What do you use to stay organized?

[grnidone]

I struggle with organization.  If I don't have a list of things to do and when it needs to get done, it simply *doesn't* get done.

I've used Basecamp and Huddle and a number of other different project management tools, but really didn't like paying for a tool in order to get all the functionality I needed.

Basically, I needed something to do the following:

+ Allow me to put tasks into a "to-do" list under each client and then dump all of that to a main calendar
+ Remind me of my tasks via email so I got them done
+ Have milestones to remind me to report to the client how I'm doing and what steps are next.
+ Allow me to add consultants/ partners/ serfs to my lists and assign them a task
+ Upload files so my consultants can see them, if necessary
+ Time recording - Be able to record my time if I was doing something for an hourly rate
+ Have a conversation area "forum type area" where I can talk to my consultants/ partners/ serfs who are in different time zones

and was cheap to purchase and easy to administer.

Feng Office, (http://www.fengoffice.com/web/opensource/) so far, has met all of those and is actually much more robust than that.  The set-up has a one click install very similar to wordpress.  Literally, fill in a few blanks, click and away you go.  In fact, I could go on and on about how to work the inside, but it is so self-explanatory I don't need to.  From the feng office front page:

Feng Office is a Web-based Software that integrates
Project Management, Client Relationship Management,
Billing, Financing, among other features that help you
efficiently run your Professional Services Business.

It does what it says it will do.  I've been so far very pleased with it.  And, there is an open sourced version that is the same as the regular version.  OK, so I can't ask them for help, but I've seen no need to do it.

What do you guys use to stay organized?

[Drastic]

I tried using a couple of apps, but found I spent way too much time inputting data.

I still use notepads, the digital winders version as well as the old dead tree analog style.

[rcjordan]

We're using g docs for collab.

Just read about this today: Streak.com Takes On Salesforce With A Simple CRM For Gmail
http://techcrunch.com/2012/03/21/gmail-streak/

Timesheets :
http://www.gieson.com/Library/projects/utilities/timetrek/

[Rupert]

Mostly stay disorganised   

Well not entirely.  google calender, gmail with boomerang, and still paper lists.  Cannot get away from pen and paper.

Stick them to the wall.

[buckworks]

I use the free version of RememberTheMilk.com.

[Brad]

Evernote  and my smartphone calendar.

The calendar gets appointments and to do reminders. Evernote  app gets the details so I don't have to remember them.

[Brad]

Oh and Dropbox to store my docs in the cloud.. None of this would make sense without a smartphone and a couple of tablets.

[Rooftop]

I'm coming to the end of a big re-shuffle of the way I try to keep things organised.  I had ended up using too many different tools for different things and had got to the point where it was tricky to keep abreast of what was happening in each tool.

The set-up we're settling in to now is:

* teamworkpm.net : Like basecamp, but better (for us). This is being used to handle project management, general task lists, scheduling, time logging and eventually client communications. This replaces basecamp, internal project system, 4 google docs and a helpdesk.

* Diigo : Bookmarking on steriods. Using as my "read later" (stuff spotted when mobile that I want to read on desktop/laptop) & also for general note-taking/reference building across the team. This replaces springpad/evernote and an internal wiki

* Notebook - the paper kind.  It's being used less, but you still can't beat it in meetings.

[ergophobe]

I've tried so many things, but I mostly come back to this:

Mostly stay disorganised   

Well not entirely.  google calender, gmail with boomerang, and still paper lists.  Cannot get away from pen and paper.

Stick them to the wall.

- If it's important, the note goes either on my computer screen or on the door to exit the house.

- Many Google calendars for different things. This is the one really big one.

- Notepad++ is always open and one tab is always the "dreamcatcher" tab. When something comes across my mind, either an good idea, bad idea, a task I have to do, it goes in the dreamcatcher and eventually gets "processed" (moved to something more permanent, accomplished, or deleted).

- Rachota time tracker, which I consistently forget to start and stop and which, therefore does not track my time very well.

[Rooftop]

... or on the door to exit the house.

Virtually foolproof.

[Brad]

I like the "dreamcatcher" tab idea.

[creative666]

To-Do Desklist and Outlook calendar synced with my iPhone

[grnidone]

Interesting, I just saw this on Google Apps...a free application called Mavenlink that works with google email, google calendar and other google apps.

https://www.google.com/enterprise/marketplace/viewListing?productListingId=4970+4188150475217982560

Anyone ever use that?

[rcjordan]

I don't trust hosted apps.

[jimbanks]

I have become very disorganised, the perils of just having myself in the "office" to care about.

I use Dropbox to curate a lot of information.

I use QuickNote.

I try to avoid calendars like the plague, if it needs doing, I just do it.

I came across a new service the other day called IFTTT (http://www.ifttt.com ) it stands for If This, Then That. The gist is you create "recipes" for a task. E.g. if I send a tweet, it posts to my google calendar, so I can see where I might be wasting time.

So far I have the following tasks set up :

If you like an Instagram Photo, post it on Posterous
Post new videos from vimeo on facebook
Post YouTube upload to Facebook page
Tweets with #in post to LinkedIn w/ link to original tweet
Add your foursquare checkin history to your Google Calendar
Keeping all the images you upload to FB photos in one safe place (Facebook images to Dropbox)
Archive my tweets to Google Calander
Starred Google Reader posts to Evernote

You can do a lot of mix and match.

Will it make me stay organised? I doubt it, but to be honest I'm probably more productive dis-organised. If I ever get back to having employees I'll get organised then.