Tackle information overload - how to organize a home office - Tutorial

Home Office Computing, August, 1993 by David Hallerman

11 to 16 points, average rating: ** You guys are the clapper of the bell curve--that is, you're like most folks. Sometimes you're disorganized, but you have good potential for improvement. An average person typically does best by tackling organizational tasks step by step. Consider programs that focus on time and to dos as well as contact lists, rather than more complex contact managers or PIMs. You need tools that help you get rid of the clutter and avoid postponing decisions--or find a way to work around them.

7 to 10 points, poor rating: . You're stressed-out, but there's hope, with the simplest of solutions, such as a no-frills calendar. Remember, a so-so system for organizing details is better than no system. Sure it's easier to be organized if you do the small things right away. But if you're a disorderly procrastinator, it's easier to develop a scheme for organizing yourself that lets you work around your temperament rather than forcing yourself to change.

GREAT PRODUCTS FOR ORGANIZING

Before you consider a specific program or tech tool for organizing your work life, remember that, as Lisa Kanarek, author "America's Most Disorganized Home Offices" (see page 55), points out, no product will organize you; instead, "you use products to organize yourself."

Once you know in your mind how to organize a particular task, then consider the software and organizers listed below, all of them stars in their categories. "If you don't have the right equipment, you are making your work life unnecessarily difficult. By equipping yourself with the right products, you'll save time and money, and you'll improve the service you give your clients," says Kanarek.

Contact Managers/Personal Information Managers

When it comes to organizing details like your schedule or contacts, there's a lot of overlap between contact managers and PIMs. These programs give you slots for nearly all types of business information, from addresses and phone logs to schedules and project planners. If you got a four- or three-star rating--and particularly if you're in sales or are on the road a lot--look into this category. Those with a project orientation to their work can also benefit from these programs' modules.

ACT! v1.1/Windows, v2.11/DOS, v1.01/Mac ($395 each); Contact Software International, (214) 919-9500, (800) 365-0606. For Windows, DOS, or Macintosh. Detailed contact manager with more power than the average person will ever need, but so well integrated that he'd appreciate it anyway. Features include easy rescheduling of postponed activities, a full built-in word processor that's good at mail merge, and predefined reports.

Info Select v1.0/Windows, v2.0/DOS ($150 each); Micro Logic, (201) 342-6518, (800) 342-5930. For Windows, DOS. Unique information manager: Encourages tossing in scraps of data randomly and then retrieves them for you as needed. Fast searching and browsing through data in multiple onscreen windows. Standard forms that come with software include ones for listing names and addresses, phone messages, quick memos, sales leads, to-do lists, and standard business letters. Info Select's flexibility makes it a particularly good choice for both three- and two-star organizers.