TOOLS EVERY LEADER SHOULD BE USING TO STAY ORGANIZED

There is no doubt that school educators are busy every minute of the day. Effective task management can be quite a challenge, especially when dealing with complex assignments or projects, each with its own specific requirements, deadlines, and deliverables. Thankfully, I geek out in organizational tools! I can't wait to share with you a few tools that will make your life so much easier. In the end, your every day tasks get less complicated and you are more efficient.

HOW TO GROUP YOUR TABS

Do you have 250 tabs open on your computer's search engine?  If so, I bet you are often clicking through all of them to find the one you need.  I have a solution to help you quickly find the tab right away.  Recently, I switched to Microsoft Edge instead of Chrome.  Let me tell you why.  Edge allows me to create organized tabs and they don't disappear.  In Chrome, you can also create these tabs, but I can't seem to get them to stay.  Until Chrome figures out how to make groups stay, I will use Microsoft Edge for all my searches.  

When you click on one of the groups you have created, it opens up to see all the tabs.  When you click it again, it will condense and hide.  This keeps your tabs all clean and organized. 

The grouped tabs display the color in a line across the top and the group name is on the left side. From here, there are a couple of things you can do:

• To collapse or expand all the tabs, click the group name or color indicator
• To move all the tabs around as a group, click and drag the group name.
• To move a tab into another group, drag and drop it to the other group.
• To add a new blank tab or ungroup tabs, right-click the tab group’s name.

STEPS to CREATE TABS

1. Open Chrome or Microsoft Edge browser

2. Click Group Tab 

3. Name your tab groups and customize colors

4.  Click and drag a tab group name or colored circle to move the groups

HOW TO SCHEDULE INSTANT MEETINGS IN GMAIL

This great idea was shared by my good friend, Lauren.  She knew I would love this.  I have been using Calendly for the last few years.  I just switched to Boomerang.  Boomerang is a free add-on to gmail unless you want all of the features.  Honestly, I think Boomerang is way easier to use than Calendly.  The set up was simple.  

Boomerang is a one-click calendar scheduling system that integrates within your gmail.

Take a look at the bottom of my email signature.  The orange MEET button at the bottom allows you to schedule a meeting without emailing back and forth suggested times.  Time saver!

 

Boomerang is the #1 Gmail extension. It lets you schedule sending email, track if someone replies to an email, and set reminders on important messages.

INSTANT AGENDAS AND MEETING NOTES 

Google has built-in agendas and meeting notes!  I have been creating agendas all year within my google drive.  Attendees get instant access to the agenda immediately after sending a calendar invitation to them.  

The agenda automatically adds the attendees from the calendar invite and the date.  

CLOSING

I hope you have enjoyed the items above and find that these tools save you time throughout the day.  I know these seems simple, but saving time on the simple tasks allow you to focus on the bigger ones.  Guarding your time and managing it well is crucial to your success.  It's not just about getting things done.  It's about avoiding burnout and having a sense of contentment and accomplishment at the end of each day.