If you’re anything like me, then you’ll look at the way in which other people juggle itineraries, to-do lists, timetables and schedules and be reminded of a conjurer spinning plates. People seem to fall naturally into two camps; those driven by foresight (or nervousness) to organize and plan their daily exploits, and those who would in all cases simply rather throw caution to the wind with a temple tapping-gesture that means ‘it’s all up here’. Unfortunately, it rarely is ‘all up there’. People like me who are badly organized can’t use their disinclination towards efficient methods as a viable excuse. As I cannot claim to preach to others, here’s a self-addressed to-do list of how I might go about becoming better prepared in 2010:

When In Doubt, Print It Out: I couldn’t count using a bag of abacuses how many times I’ve hesitated over printing out the connection details for a meeting, important plan-B contact details, credentials and other documentation that might’ve helped me once away from my desk and the comfort of an all-knowing computer. I vow to hold this mantra from now-on, and I hope others learn from my mistakes.

File, Label, Relax: It’s not the hardest thing in the world, but the tendency to opt out of holding a filing system has cost me time, effort, and sometimes my veneer of professionalism. Whatever we do, we usually require no more than a shelf of folders for quick and easy reference, making sure they are well-labeled. I vow secondly to busy myself with a label printer and a few box files, and wait for the day when I can proudly produce a document when it is needed.

Making Friends with a Pocket Planner: Some people find themselves unnaturally averse to the thought of carrying a pocket organizer of any kind, and I myself am one of these persons. Nevertheless, needs surely must. Having a daily list of appointments, deadlines, and reminders to hand is a great way to remain on top of my duties and to glide smoothly though a busy day without taking up people’s time more than necessary. Therefore I will shelve my distaste, and take up a planner.

Being Organized, Uninterrupted: Many times I find myself entirely willing to concentrate on a much-delayed project, only to find that I have no printer paper to hand, no envelopes, no stamps, no spare ink cartridges. Sometimes I am lucky to find a chewed pencil. I cannot be organized and interrupted, as that makes no sense. To combat this, I vow to keep an eye on my supplies, and never to be caught without enough spares to carry me through even the most demanding of projects.

To-do Lists Great and Small: A great portion of the problem I have in addressing what needs to be addressed when it needs to be addressed arises from my inability to schedule proper times in which to do certain tasks. Designing a calendar with different colour schemes (green for far-off goals, red for imminent) would be a good way to ensure that I can allot the proper time to the proper task, giving myself ample time and ensuring I don’t have wasted days. Though colour-schemes are entering the realm of the obsessively-organized, I know it will benefit me to organize my time in this way, and that I will eventually reap the benefits. And so I submit.

So there it is, a kind of to-do list within a to-do list, but all the same, I must resolve to change my incompetence somehow. 2010 Has to be the year in which organizing my life finally happens. It’s now or never. After all, it’s got that date on the spine of the book.