What's The Secret to Getting More Done? Use a Powerful Tool You Already Have!

Did you know? According to the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees " Safe Jobs Now: A Guide to Health and Safety in the Workplace " Chapter 11, ( http://www.afscme.org/publications/2852.cfm ); four of the six leading factors of stress in the workplace are Psychological, Organizational, Socio-cultural, and Interpersonal? Each of these shares the common stressor found in an inability to control events that directly affect you.

In order to reduce stress in my life I needed to manage my time better. In order to manage my time better I began to look at the things I was involved in daily as events. When I finally hit upon a solution that combined time management and technology it seemed too simple to be effective but it works and all you need is to make better use of a Smart Phone!

Given the continued growth in the mobile device market, it makes sense to leverage technology to get more done. One of the most common devices in use today is the cell phone, or more specifically, the "Smart Phone". These mobile devices contain dozens of features surpassing those found in soem laptop computers. I don't suggest that they will ever fully replace the laptop, but I think they will give them a run for the money. The types of phones is imaterial, only the features really matter. So let's unpack a few of these features without focusing on a particular model or brand. This should allow virtually any "Smart Phone" user to take advantage of this technology.

1. Consider every committment to be an event . To begin with it's necessary to recognize that anything that impacts your daily routine is considered an event. Some are more significant than others, such as a last minute scheduled plan to meet a friend or significant other for lunch, agreeing to chair a meeting or host an activity, vs. presenting an unscheduled report before a budget committee, or accepting the responsibility to provide on-site training for a new client. Every instance where you agree, accept or decline to participate in an activity is an event; and by having an awareness of all your events you can seize control of your daily activities. Answer this question for yourself, "How do I manage my events right now?"

2. Don't dump your paper planner system (day-planner/calendar) . Let us suppose you use a day planner or office or home calendar to effectively manage your events. If it works for you Don't Dump them, improve them by adding events from your Smart Phone. Consider the following scenario - while out doing errands you run into an individual who asks you if you're free to help evaluate vendor products at an upcoming expo three weeks from now. You want to commit but you don't have your paper planner with you. This is an opportunity to gain access to vendors in your field and begin networking, so what do you do? You are also concerned about committing because you vaguely recall in about three weeks, you are supposed to meet with a potential client regarding new business, though you can't recall the exact date.

You'll likely say something like, "I'll check my schedule and get back with you." As a child I learned to interpret "we'll see" as "no" and it's likely that the adult version of "I'll get back with you." is the new "no thank you." Here's a better option - use your Smart Phone:

- You could call your business and see what, if anything might be on your upcoming calendar.

- You could check your calendar on your Smart Phone to see if there are any conflicts.

- If your calendar on your Smart Phone is linked to your office calendar, or an online service, then you have immediate access to the latest information and can make an informed decision.
(free calendar services are available throughout the Internet)

3. Manage your events, and you manage your time !
Your Smart Phone has the capability to easily and accurately record, schedule and retrieve numerous events or commitments, through use of the calendar function. You can also set alarms for upcoming events long before they occur. For the busy mom, dad, student or other professional making, accepting or declining commitments is routine. Simply using your Calendar Function on your phone allows you to quickly type in the date field a note regarding the time and location of the event - then toward the bottom most applications provide a Notes Section. Here you can add all the specifics regarding the event. It is important that you record as much detail about the event as possible, as quickly as you can after accepting the invitation. Finally you should set a Reminder Alarms or Alerts to notify you of the upcoming event at least a day prior and if you have multiple alarms, setting them will better ensure your attendance/participation.

Conclusion:
I'm not going to suggest that you A) throw out your paper planner; B) purchase an expensive Smart Phone with all the bells and whistles; or even C) purchase costly applications for your Smart Phone. Instead, I encourage you to use the tools you already have to get more done, become more effective and efficient and reduce stress in your life. By simply applying the same time management tactics used in paper planners, discussed in online articles and found in costly software programs - you can make intelligent use of Smart Phone...starting today!