OK, the calls are coming faster than I can keep them straight. I put an ad in the county newpaper and the results are impressive. What’s less so is my ability to keep them all organized. Tonight DW told me I had to get a Palm Pilot to compensate for ever decreasing powers of remembery.
I currently use a system of notebooks, and it has worked alright, but the added volume has revealed flaws in the system.
What do you do to keep straight meetings and scheduled events?
Thanks
I never met a tool I didn’t like!
Replies
I have an incoming phone log. It stays where the phone is. It used to be the tear off/ carbon copy ones that you get at the stationary store, but when I went cell phone only I didnt need the triplicate feature and it was bulky to carry around.
Now I have a top-spiral-bound pad that comes with me everywhere. That's my original and logs ALL my incoming calls and any special #s I need to remember. From there, they get transcribed into the appropriate file at the appropriate time.
It's cheap and low-tech and I can quickly write notes to go along with the number, like conversation notes of when I called back. However, the best part is that I don't clog the cell and Palm P with unnecessary #s that I have to scroll through and be reminded of who wasted my time.
The next thing you need is an appointmant book/ calender/ page. If you don't always have a laptop next to you, I would recommend an appointment book which doubles as a daily log of your activities - a job log.
I carry a laptop all day long and still prefer the log-book and the spiral pad.
I also have a small "kit" in my truck for go-sees. It has 10 business cards in a nice metal box which can fit in one's pocket, a new/ clean tape measure, a leatherman tool, a box of my favorite pens - Pilot Fine Points - tooth brush, breath mints, comb. Needless to say, I try to always have a clean shirt and pants along with clean shoes in a knapsack.
Frankie
I've tried the phone log book, but because all calls are routed to the home office number, and my kids/DW are notorious for not wrting the stuff down (and forgetting to tell me there's a message) it never really got a chance to be effective (my cell service is real spotty, and there's no cell service at all where I live.)
I have a calender in the office that is used to schedule jobs/interviews, but I gotta admit that it isn't as effective as I had hoped, probably because I forget to write everything down on it for future events.
Thanks for the input.
I never met a tool I didn't like!
and my kids/DW are notorious for not wrting the stuff down (and forgetting to tell me there's a message)
second dedicated phone line ... or a simple two line answering machine.
Mine has all the family hello's ... then ..
if this call regards Buck Construction .. please press .. star 2 .. and leave your message.
The machine sorts them. 2 different blinking "call counts".
Tell the kids "line 2" ain't none of their business.
Jeff Buck Construction
Artistry in Carpentry
Pgh, PA
I like the go-see kit idea.
I'm sorry, I thought you wanted it done the right way.
I'm watching the replies right along with you - nice to know someone else has the same problem I do!
Nick, I use a single page item I call an "AlzTimer - indicating it's between having Alzheimers and a day Timer - got the idea form a contractor friend many years ago. If you email me, I'll convert it to a pdf file and attach it to my Reply.
You can use it as a single page and modify it to your own operation and habits, or as my friend did, use the back side as well for other pertinent info. It goes with me daily and sits on my desk evenings. I modify it daily as well.
It's simple, has categories I use daily, and works.
Would you be so kind as to email me a pdf file of your "AlzTimer" page?
thx
steelstandin
I use the basic top spiral note pad. Carry it in my shirt pocket with a pen 24/5 (I try not to have my head up my business on family time). All important things big and small get written in it through the course of the day. I also carry my laptop at all times, and a 8x10 calender in my laptop/briefcase. information is distributed to the proper page (for quick schedule reference), computer calender (for long range detailed planning-with links to the associated files and plans in the computer), or to the correct files in the comp. Short term things I leave in the note pad and take care of asap (helps keep me from falling too far behind). BTW I also have a large paper clip on the cover of the pad that keeps it opening on the latest page, so I don't fumble around flipping pages and searching.
