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Like a one-person pit crew, secretaries and support staff make the difference between success and failure for the school leaders they serve.
Like a one-person pit crew, secretaries and support staff make the difference between success and failure for the school leaders they serve.
Learn seven digital organizational tips using Microsoft OneNote and other apps that will help your boss shine.
Learn seven digital organizational tips using Microsoft OneNote and other apps that will help your boss shine.
“Looking for productivity tips and tricks for keeping yourself organized?” I asked an audience of campus and district principals, their secretaries and clerks. The response was a resounding “Yes!”
“Looking for productivity tips and tricks for keeping yourself organized?” I asked an audience of campus and district principals, their secretaries and clerks. The response was a resounding “Yes!”
Since that session to a packed room, I’ve found myself hunting ways that technology can enhance productivity for those tasked with office work. Let's see a few ways to achieve office and professional organization.
Since that session to a packed room, I’ve found myself hunting ways that technology can enhance productivity for those tasked with office work. Let's see a few ways to achieve office and professional organization.
Tip #1 - Organize Your Email
Tip #1 - Organize Your Email
“Hundreds of emails flow into my supervisor’s inbox,” shared one secretary. “Even though she has a smartphone and could sort her email on the go, the built-in email app doesn’t get the job done.” Whether your supervisor uses MS Exchange, Hotmail, or Gmail, she now has access to some easy-to-use email clients that work quite well.
“Hundreds of emails flow into my supervisor’s inbox,” shared one secretary. “Even though she has a smartphone and could sort her email on the go, the built-in email app doesn’t get the job done.” Whether your supervisor uses MS Exchange, Hotmail, or Gmail, she now has access to some easy-to-use email clients that work quite well.
Two good solutions include MS Outlook app, which works on Android, iPhone, and iPad, or Readdle’s Spark (iOS only). Both make it easy to sort your messages into folders and/or forward to somewhere else, like OneNote, since they include built-in support. Another is Astro for iOS and Android.
Two good solutions include MS Outlook app, which works on Android, iPhone, and iPad, or Readdle’s Spark (iOS only). Both make it easy to sort your messages into folders and/or forward to somewhere else, like OneNote, since they include built-in support. Another is Astro for iOS and Android.
Tip #2 - Digitize to Facilitate Access
Tip #2 - Digitize to Facilitate Access
“I have so many papers to sort through, how can I better keep track of these?” my secretary JoJo, asked me one day. I hadn’t given much thought to keeping her organized. After all, that’s why I hired her. She had excellent project management and organizational skills. “I have all these purchase orders to keep track of.”
“I have so many papers to sort through, how can I better keep track of these?” my secretary JoJo, asked me one day. I hadn’t given much thought to keeping her organized. After all, that’s why I hired her. She had excellent project management and organizational skills. “I have all these purchase orders to keep track of.”
We realized that there were TOO many papers, most of them trapped in three-ring binders that bulged around her or were in labeled manila folders in behemoth file cabinets. In theory, we had everything we needed at our fingertips. In practice, finding something for an audit was impossible.
We realized that there were TOO many papers, most of them trapped in three-ring binders that bulged around her or were in labeled manila folders in behemoth file cabinets. In theory, we had everything we needed at our fingertips. In practice, finding something for an audit was impossible.
To better facilitate access to thousands of papers, we made the decision to digitize everything. We had one of those fancy copiers that would convert copied pages to PDF. So we used that to create digital copies of all of the department’s documents. This was a great improvement over the paper copies, but still gave us a headache. We ended up with hundreds of folders with PDF documents in each. How could we take the next step to make them searchable?
One solution was to save them to a OneNote notebook, and then add search tags for each document. For example, you can create a OneNote digital notebook for each school year. Add tags to each page that describe the item and make it searchable. New documents could be dropped in via email to “me@onenote.com” and sent to a specific notebook section without even opening OneNote.
