This is the beginning of a new series on organizing the information in your life.
A Control Panel is something I came up with about 7 years ago in an attempt to find a new and better way to organize and centralize various types of data necessary to run the house. It is any system or device that contains all the organizational material for your family and home. In reality, the Panel probably consists of several different things: maybe you have a wall calendar, a group of computer files, a Rolodex or address book, a file drawer, and a day planner or smart phone. Some management types say that it is best to have everything in one place, only use one system. Personally, I find this to be a little restrictive and impractical.
If I had everything only in one place, it’d probably be a binder in the largest size I could find, with dozens of dividers, that weighed several pounds. Not so easy to carry with me, or even to reference throughout the day. I’d probably need a special table, like those big dictionaries in libraries, and I just don’t have that kind of space!
Having said that, it is possible – dare I say, probable? – that the multitude of organizational gizmos, or lack thereof, that the average family employs isn’t working to the best potential. The key is to decide what you need to have available to you to run your life, how you would prefer to organize it, and get it together in a manageable way. Let’s look at a few options (we’ll go more in depth in the coming days to help you decide on your personal combination).
control journal/household notebook
This is the binder system, with dividers for everything from daily routines to Christmas box inventories. In one binder or (more likely) many, this is an easily obtainable and customizable way of going about it. It’s the type you’ll see in Flylady circles and on OrganizedHome.com (neither of which I’m affiliated with in any way other than being a former subscriber).
card file
The very first system beyond a legal pad to-do list that I ever came across was the Sidetracked Home Executives card file system. This is primarily a housework/recurrent task only system, though there are ways to expand it beyond your chores. I’m fond of it in some ways and not in others, and my personal Panel will probably have a card file in it somewhere.
business planners
I have been an avid customer of both Daytimer and Franklin Covey planners. They are both fine systems (and addictive!), but I found them of less use outside an office. They can be incorporated into a Control Panel, and businesspeople would likely get great benefit from them. Personally, I’ve gotten over it.
electronic planners
Computer calendar programs, like Microsoft Outlook or Apple’s Mail, can be extremely useful, but in my opinion can only take you so far. Desktop computers are far from portable and even laptops and netbooks are often inconvenient, so I generally find I need some interim method of keeping track of things away from home. The latest smartphones are sweet – but generally expensive. And there’s a whole new learning curve, which is not always fun. Actually, the main thing I don’t like about my iPhone/iPad (as a part of a Panel) is not being able to see more than one bit at a time, although there are a multitude of apps that may be helpful to you – I’m still exploring. As a portable extension of a desktop program it’s wonderful, but again, Mail will take me only so far
So that’s a basic overview on what I see a Control Panel to be. What it contains and how it’s set up will come shortly. Next, Why have a Control Panel at all?
