I was a pro at managing my research notes and ideas during my MA. After that, not so much.
Now that I’ve launched another major self-directed project — my new career, that is — I want to learn from past mistakes. Last weekend I resolved to do something about it. After soliciting advice and suggestions from my Twitter followers, taking the advice of my friend Liz to heart, and searching the Internet, I opted to give Evernote a shot, and the Secret Weapon’s method in particular.
To read the rest of my post over at University Affairs, click here. What works for you?
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2 responses to “Note-taking and project management”
There are a few angles to come at projects. I’m assuming we are looking at projects where it is one person doing the entire project (if you’re building a $5 million IT project, then the people over at PMI have great resources).
Resource: David Allen’s “Getting Things Done” is absolutely great. Here are a few specific insights:
-break projects down into “next actions”. For example “search Google for 3 customer relationship management (CRM) tools” is better than “Figure out CRM project”
-institute a Weekly Review: every week, schedule 30-60 minutes to review your calendar (last week & current week), task list etc. building this habit takes work and it is well worth the effort for project and general effectiveness
-tools: I like Google Calendar (you can request SMS and email reminders for items) for the calendar and Remember The Milk for tasks
-other resources: if you’re working on projects with multiple people, Ir recommend listening to the project management podcast episodes produced over at the Manager Tools podcast.
Thanks for all these suggestions, Bruce! I’ll know who to reach out to if I need more info!