04 May 2020 How I used OneNote to get organised in just 30 minutes
How to Get Organised Using OneNote When Things Start Getting Messy
The other day I was reminded why Microsoft OneNote is one of my favourite productivity tools.
Like many people during the COVID-19 period, I had been busy creating new training programs and adapting my work to changing circumstances. As I worked, I came across articles, videos, websites and emails that I wanted to revisit later.
Rather than interrupting my focus, I did what many productive people do: I saved them for later.
I flagged a few emails, bookmarked some web pages, saved a couple of YouTube videos, and made notes in various places. The problem was that I hadn’t planned this as a formal project. Over time, those pieces of information ended up scattered across Outlook, Microsoft To Do and OneNote.
What started as a useful collection of resources gradually became a confusing mess. And for someone who teaches productivity for a living, that’s never a good sign!
A Simple Way to Get Organised Using OneNote?
Instead of letting the clutter continue to build, I set aside 30 minutes to tidy things up with Microsoft OneNote. In that short period of time, I:
- Created a new project page in OneNote.
- Removed duplicate tasks so I only had one source of truth.
- Linked to meeting notes I had already captured in OneNote.
- Added links to YouTube videos and online resources I wanted to review.
- Created a task from the OneNote page so it appeared in Microsoft To Do and Outlook.
By the end of the process, everything related to that project was in one place.
What had felt overwhelming suddenly felt manageable again.
Why OneNote Is So Effective for Staying Organised
OneNote’s real strength is its flexibility. Rather than forcing you to work within a rigid structure, it allows you to bring together information from many different places. Notes, emails, web links, meeting minutes, tasks, screenshots and ideas can all be connected and stored together.
That’s why so many people use OneNote to get organised at work. When everything is linked together in a single location, you spend less time searching and more time actually getting things done.
For me, OneNote acts as the central hub for many of my projects. It helps me keep track of information, organise my thinking and reduce the mental clutter that comes from having information scattered across multiple apps.
Get Organised Using OneNote Before Things Become Overwhelming
One of the biggest productivity mistakes people make is waiting until things feel out of control before they get organised. The good news is that it doesn’t take long to regain control. In my case, just 30 minutes was enough to gather everything together and create a clear overview of what I needed to do.
If you’ve tried Microsoft OneNote before but never fully embraced it, or if you’ve never used it at all, I’d encourage you to take another look. You might be surprised by how quickly you can get organised using OneNote.
As one participant said to me after a recent training session: “OneNote is a game changer.” I couldn’t agree more.
Geoff Prior – Lingford Consulting, May 2020
Digital Productivity Trainer and Coach. MBTI Consultant
If you are interested in knowing more about using OneNote, I have a public training programs coming up that might be of interest. I can also run this in-house of course. Contact me for more information.
See our (Online) Productivity Training Events
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