My “to-do” list is in the form of a daily schedule divided into 30-minute intervals. I made up a template in OpenOffice Draw (I am a big fan of the OpenOffice suite of tools). That takes up the left side of the page. The right side of the page is one long column labeled “Notes”. That is for all those little tasks that pop up during the day that can’t really be planned for.

I envy those folks who (if they really exist) do not need scheduling tools to keep on track. I have been working from home for 14 years now, and getting a system down that works for me has probably been the biggest factor in making it work successfully.

For additional space-saving you could put your daily schedule in the cover of the Desk Reference, if your binder has a clear plastic sleeve in the front to customize it.

It opens up to my main To-Do list and my general daily schedule (reminders so that I don’t get out of the habit to check things on a daily basis), followed by my written business strategy (some would call this “goals and objectives” or something similar). After that are various sections such as error code reference lists, ASCII code list, sales tax information, ideas, projects that don’t yet have their own folder or binder, and that sort of thing. Most tech manuals only have a few pages that are regularly referred to, and my Desk Reference contains those pages.

The Desk Reference (as well as all of the binders on my bookshelf) has a printed label on the spine. Each section divider also has a printed label. The “Learn to Label” section is right on target. I use a Brother P-Touch label maker with either 1/2″ or 3/4″ TZ tape.

Each night, I print out a daily schedule of how I want to spend my time. That goes into a transparent plastic envelope that has a spot on my desk. I try hard to stick to the schedule, but just as battle plans only survive until the first shot is fired, it is very subject to change. Without it, though, it is too hard for me to get far off target. I need the discipline that a schedule provides.