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I'm going, going back, back to Cali........

Cali as in calendar.

So, not to sound like your mom, but how do you keep events organized? I think that for journalists blocking out time is really important.
Why? Because not only does it help you plan out your stories, but it helps you to know when you can make personal commitments with friends and family.
I'll share my system and then I hope many of you will join in.
I started with pen and paper. But, in the digital age - my pocket pc/phone is my second brain. It helps that it's small and I always have it with me. Sure I miss writing on paper - but I still use paper for my to-do lists.
And a great thing about using my pda - for all you government beat reporters - is that my city's online calendar has every event and meeting available for download to a Microsoft Outlook calendar.
Of course......I truly can't wait until the iPhone comes out, just because my pda I have now is so unreliable.
At work - I also keep a paper calendar. One because it has funny cat jokes, and two because it allows me to put stickies all over it on important events to be held on certain dates or in certain months. This means that when, like now, I'm beginning to plan out my June coverage - I just flip the calendar and have all that information ready to start my planning.
Published Wednesday, May 09, 2007 2:21 PM by SonyaSmith
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Comments

# re: Tips for da beat: I'm going, going back, back to Cali........

Wednesday, May 09, 2007 6:06 PM by ElysseJames
This is perfect timing for a post like this.
I have always been a paper-agenda girl. I get excited and spend weeks shopping for planners each year, looking for just the right one to carry around for the year. This has been the perfect strategy for me all through college and high school. I can write notes, directions, assignments and social events all in the same place, use pretty colored pens and stickers, and have my agenda at my fingertips.
But since I've been out of college I have much less to write down. Bascially my schedule is the same each week and I tend to remember social events because my life is not so clogged with schoolwork and other responsibilities.
I began using Google's calendar feature this month. I love it. I spend about 8 hours a day on the computer for work, and I have Google as my homepage, so it makes perfect sense. Also, many of my non-work arrangements are made during work hours so I can just type them into my calendar. I can color-code, and it will even send me a reminder hours, days, or weeks prior to the event. I've been putting birthdays in there so the reminder will come in time to buy a card.
Because of my less-than-packed schedule, or maybe because of the ease of the online calendar, I have not been using my paper planner and am finally considering the move to a PDA. I'm wary of giving up my slim cell phone but also don't want to carry around two devices, so I'm considering buying something like the Treo, or the PalmPilot. suggestions!).
I may finally make the move away from paper.
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