Ok so have formally accepted the role now discussions need to happen to shift me over.
Now, question, i need to be MASSIVELY organised for this new job. Any suggestions on how to do this? for example, i need to really improve my note taking and to do lists etc, but i aint the best at that.
considering using an iPad for work in meetings and to take notes etc potentially. any tips to be more organised on managing multiple things?
Congratulations on the new role! Hope it all works out well for you.
I started a new job towards the end of 2020 and vowed I would be more disciplined and organised. It has helped that things are nowhere near as busy as at my old place, but a few things that work for me (more
how I do things rather than specific software - I'm a bit old-school in my methods I'm afraid) :
Email : I was previously terrible at email housekeeping and my inbox had literally thousands of messages as I never got around to either deleting or filing on a regular basis. The more it builds up, the more of a task it is to deal with and the more time is wasted trying to find a particular old email.
I have now set myself a limit of no more than 30 emails left in my inbox at the end of each day. Sometimes it tips over but by end of Friday it's back to under 30. Either deal with and delete/file, or move to a folder and if it needs you to do something with it, add that task to your To Do list, so it's not 'out of sight, out of mind'. If there's a lot of back and forth on the same trail, delete the last mail when the new one comes in.
If your new job is sufficiently detached from your current role, archive everything you currently have and start with a totally clean slate.
This might be a non-issue for you and probably reflects more on my disorganisation, but I have found it to be a good discipline.
To Do List : Essential for me (partly because of the above). I have a separate A5 notebook where on a Friday I make a To Do list for the week ahead. (Having a written list that is open alongside my laptop works better for me than using Tasks, Notes or something like that). I find there's no point doing lists per day, as things change too much and it's just disheartening when you haven't achieved anything. Friday afternoon, compile next week's list and anything that hasn't been ticked off gets moved to next week's list. By the time I've carried the same item over three or four times, it's easier just to deal with it.
Note-taking : written for me, so no useful tips here. I'm a very fast typer under normal circumstances but typing in meetings just doesn't work for me. (Also less likely that someone who couldn't be bothered taking their own notes asks you to forward yours, which you then have to spend time tidying up/expanding so they're understandable for others).
Admin Time : This is key for me : I have two hours blocked out in my calendar every Friday afternoon for admin (don't always need that much time but it's good to keep blocked out). Fridays seem to be the quiet day, even when the US starts up. Emails, to do lists, updating internal project systems etc. If you can't switch off messaging, change your status to show you as in a meeting so there's less chance of getting disturbed. If you're back in the office, put your headset on to indicate you're not available for interruption.
The hardest part is finding the system that works for you and having the discipline to stick with it. Good luck!