Methods for personal organization seem to be a never ending search for ideas that work. Depending on the individual personality, some things that work well for one person do not work as well for another. To achieve the maximum benefit from a personal organization system, there are a number of things that need to be factored into the solution. If you own a computer, there are software tools that contain everything you need to establish an effective method for organizing information, scheduling your time, and creating a custom plan that is unique to your individual needs. You can use your computer to assist with organizing things that are both on and off the system.

Regardless of the combination of tools you might use to plan your day and organize your work, the most valuable, and most neglected weapon in your arsenal is your computer. The best way to start an effective plan is to adopt the working perspective that you are the creative person with all the ideas and purposes, while your computer is the mechanism for performing the repetitive, tedious memory work that would otherwise be cluttering your own brain.

Using the virtual world of the computer, it is possible to get things done faster and more efficiently than in the physical shuffling of binders, calendars, and scraps of paper stuck to the refrigerator to remind you it is time to pay the electric bill. For quick reminders, computer software can produce electronic