Juggling meetings and appointments are part of any busy life. When you’re running your own business as well, sorting out your diary can become almost a full-time job in itself! From your kids’ afterschool activities, to your dentist appointments and catching a quick coffee with a client, your diary can soon look – and feel – like it’s packed out.
Finding a useful scheduler can be a lifesaver. There are plenty of tools on the market and the good news is that many of them are free. While some people are happy with a good, old-fashioned Filofax (and there are some fabulous designs to choose from here), others embrace full-on technology. Try Doodle, or Timebridge for great free apps which will help you set up meetings with ease.
Sometimes, it’s maintaining action plans and to do lists which can be automated. Virtual online project managers like Asana and Basecamp (just two of hundreds on the market) are great for managing tasks and keeping track of team email threads and actions. They all have their quirks and will suit different people’s working styles, so sign up for one or two and see how you get on. Trello is great if you love lists – it’s simple (and free!) and intuitive to use, so can be picked up by you and your team quickly and easily.
Briefing a Virtual Assistant can also help your productivity. You can share your diary via Google Docs or iCal and anything that’s scheduled in it can get synced to all your devices at once. Rescheduling can is also a, ahem, sync, and if you share any emails or notes of calls which may result in a meeting, they’ll stay prepared and on top of things for you. You set the parameters (it’s good to let them know when you’ll be on holiday or that you don’t start work until 10am on Tuesdays, for example) and leave them to do what they’re great at…helping you get organised.
Here at Pängels, we love helping you deal with your diary – and more besides. Contact us at info@pa-angels.co.uk or call 0844 5007 818 to discuss how we could help.