Whether it’s business cards, invoices, permission slips, or other school paperwork, you can easily capture these documents with an app like Readdle‘s Scanner Pro or Microsoft OfficeLens and save them to the cloud (e.g. Dropbox, Google Drive, or OneNote). Text in the images is searchable, and you can also add some keywords or tags.
Whether it’s business cards, invoices, permission slips, or other school paperwork, you can easily capture these documents with an app like Readdle‘s Scanner Pro or Microsoft OfficeLens and save them to the cloud (e.g. Dropbox, Google Drive, or OneNote). Text in the images is searchable, and you can also add some keywords or tags.
Tip #3 - Record Your Meetings
Tip #3 - Record Your Meetings
“At the end of the day, my boss comes back with a stack of papers from all the meetings she has been to. I wish there was a way for her to organize them as she gets them so it makes more sense.” Show her how to get into OneNote 2016 and tap on the microphone to record the entire meeting.
“At the end of the day, my boss comes back with a stack of papers from all the meetings she has been to. I wish there was a way for her to organize them as she gets them so it makes more sense.” Show her how to get into OneNote 2016 and tap on the microphone to record the entire meeting.
In addition to typing notes with the audio recording of the meeting synchronized to the written notes, the administrator can snap pictures of meeting paper materials, including business cards, meeting agendas, and handouts, for inclusion in the meeting notebook.
In addition to typing notes with the audio recording of the meeting synchronized to the written notes, the administrator can snap pictures of meeting paper materials, including business cards, meeting agendas, and handouts, for inclusion in the meeting notebook.
While you won’t want to record every meeting you go to, there are some that are invaluable. That’s why OneNote has built-in recording capabilities, allowing you to save searchable audio recordings along with your handwritten (a.k.a. digital ink) or typed notes in OneNote.
While you won’t want to record every meeting you go to, there are some that are invaluable. That’s why OneNote has built-in recording capabilities, allowing you to save searchable audio recordings along with your handwritten (a.k.a. digital ink) or typed notes in OneNote.
Recording Tools
Recording Tools
Voxer (free for iOS and Android)
Voxer (free for iOS and Android)
Voice Record Pro (free for iOS only)
Voice Record Pro (free for iOS only)
HiQ MP3 Recorder Pro ($3.49 for Android only)
HiQ MP3 Recorder Pro ($3.49 for Android only)
Microsoft OneNote (free for Windows/Mac)
Microsoft OneNote (free for Windows/Mac)
Tip #4 - Attach Supporting Documentation
Tip #4 - Attach Supporting Documentation
While digitizing to facilitate access works great for paper documents, you can also take existing digital documents relevant to a meeting or project, then drop them into a OneNote page.
While digitizing to facilitate access works great for paper documents, you can also take existing digital documents relevant to a meeting or project, then drop them into a OneNote page.
This is simply drag-and-drop. If a document or resource is on the web, copy and pasting a portion of the document will also include the website where you found it. This makes keeping track of resources online incredibly easy.
This is simply drag-and-drop. If a document or resource is on the web, copy and pasting a portion of the document will also include the website where you found it. This makes keeping track of resources online incredibly easy.
Tip #5 - Track Problems
Tip #5 - Track Problems
“Do you see the hole in the ceiling?” I pointed out to my supervisor. This was but the first of several instances where I captured the failure of the maintenance department, who vehemently denied that there was a problem. Who should the supervisor believe?
“Do you see the hole in the ceiling?” I pointed out to my supervisor. This was but the first of several instances where I captured the failure of the maintenance department, who vehemently denied that there was a problem. Who should the supervisor believe?
With photos you can take with OneNote, you can capture anything from holes in the ceilings to rats under your desk to how solutions are implemented.
With photos you can take with OneNote, you can capture anything from holes in the ceilings to rats under your desk to how solutions are implemented.
These pictures can be quickly organized into OneNote, sent in via email to “me@onenote.com,” or saved directly using the OneNote app on your mobile device. You can also take pictures of problems that arise on your computer and include them. This is helpful for recording strange errors and issues that others need to know about.