Kevin
I use a contact manager:
ACT! computer software - logs calls, jobs, meetings, any salesman type stuff (I don't use some of those features) - all numbers, emails, letters, etc. linked to each contact - very powerful. Links to Outlook, Word, Excel, Palm pilots. Start with the simple features and learn as you go. My mentor was pushing me hard to get the software 3 years ago, I resisted but now I'm sold. Great for anyone who works with people (who doesn't)
Its always impressive when someone calls and you reference the details, time and date of your last conversation.
Just found the website. Seems like it would be a steep learning curve, no? Is there a lot of transcribing/data entry envolved?
ThanksI never met a tool I didn't like!
Not a contractor, but I use a day planner system from Franklin Covey http://www.franklincovey.com. I keep track of phone conversations, schedule deliveries, pick-ups, billing, future contacts, phone numbers pretty much everything.
I have had a planner for years, but until I started my business I never used it like I do now.
This isn't the same 7-habits-of-highly-effective-people Covey, is it? I ot their planner after attending a company mandated seminar, and although the planner was great, it seemed bulky, complex, and expensive to replace.
I never met a tool I didn't like!
Same company.... Originally Franklin and then they added Covey. Set-up (or start-up) can be expensive, but it costs about $30 a year to buy the daily pages.
I have found it easy to adapt for my business use and it keeps all the info together, and I don't have to worry about batteries.
I had a palm, but I found I was using the computer more. ACT! works with palm, but wherever your data is, it can be imported. The benefit is that everything is in one place, and is linked (if you have a big company, all the computers on the network can have identical data automatically)
Spreadsheets for a given project are linked (but still separate) to the relevant contact. So are emails, actual letters, invoices, proposals, meetings, estimates and of course phone calls. (the program works with caller ID) It is not hard to use, and it links with any handheld - but is far better than what comes with the handhelds.
It is light-years past Outlook, which I tried hard to cling to, but soon was won over.
The calendar is great, every event is linked to a person or group of people (great for recording employee misdeeds etc - cover your butt) My mentor actually had a wrongful discharge filed against him, but his ACT! records saved him. I haven't used it for scheduling job details, but I'm sure it could work.
I just received a flier from Nextel - they will keep your phone and ACT! database updated to each other (for a monthly fee)
I know I sound a little overboard, but this program has organized me, and I never look for phone numbers, and seldom for data any longer. Oh and I am not a computer whiz, although I am on it a lot.
I use a Kyocera cell phone with built-in palm pilot, which I synchronize with Outlook. I have heard good things about ACT! in comparison to Outlook. I don't like that neither the Windows browser or the Google desktop browser will browse Outlook. Odd isn't it that the MicroSoft Windows browser won't browse the MicroSoft Outlook application?
Do you know if you can browse ACT! with the Windows or Google browsers? If you can, I'd switch to ACT! in a heartbeat.
Avram G.
Do they have a decent calendar that could be used for scheduling?
Jon Blakemore
I use a Palm (actually a Sony Clie). I still use Palm based software on my PC at home and the laptop at work. I have considered switching to Outlook since I use that at work for my email, but I haven't made the jump yet.
I am very happy with the Palm. It has been close to 5 years that I have been using it. It definitely requires an investment of time to get your contact list entered on your computer. ( I hope you have one, since this is a must ) Once the contact list is entered, back it up and it is there forever. I am up to about 1400 contacts. Modifying them is a breeze. I recently got a Cardscan device
http://www.cardscan.com/home/index.asp?flash=true
which simplifies data entry when someone gives you their business card.
The learning curve is not steep. You just need to commit yourself to using the Palm religiously. Which takes some time and patience. I mainly use it for contacts and for my datebook. I am slowly incorporating my daily to do list into the routine as well. The ease of looking up contact info and then plugging that into a scheduled appointment is pretty cool. Also being able to look back and find an old appointment from 3 months ago in about 5 seconds with a search is very valuable.
If you decide to do this, I would recommend buying an inexpensive model first. The Palm unit shown in this link:
http://www.palmone.com/us/products/handhelds/zire31/
is a good one for only $129 and has what you need to get started. If you want to get the software to be able to view Word and Excel files, go ahead, but, I haven't found it to be tremendously valuable, at least not as a beginner.
