May 04, 2012
Guest Blog Post: From Planner to Paperless
I still keep a written (i.e. not paperless) to do list. True story. So when my sister said she officially went paperless with her calendar, task lists, and general reminders, I was pretty impressed. Turns out it wasn’t as easy as it sounds, but this story has a happy ending.
Read more in this week’s guest blog post from my sister, Kara Janecek, with some great lessons for all of us considering going paperless.
From Planner to Paperless
By: Kara Janecek
As a FranklinCovey girl at heart, I have been committed to
my “fine leather planner” since college. Okay, so I’ve gone through three since
college, but who’s counting? I’m also a wife, mother of two, and a full-time
clinical social worker. Like my kids, my planner was attached at the hip. Seriously,
it was like a third child. I took it everywhere.
my “fine leather planner” since college. Okay, so I’ve gone through three since
college, but who’s counting? I’m also a wife, mother of two, and a full-time
clinical social worker. Like my kids, my planner was attached at the hip. Seriously,
it was like a third child. I took it everywhere.
I tossed around the idea of going paperless for a while.
After all, I recycle, use cloth grocery bags, and do my best to reduce and
reuse. But when my boss saw me literally juggling my planner and my smartphone,
she proposed a challenge. “Go paperless, Kara… It’s so liberating!”
After all, I recycle, use cloth grocery bags, and do my best to reduce and
reuse. But when my boss saw me literally juggling my planner and my smartphone,
she proposed a challenge. “Go paperless, Kara… It’s so liberating!”
Better late than never, I acquired my first iPhone last
year. Then, Urban Simplicity introduced me to Evernote. I gradually began to use this app to store my children’s
artwork, my daughter’s first forgery (gasp!), pet vaccination records, bills,
school schedules, workout log, and resource lists for my clients. It was
amazing how much information I could keep at my fingertips.
year. Then, Urban Simplicity introduced me to Evernote. I gradually began to use this app to store my children’s
artwork, my daughter’s first forgery (gasp!), pet vaccination records, bills,
school schedules, workout log, and resource lists for my clients. It was
amazing how much information I could keep at my fingertips.
Yet, I kept carrying my “fine (fat) leather planner.” I soon
realized that I was keeping two separate calendars (Urban Simplicity would not
approve) adding my personal info to my iPhone and my professional appointments to
my “fine (even fatter by this point) leather planner.”
realized that I was keeping two separate calendars (Urban Simplicity would not
approve) adding my personal info to my iPhone and my professional appointments to
my “fine (even fatter by this point) leather planner.”
But wait, it gets worse. I was also keeping two separate to do lists. Seriously? Why? I knew it was time for an intervention. I needed
to merge my personal and professional life, once and
for all.
to merge my personal and professional life, once and
for all.
So, how did I make it work?
- iPhone for to
do list, mobile synced calendar, and alarms for reminders - Evernote (a.k.a.
my brain) for workout log, recipes (always have a list of ingredients for quick
grocery trips), spur of the moment gift ideas, bills, subscription and account
notes, health records, business cards, resource lists for clients, my kids’ art
work (I don’t have to keep it all!), car maintenance records… - Microsoft
Office and Google Calendar so I have access to personal and professional
schedules from home, phone and at work.
I’m not 100 percent paperless yet, but I have a few more
paperless goals in mind like paperless billing and sorting our family records
to make electronic copies of important documents. But the biggest transition is
over. My paper trail is dwindling. And I’m feeling more productive and much
less scattered.
paperless goals in mind like paperless billing and sorting our family records
to make electronic copies of important documents. But the biggest transition is
over. My paper trail is dwindling. And I’m feeling more productive and much
less scattered.
In addition to being my older sister, Kara is a wife, mother of two, and a full-time clinical social worker in Columbus, Texas. She is not on Twitter (boo!), but you can check out and follow her Pinterest boards here.
