Table of Contents

About the Author

Dedication

Preface

Chapter 1 Clear Your Desk

Is His Day Like Your Day?

Are You a School Leader?

Time: Friend or Foe?

A Simple Solution

Creating a Tickler File

The Tickler File in Action

Other Examples

Forgetting is a Good Thing

The Paper Workflow

Let’s Tackle the Rest of the Desk

Let’s Tackle the Rest of the Office (or Classroom)

An "L-Shaped" Desk

Prepare Tomorrow Today

My First-Year Secret Weapon

Summary: Your Desk is Clear and So Is Your Thinking

Chapter 2 Your Signature Tool

What is a "Signature Tool"?

Why You Should Use a Digital Tool

An Organized Task List

A Task List That Gets Done

The Calendar

A Very Complete Contacts List

A Wealth of Reference Material

Our Love/Hate Relationship with Email

Summary: You Only Have One Place to Look

Chapter 3 Handling Repeating Tasks

Setting Up a Repeating Task System

Who Can Help? The Art of Delegation

Expanding the Repeating Task List Throughout the Organization

Summary: Do the Thinking One Time and Let the System Handle the Rest

Chapter 4 Managing the Flood of Incoming Information

Documentation

Email

Let’s Begin Getting In to Empty

Voice Input

Summary: Surf the Wave Instead of Drowning in the Flood

Chapter 5 Handling Multiple Projects

Projects are Different

Project Execution: The GPS of Life

Define the Goal

Break the Project into Small Steps

Put the Next Steps and the Related Goal on the Task List

Keep Related Information with the Project

Stick With a Project as Long as You Can

Put a Bookmark in the Project

Organize the Supporting Material

Summary: Build a Reputation for "Staying on Top of Things"

Chapter 6 Where Do I Put It?...It’s Paper

Fingertip Files

Current Projects

Reference Files

Off-Site Storage

File It the Way You Find It

Summary: Paper is Not the Enemy—Lack of a System Is

Chapter 7 Where Do I Put It?...It’s Digital

The Computer Desktop

Documents

Fingertip Files

Current Projects

"Cloud" Storage

Using Multiple Cloud Services

Backing-Up Your Files

Summary: It’s Only of Value if You Can Find It Quickly

Chapter 8 Evernote Made Easy

A Day in the Life of the Evernote User

The Case for Evernote

Getting Started

What Notebooks Do You Need?

Stacks, Notebooks, and Tags

Returning to Linda’s Day: Lesson Plans in Evernote

Designing Your Own System

Digital Documents versus Digital Notes

Summary: Your Notes Just Became More Valuable

Chapter 9 Putting it All Together: Mindy’s Math Dilemma

The Goal and the Next Step

The Initial Meeting

Project Planning

When the Dance is Over

Total Control and Peace of Mind

Chapter 10 Time is My Friend

References

About the Author

Frank Buck is an education consultant to schools and businesses. He has served as a central office administrator, principal, assistant principal, and band director during a career in education spanning almost 30 years. Dr. Buck writes a weekly newspaper column, maintains an active blog, and regularly presents at national conferences, including ASCD, Learning Forward, AMLE, NAESP, and Staff Development for Educators.

Reviews

"From organizing your tasks to managing your inbox, Get Organized! is filled with practical tips you can implement today. Now that I’ve read the book, I'm more organized, relaxed, and focused because I know how to have everything in place. If you are overwhelmed by all you have to do, this book is for you."--Barbara R. Blackburn, author of 15 books, including Motivating Struggling Learners: 10 Ways to Build Student Success"Is it time to get your life back? In the ten minutes it takes to read (and the one hour it takes to implement) even the first chapter of Get Organized!, you’ll gain a sense of ease and control over your workload. As a former high school teacher, I wish I had been given this book the week before I started my teaching career. Read it today, and regain time—and your life— tomorrow."--Jason W. Womack, Author, Your Best Just Got Better"This book is like having a private consultation with an amazing organization guru. Anyone can get organized, simply by reading Dr. Buck's book, thanks to the easy concise instructions that will quickly change your life for the better!"--Pattie Thomas, Principal of Raymond. L. Young Elementary School, AL"While Get Organized! Time Management for School Leaders is a relatively quick read, it will instantly become your go-to manual as you look to increase your most valuable resource in education: Time."--Michael Janatovich, Middleweb"Buck is an enthusiastic, knowledgeable writer, and I hope that Get Organized! soon becomes required reading in education and administrative classes. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to begin a new career or assignment well organized? Time is of the essence."

--Dr. Mary Langer Thompson, Middleweb