I have always liked the feeling that if I lost my Palm, I could just go buy a new one, take it to my office, plug it in, press the sync button, and in 30 seconds, I am back in business. If I lost a paper day planner, I don't know what I would do.
I love mine but I will admit, they aren't for everyone. For me, there is no turning back.
carpenter in transition
Thanks. I'm fairly sure I'm gonna pick up a Palm, if nothing more than to appease my wife. She hates computers, but thinks this will help better organize my life/business.
Thanks
I never met a tool I didn't like!
Nick,I think a Palm Pilot would be a big help for you. I bought a Palm Zire 21 in October. It's one of the cheaper ones out there but I have my phone book, to do list, small memo pad, and date book at my fingertips at all times.I wasn't sure if I was going to buy in to the Palm concept so I bought the cheapest model I could find. It has been a huge help for me, I would never go back.
Jon Blakemore
How's battery life? Does it freeze up much? How do you transfer data to computer, USB or?
Thanks. Spending Sat. getting a crash course in PDAs. Couldn't even spell it before today.
I never met a tool I didn't like!
>>>"How's battery life?"I've never charged after the inital setup. I think it charges when you're hooked up to the computer to HotSync.>>>"Does it freeze up much?"Not once.>>>"How do you transfer data to computer, USB or?"Simple USB for the Zire 21, I think the other models may have some type of cradle.
Jon Blakemore
Do you currently use a computer for your business ?
If so, does your wife help with billing, typing, etc. ?
Do you use any software such as Microsoft Outlook ?
carpenter in transition
Computer is used to generate proposals, billing, and spreadsheet for finances. Wife doesn't touch the computer, she tends to destroy electronics with the regularity of a clock. I don't use MS Outlook, I wasn't sure if it was related to Outlook Express, which no longer works on my computer (went toes-up when I loaded the DSL software and I've never been able to revive it. My e-mail is now funneled through Yahoooooooo!)
Which Palm do you use? I went out looking today and there were only 2 models on display at Best Buy, one of them a close-out. Perusing Amazon brought up a number of models, but I have no clue what I should be looking for, and most of the reviews for the higher end models (I guess they were based on price) were pretty poor.
Thanks.I never met a tool I didn't like!
I think I bought my first Palm direct:
http://www.palm.com/us/
Since then, a Handspring from Staples and my Sony from Ecost:
http://www.ecost.com/ecost/ecsplash/default_new.asp
I would recommend starting at Staples. They usually have an ok selection. I bought an extended warranty on the Handspring Treo 90 and it paid for itself when the device had two screen failures. You should at least check the price of the warranty. As I said before, consider the Zire 31 for $129. Don't worry about Bluetooth or WiFi connectivity. 16MB of memory is adequate for the basics. You can always get an SD flash card and put it in the Palm for additional memory. My Sony uses a Memory Stick. Unfortunately, Sony is getting out of the PDA biz.
Stick with the Palm brand. My battery will last at least 4-5 days depending on usage. It could easily last twice that. It recharges when you plug it in for extended periods.
Outlook Express is like Outlook Lite. If you don't have Outlook, it costs about $100. You don't really need it, you just use the Palm software which comes for free. I've been using it for at least 5 years. ACT is an option too. I have heard nice things about it. I see the pricing is around $220.
Keep in mind, you can start out with the Palm software and switch later to Outlook or ACT. Using the export function in the Palm software.
Aftermarket Palm software is available from several vendors, typically as a download. The biggest one is :
http://www.palmgear.com/
Software prices per software product vary from free to $40 or more. $20 is a common price.
You should definitely invest in a case if the device doesn't come with one. I had a cool neoprene one for my Treo which had a cell phone type belt clip.
There are a million people out there using Palms which has created a loyal following. There are a ton of websites for all kinds of stuff. Here is just one:
http://www.creativeconsulting.com/palm/
carpenter in transition
Tim, thanks for the in-depth reply. I went to Staples today, their selection of Palm & iPaqs were good. I liked the iPaqs, but they were almost double the cost, so I'll probably so with a cheaper Palm. And will spring for the extra warranty, since it appears these things aren't real reliable (reading some Amazon reviews gave me shudders.)
