Virtual Tools for Organization

When you are juggling more than one work-from-home project, you are likely juggling multiple work-from-home deadlines.

Deadlines for sending an invoice. Deadlines for making a tax payment. Deadlines for completing a new project.

Sure, you can jot down daily commotion lists on a napkin at breakfast. Alternatively, you can fill in the blanks on a traditional desk calendar.

However, a simpler way to keep track of tasks and deadlines may be as near as your computer keyboard.

Several options for computerized calendars exist, from online formats like Google Calendar to applications like iCal or Windows Calendar.

These programs and services can sync specific calendar entries with calendars on other computers (so when you enter something into your calendar it can send the entry to your spouse’s calendar). They can also sync with your phone, which often give you the option of receiving reminder “dings” as your deadline approaches.

Here is a look at a few popular virtual calendar and organization tools.

* Calendar applications. Windows Calendar (included with Windows Vista) and iCal (a standard Mac application) both feature daily, weekly and monthly templates to enter meetings and deadlines. You can get as basic or detailed with information, as you would like. You can print a fresh copy of the calendar every day, incase you need a hard copy to hang on the fridge.

* Online calendars. Google, Yahoo! and MSN all offer calendars to help you track daily, weekly and monthly tasks. The Yahoo! version will send instant messages to your phone to remind you of an event. Google’s calendar automatically uploads information from G-mail messages into your online calendar.

* E-mail managers. GooToDo is one popular e-mail management service that organizes your inbox by forwarding messages to future days. When an e-mail comes in, you can choose to respond to it or save its response — or action — for an upcoming day. This avoids a cluttered and overwhelming inbox.

* Online list makers. TadaList and Remember The Milk are two free services that allow you to create and publish to-do lists, which can then synchronize with your calendar or e-mail.

Reply Forward

Posted:Wednesday, April 08, 2009