I’m not going to even ask. I know you’ve made the transition to a virtual office. Beyond the normal factors influencing our ability to remain focused on a task (let alone a list of tasks), we are now conducting business with dog’s trying to climb in our laps, spouses working their tails off with our youngsters during eLearning days just 6 feet away, and any number of other “distractions”.

Frankly, it’s been an adventure this week and I guess I wouldn’t have it any other way. Little guys get to see the grind. I get to see them in their “school mode”. And, we’re getting time together as a family. Haven’t figured out how my wife, Mandy and I’ll pull off date night but we’ll improvise … always do!

So, the question is how do you stay organized in the midst of all these “distractions”? I’m no productivity expert – But I know some and have mostly modeled my organizational system after them.

This is how I Get Things Done:

I utilize Evernote religiously – Meaning, I use this app both on my iPhone and iMac to remain organized personally and professionally.

What I use to stay organized is what’s referred to as the Eisenhower Matrix. there are four categories:

URGENT + IMPORTANT (Do It Now)

URGENT, NOT IMPORTANT (Delegate)

IMPORTANT, NOT URGENT (Decide When To Do It)

NOT URGENT, NOT IMPORTANT (Do It Later, Dump It)

There are downloadable templates, but here is a screenshot:

For portions of the year when my business is uber fast-paced and time available for balancing tactical and strategic work, I use an app called Bear. With Bear, I’m able to create Notes, title them Monday, Tuesday, and so on and even segment the day by AM and PM. Again, Bear is my go-to during times of the year where I need to operate with hypersensitivity to time allocation and execution.

If you’re like me and are fully aware of the distractions that we are now facing as Work@Home employees, I hope these resources have been helpful. DM or email me to chat further about how you can incorporate these resources into your daily lives and the lives of the stakeholders you serve that might be struggling to stay organized while working at home.