amy :: lynn

This semester has been crazy for me! Internship, work, classes with tons of group work, PRSSA, and oh yeah - free time. While I love it all - I’ve been utilizing some time savers and looking for more. Here’s what I’ve come up with so far.

1. If you can afford it - get a smart phone! I recently got one. While it did major damage on my bank account, it has done wonders for my schedule. I can enter all dates easier than a regular cell phone, set up reminders, create portable to-do lists, and load documents and pdfs for later viewing. Then there’s the most obvious benefit - EMAIL and internet! Smart phones are getting cheaper in cost, so the only long-term cost is the data package each month. Mine is about $40. It hurts, but it helps.

2. Blogger Penelope Trunk suggests not leaving email sitting in your inbox. This is really good advice! That doesn’t mean you have to answer right away, but move it to the appropriate folder, add it to your to-do list, or flag it with a color-coder (common in email programs like Outlook and Thunderbird).

3. Stay up to date with all the PR news by utilizing RSS feeds. Google Reader has become my best friend these days. It presents your news in a clean, simple layout, and lets you access it wherever you are.

4. Calendars. There are so many different events, newsworthy opportunities for your organization, and editorial calendars. Put all those dates into an electronic calendar, such as the one in your email program, google calendar, etc. You can share them with students and associates if you wish and the programs will email you a reminder.

I’ll update as I find more useful tools and tips.  Feel free to share any you find helpful.