A couple of days ago I blogged about my weekly planning system. I really love paper, and I like that I can see it without logging in to anything. My biggest gripe about it, though, is that you can’t delete it and start over if it gets messy. You have to re-write it. At least I do. No amount of pencil-erasing would get it for me. Once the list gets messy, I completely re-make it so my brain stays clear of distractions. On a day with lots of unexpected tasks, I’ll easily end up with three brand new to-do lists before my head hits the pillow.
Backpack
So it makes sense that I, being so digital and all, would want to organize my life online. And I do, to some extent. My most used digital tool for organization is Backpack, published by 37signals. (I’ve blogged about this before, and I’d like to just be linking to my first post about it, but that is one that is stuck in that nice little zipped up file on my desktop from my WordPress blog.) BackPack is an online service that provides a central place to create and store to-do lists, files (my favorite), notes, pictures, you name it. You can create several pages, depending on which plan you subscribe to, and you can even share any of your pages with specific people.
Pages
I create pages based on special projects, web clients, or events that need to be organized. On client pages, I can share the page with the client, and we can share files back and forth that we are working on for the project. My dad and I frequently meet each other at my Backpack page to exchange files quickly instead of emailing them. And I love being able to sit down at the laptop away from home without worrying which file for the project is where. It’s like having a thumb drive, without the thumb drive. File storage is one of my favorite things about Backpack.
Writeboards
Another useful tool on Backpack is the writeboard. A writeboard is a collaborative tool that multiple people can use to post their ideas on the same topic. It looks sort of like a whiteboard, which one of my friends actually calls it all the time, and when several users work on a writeboard, it tracks changes that were made by each user. My local Southern Living at Home team uses a writeboard to keep up with our party schedules. We each update the writeboard when we schedule a party, documenting the date, consultant, hostess and her circle of friends or workplace. That way we know if one of us has a party with a teacher at one school in a particular week, we should try not to schedule a party with another teacher at that same school during the same week. The writeboard is a great way for us to all have successful businesses without feeling like we’re in each other’s way.
Simplicity
Backpack has been an essential part of my journey toward simplifying my life. Keeping all of my to-do lists in once place has eliminated the need for sticky notes all over my desk and kitchen. The software is extremely easy to use, even for the computer novice. I whole-heartedly recommend that you try Backpack for your own organization. Be sure to enter my referrer code: BPSMZSM. Once you do, let me know what you like best about it.