Tip #6 - Make a Checklist
Tip #6 - Make a Checklist
“What I like to do every morning is make a checklist for what she will be doing each day.” The assistant held up her phone and waved it in front of me with a smile. “When she checks the list, there’s a list of things to do by location.”
“What I like to do every morning is make a checklist for what she will be doing each day.” The assistant held up her phone and waved it in front of me with a smile. “When she checks the list, there’s a list of things to do by location.”
- Create a collaborative checklist that you and your team member(s) can add to, append, or edit.
- Create a collaborative checklist that you and your team member(s) can add to, append, or edit.
- OneNote makes it easy to create To-Do lists and checklists.
- OneNote makes it easy to create To-Do lists and checklists.
With Google Keep, you can put all your list items for your supervisor online, inserting checkboxes in front of each item. As she finishes them throughout the day, she can simply tap on the checkbox to place a checkmark.
With Google Keep, you can put all your list items for your supervisor online, inserting checkboxes in front of each item. As she finishes them throughout the day, she can simply tap on the checkbox to place a checkmark.
And Google Keep lets you set up location-based reminders, so you can help your supervisor be more efficient as she goes from one campus to another.
And Google Keep lets you set up location-based reminders, so you can help your supervisor be more efficient as she goes from one campus to another.
"No matter how expert you may be, well-designed check lists can improve outcomes," says Atul Gawande's The Checklist Manifesto. Checklists can help us manage the extreme complexity of the modern world.
The problem, writes Gawande, is “making sure we apply the knowledge we have consistently and correctly. Failure results not so much from ignorance (not knowing enough about what works) as from ineptitude (not properly applying what we know works)" (Source).
“Used effectively, checklists can help students develop metacognitive awareness of their intellectual processes,” says Dr. Kathleen Dudden Rowlands. “Metacognitive research consistently suggests that students who know how to learn, know which strategies are most effective when faced with a problem or a task, and have accurate methods of assessing their progress, are better learners than those who don’t” (Source).
Option #1 - Google Keep
Option #1 - Google Keep
- Use Google Keep to create and share checklists with students. Some main
- Create notes in your Google Keep with a headline and body text.
- Add check boxes to make an instant checklist — perfect for a grocery list or a “grading to do” list.
- Snap a picture to attach to a note.
- For ideas in your brain where text and photos won’t do them justice, draw a picture freehand using the drawing tool.
- Color code your notes to organize them.
- Attach a label to notes, keeping ideas for projects and classes all together.
- Set reminders — based on time or your location via GPS — that will draw your attention back to that note when you need it.
- Share notes with collaborators so all of you can view and edit them.
Option #2 - OneNote
Option #2 - OneNote
Create a checklist easily in OneNote app. You can add checkboxes, tags, and more.
Create a checklist easily in OneNote app. You can add checkboxes, tags, and more.
Watch the video shown left to see what else you can do with OneNote and Checklists.
Watch the video shown left to see what else you can do with OneNote and Checklists.
Tip #7 - Make a Checklist
Tip #7 - Make a Checklist
With OneNote, you are able to “protect” sensitive notes that may contain confidential information. Encryption once was difficult to do, but now it is inexcusable to have sensitive data not protected. In OneNote, your supervisor can right-click a section and choose “Password Protect.”
With OneNote, you are able to “protect” sensitive notes that may contain confidential information. Encryption once was difficult to do, but now it is inexcusable to have sensitive data not protected. In OneNote, your supervisor can right-click a section and choose “Password Protect.”
This allows you or your supervisor to add a password and that section cannot be opened without the password. Some caveats: 1) You might not be able to view password-protected sections on all devices; 2) Audio and video recordings are not protected in the OneNote 2007 section format; and 3) To search password-protected sections, you need to unlock them first.
This allows you or your supervisor to add a password and that section cannot be opened without the password. Some caveats: 1) You might not be able to view password-protected sections on all devices; 2) Audio and video recordings are not protected in the OneNote 2007 section format; and 3) To search password-protected sections, you need to unlock them first.
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