Book and Time Management

Make the book multi purpose, to serve you best. Unify all daily functions and records, even expenses, in a roomy one or two page spread for each day of the year. And keep supplementary material-address/phone list, credit cards, calendar and such-in the same memo and planning book.

That's where many managers miss out. Their records are scattered, difficult to find and use.

Orderly arrangement, a functionalized format, is crucial. You can buy a blank notebook and lay in a format, or buy one ready-printed for personal executive use.

You can even choose a pocket edition including 12 separate booklets, one for each month, and a wallet to carry the current monthly booklet and supplementary materials. The desk version is a single loose-leaf volume.

The format comprises a two-page spread for each day, divided into separate sections for appointments and things to do at a certain hour; other things to do that day; expenses; and a page for diary notes of services performed. On this page you can record when you undertook any action and the length of time you gave it, by virtue of a time-scale down the side of the page.

Such a unified personal planning aid gives you virtually a portable office. A daily expense section lets the manager make on-the-spot records of travel, entertainment and other out -of-pocket costs easily mislaid or forgotten. Back at the office they're stapled to the desk book pages for the days on which each expenditure occurred. It takes just seconds and the record is permanent.

Many people keep a daily record book. There are evidences showing that keeping a daily book helps a lot in maintaining balance.

Compact calendar pages for coming months permit you, no matter where you are, to confirm an appointment for a week, a month or even several months ahead. No wheel-spinning in checking later. Such pages, and a slim phone/address book, should be the standard components of your portable office. The containing wallet can also house ready-reference data. The latter includes a table of wine vintage years, family clothing sizes, machine tool tolerances, weight-watcher data, subordinates' vacation times, and stocks' price/earning ratio tables.