paper method for @errands: useful, albeit, compulsive

[Anonymous]

I have found @errands hard to organize in a way that is accessible for entering and retrieving what I needed to do where and what I need to bring with me, and what I could also be open to doing while there. I am the only errand runner in the family, and face the challenges of suburban sprawl,and an ever changing schedule, so this is a big step improvement for me. Using a page for each I listed the major locales/destinations as headings, such as :Church", "Civic Center", "North End", "Nursing Home". Having created 15 of these I put the pages in alphabetical order. Then I listed on a given locale's page the places there that could be of interest to me and the items I would need to take with me, info such as when open, if cash only. etc. These are also the pages for entering specific needs that emerge as I process IN. The first page before the alphabetical list of locales is headed "choice" and it is for things that can be done at a variety of places such as "buy tylenol, buy bday card for brother. Yes, it is more paper but it is lettting me process and organize at the same time. And, it is less info on the calendar as all I list there is the part of the hard landscape that is the reason for going to the locale in the first place.

 

[Scott_L_Lewis]

Errands

Jamie,

I do something very similar, except that I put the contexts on 3X5 cards. That way, I can just stick the cards in my breast pocket, and I don't have to mess with my paper planner while I'm doing errands.

 

[Busydave]

Dublin City is still quite compact. I use a Filofax and find that an @on-the-road list catches most of my errands. I just have to remember to consult these lists at the start of an outing.

If any of the items are date specific (birthday card) or urgent (Tylenol!) that would initiate an outing, and I try to pick up other items on the way.

Evening grocery run as dictated by wife over phone goes straight on a 3½ by 3½ paper off a stack and into my breast pocket. This is such an embedded system for groceries and other evening have-to’s that I have taken to wearing non-white shirts so the paper does not show through.

Dave