your Time
Decide When And Where To StartDecide when and where to... Read More
Clutter & Creativity
Take a look around you right now. Look away from... Read More
Tired of Endless Chores and To-Dos? Stop Running Around in Circles and Enjoy Life Again
Do you feel like you are running around in circles,... Read More
Be More Productive - Books to Help You Be More and Do More!
How many of us have enough time to do everything... Read More
Secrets to Eliminating Emotional Clutter
Are you plagued by clutter in your personal or professional... Read More
Technology...The Culprit and the Tool
Technology has given us the tools to reduce routine tasking,... Read More
Escaping The Clutter Trap? - 5 Steps For Increasing Productivity And Decreasing Stress
? Do you feel overwhelmed by all the "stuff" in... Read More
Getting Organized - Getting Fit
In a speech entitled "Organized Living in a Disorganized World"... Read More
Get Organised Before Its Too Late
Last year I attended a presentation from Parenting Expert and... Read More
Compartmentalize
The word "compartmentalize" means to separate into distinct parts. I... Read More
Do You Have A To-Do list?
I have a huge white board in my home office,... Read More
Creating The Perfect Closet
Your closet is often the first thing you see in... Read More
Keep, Get Rid Of, Or Not Sure?
Cleaning out can seem overwhelming -- especially if it's been... Read More
A Simple Effective Tool To Get And Stay Organized
Often we are in overwhelm because we are holding too... Read More
Cleaning Out Your Closet
Helping people clean out their closet is something I love... Read More
The Balance of Balance
Life is about maintaining a balance of all aspects. At... Read More
25 Tips and Tricks for an Organized Move
Worried because you're moving soon? This really doesn't have to... Read More
Getting Organized For The New Year - Part 2
In part 1, we discussed a system you could use... Read More
Ten Signs That Your Life Is Cluttered
How do you know if you need to clean out?... Read More
Get Organized - Organization |