Thanks again.
I never met a tool I didn't like!
I had a Handspring Visor (like a Palm) left from my computer repair days but soon ditched it for a basic paper 6"x8" day scheduler.I ran into a couple of problems using the digital day timer - one, it got dirty, wet and shorted out on me once (if you're a contractor, you gotta be pretty anal about keeping your digital stuff sawdust free),
two, any time I needed to check what was happening tomorrow, the next day, the next week, I found myself clicking, scrolling, clicking again, scrolling some more trying to find the info I was looking for,
three, using a stylus to write is just a big pain in the a--. I can write with a pen far quicker than I can etch-a-sketch.With a paper scheduler, you're looking at a calendar that displays a week (or month) at a time, changes can be made quickly, and you stand a chance of recovering your data if your daytimer falls in a puddle! Oh yeah, and it's $20 v. $150-$400.Just my opinion,MacView Image
" I don't use MS Outlook, I wasn't sure if it was related to Outlook Express, which no longer works on my computer (went toes-up when I loaded the DSL software and I've never been able to revive it."
Nick,
My DSL line through SBCGLobal also uses Yahoo, but I have the option of using Outlook as my default e-mail program - it's not much harder than finding the correct screen and checking the option box.
Good luck,-Jazzdogg-
Whether you think you can, or you think you can't, you're right.
For whatever reason, Outlook Express does not work since I loaded SBC DSL; the only way I can get my mail is thru Yahoo. I've tried a multitude of different things (even posted here looking for help) all without success. So I use Yahoo. Actually, I'm getting used to it.
Thanks anyway.I never met a tool I didn't like!
"For whatever reason, Outlook Express does not work since I loaded SBC DSL"That was your 2nd mistake. The first is using Outlook.You don't need any SBC software to use SBC DLS.You might ask here,http://www.dslreports.com/forum/ilec,swbell
Bill, thanks for the link. BTW, I don't use Outlook. Yet.
I never met a tool I didn't like!
What you need to connect to SBC DSL (and many others) is a PPPoE "client".If you have one of the newer SpeedStream 5100b modems (it has 5 LED's where the older ones only had 4) then one mode is for the modem to handle PPPoE.Windows XP has PPPoE built into it.There are 3rd party PPPoE software clients available for other OS's.But what I did (I have an the older 5100) is to get a $40 router. Most cheap SOHO routers have PPPoE builtin.
Been using a Palm Pilot for about six years now......can`t live without it.....heck, I`d forget DWs Bday if I lost it!
I agree with others...don`t need an expensive one. I started out with a basic model originally, but since then I`ve stepped it up. Bought the Zire 71 last year....all the bells and whistles....even a digital camera which has come in real handy on the job....replaced the need to keep a polaroid handy. This thing even has MP3 capability....gonna buy the memory card someday!
ATTENTION FELLOW BREAKTIME MEMBERS:
If you`d like to discuss topics other than home building, come on down to the Woodshed Tavern. Great bunch of guys and gals letting off a little steam about everything and anything. Its not a special club, but.....as of Monday, March 14, the Tavern folder will go behind an access wall. Only those who request access to this folder by contacting [email protected] will be able to view and participate in discussions there.
I bought a Treo 600 phone/pda all my appointments go in the calender with a alarm clock setting! then I have some chance of being on time.
I thought a phone and a pda was asking for trouble you are bound to forget one or other.
cheers,
John
I've been thinking about getting a combo phone/pda just to get rid of one device. Besides the Treo, did you look at any other brands/types? I know Blackberry has one, but it is expensive and the phone plan is expensive too.Does anyone else use a combo device? If so, what do you like/dislike?
Bryan, I did a lot of research, however the Blue-black berry wasn't available when I bought my Treo.
