Tips

Begin your first week by simply recording your appointments and by listing things to be done in the week-at-a-time pages. Then, adapt the following suggestions to your needs as you experience continuous improvements in your performance and time saving habits.

Please note that the above picture illustrates the desk size version of the Harvard^Ž Elite, also known as the Superplanner. Some features are slightly different in the medium size and in the threadsewn pocket size Elite.

Objectives and action

Record the important objectives for the week, preferably from your annual and monthly objectives (e.g. Improve staff productivity, Actions A to D).

List the actions necessary to achieve each objective and other planned events under the Action section (e.g. A to D, right-hand page). If an action requires more than one line, its reference letter is the one on the first line. Stroke the remaining letters through with an arrow, as in Actions D, K and R.

Personal plans and obligations

Actions P' through U' have been highlighted to provide separate areas for errands, personal or career development projects.

Scheduling and delegation

Schedule planned actions by placing obliques (/) in one or more of the seven columns representing days. Action A is planned for Monday (column M).

Record the name of the person to whom the work is delegated in the Delegate to column.

As a reminder to follow up delegated work (or promises made by others), place a question mark (?) in the the column of the due day, as in actions C and H.

Work reporting and completion

Cross off the oblique (X) when you have worked on the action. Action H Upgrade Internet link, planned Monday (/), performed Wednesday (X), with online verification to be performed on Friday (?). Action C delegated Monday to Roger who promised to deliver on Wednesday (?).

Tick the action when completed as in actions K, R and A'.

Tick the small cell under month when all tasks for the week are finished.

Appointments

The Appointment section (left-hand page) can be used for:

record appointments directly (e.g. Lunch with Richard, Monday noon);

write only the action code in the appropriate 15-minute cell and hour, as in Action T', Squash game with Roger 6:30 Monday and 7:15 Tuesday;

record appointments and cross-reference to the Action section for more information (e.g. Thursday 9:00 am Board Meeting described in Action K);

refer to an action from a previous week to avoid rewriting, such as Action 6M (week 6, line M) planned for Friday at 9 am.

Priority and sequence

Enter the priority and sequence number of each action in the Importance and Sequence column. Designate priority with Laken's ABC approach or Martin's proactive scheme in which E denotes essential, I important and O ordinary priority work (reference: Flawless Time Management, PDI Press).

Rescheduling features

	Reschedule actions within the same week with an oblique (/) as in Action T' (Squash game with Roger) rescheduled from Monday to Tuesday, done Wednesday.
Should work be defered to another week, there are two ways to reschedule an action without rewriting. Use the Defer to column to:

either record only the number to which the task is deferred as in Action 11P
(week 11, line P) now deferred to week 14. Then post the action code 11P to the Deferred Action space, on the top left corner of week 14.

Post the new action code and maintain a two-way cross-reference as in Action C' of the current week which led to action 12B (week 12, line B).

Also due this week are Deferred Actions 4V, X and 9B (V and X of week 4 and B of week 9). Strike out code when the corresponding action is complete.
Important: Please note that in the threadsewn pocket size Elite, the deferred action space is located at the top of the right-hand page, preceeded by an arrow.

Time and expenses logs

Log planned or actual time and expenses in the Time and Expenses columns.

Role and responsibility

Specify your role in a task as in the Risk Prediction Meeting (Action Y). Use R for responsible, A for approval, S for support or I to be informed. Clear roles means less conflict (reference: Think Proactive, PDI Press).

Billing, data processing and filing

Use the File column to cross-reference actions to your billing system records.

Evaluation, memos and page supplements

Use the Memo and Evaluation section in a manner meaningful to you.

Use the rectangle in the lower right-hand corner of each page to record your weight, jogging mileage or to rate your performance for the week.

	When both pages are full, use blank space from previous pages or Notes sheets and cross-reference.
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