Time and Tools

It’s getting to that part of the semester when the pressure is on, time is of the essence and anything that can wring more time out of time is welcomed!  And then I go and do things like wonder where the phrase time is of the essence originates from (contract law in the UK and US – not what I was expecting) and go off on a tangent, which satisfies my curiosity but doesn’t help with my time management.

With the project proposal assignment there’s a lot of reading to do and it’s so easy to flick between articles and web sites, find really interesting and relevant information and quotes – and then promptly forget which ones were useful, where you found it and spend a long time retracing steps.  Thanks to Sandra Dyke who mentioned it in ITC501 (that seems like forever ago!) I started using Diigo and it’s been a lifesaver – and a time saver!

I have downloaded the Diigo Toolbar, which allows me to bookmark or save any pages I visit, highlight areas, snip, put in comments and sort my library under lists, with tags for easy reference.  What I really like is that highlighted areas appear in your library and you can also add a description which makes it easy to find articles.

It’s so simple to use and with Diigo installed on my laptop and home computer, the information is synced and available anywhere.  The toolbar may take up a little ‘real estate’ on my web browser, but it’s worth it!

Zotero is a tool I would like to learn more about, more from the fact that it does citations and integrates with Word.  It seems to be a really powerful tool and learning how to use it effectively is a task for the holidays!

And time management?  I wish there was a simple answer!  Don’t go off on tangents, plan your days and your time, try not to have time budget blowouts (which I do frequently!) – and when all else fails follow the flow chart.  Drink wine – preferably with Maltesers!