I use it mainly as a phone, calendar for appointments,all my contacts are in there, sms is the best as it has a full qwerty keyboard (that's one word I can type quickly)
I tried some of the project management software but they all seem very amateurish, I prefer MS project on the PC.
Splash ID I use for keeping info, sizes of things,ids,codes etc I also have a paper note book as I find it quicker and the notebook info doesn't need to be in my organizer.
I'm always up for more ways of improving efficiency but I don't want to spend endless time tapping away on a tiny screen with unimportant info.
good luck with the research.
Cheers,
Johnwww.johnwalkerbuilders.com
Edited 4/30/2005 1:30 am ET by JOHNAWALKER
My wife runs her very busy professional practice from a PDA, and it works great for her. She's operated this way for four years. I started using a PDA (Palm Zire 72) a few months ago, and it's great. Having all information in one compact place is very powerful.
When the Palm Pilot came out back in 1997, I bought one. I was very enthusiastic about the concept. Couldn't make it happen for me, though. I tried on two successive occasions to integrate a PDA into my business, and it didn't work. Earlier this year, I was diagnosed with ADD and started taking medication for it. It's amazing how well the PDA works when the user can actually focus on it! PDAs are a lot better now than they were 8 years ago, but the user is kind of an important link in the process.
As you might expect, there's a huge universe of PDA applications available for people who sync with Windows, quite a lot fewer for Macs. My wife and I both use Macs primarily, but also have Windows machines (I tell people we're "bi"). Macs require a couple of third-party workarounds for top performance with a PDA.
My friend the professional organizer has had clients get PDAs, and she's seen a lot of problems. She says that if somebody completely blows off an appointment with her, it's usually because they relied on the PDA. Of course, the PDA can't help you if you don't remember where it is.
An aside: A lot of people say, "Who needs a camera in the freakin' thing?" Turns out, the on-board camera in my Zire is really handy. I like to get some pictures when I'm looking at a bid, and sometimes it's helpful to get work-in-progress shots.
Thanks, went back to Staples today... and walked out mt-handed. Just couldn't decide on which one to get. I really like the i-paq, but think it is more that I really need or will ever use. Palm Zire 31, Tungstun E, T-5, Zire 72, couldn't decide. Back to the pad of paper. If I can find it...
I never met a tool I didn't like!
I went Palm about four years ago after about 10 years with a Franklin Planner (paper). Just ordered a new Palm (Tungsten E) with a much better screen. I'm a big fan but hardly a power user.
Remember, it's just a tool and the real value comes in how you use the tool. First, make sure you've also got a PC with compatible desktop software. The PC will be much easier to type/view etc. from. Synch between Palm and PC is a 30 second operation (if that), I do it a couple times a day.
Keep your contacts up which is relatively easy. If you agree to provide a quote or something make it a task (with due date). For appointments, use the calendar. For managing projects there are plenty of download apps you can pick up.
Once you get used to it, you'll find that you have everything you need at your fingertips. I still carry mine in a small binder with a pad of paper. I cannot enter text as fast as I can write so I take notes on paper when I have to then transcribe to the Palm later (this is where the PC keyboard shines).
Again, I'm not a power user but I'm sure there are apps available for managing clients, projects etc. The real strength is in how you use it.
Rob
Weekend Warrier Supreme
Nuke,
I am not a computer guy, but I am some what of a gadget guy. I used Palm type devices for years with varying success. Now I have a palm integrated cell phone thing. It is tiny, smaller than most cellphones on the market. and being integrated into the cell phone makes it the greatest thing ever. it is the Samsung I500. http://www1.sprintpcs.com/explore/PhonesAccessories/PhoneDetails.jsp?navLocator=%7Cshop%7CphonesAccessories%7CpdaPhones%7C&selectSkuId=samsungi500&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=1476427&CURRENT_USER%3C%3EATR_SCID=ECOMM&CURRENT_USER%3C%3EATR_PCode=None&CURRENT_USER%3C%3EATR_cartState=group&bmUID=1114619923902
Does not having a 'real' keyboard present a problem on the Sprint PCS 1500?