Ever wonder how they do it? How a short-order cook prepares tasty meals in a hectic, rush-rush environment, and does it all with a smile? The answer is simple: A system. The next time you are in a little diner for lunch purposefully sit in a place where you can see the short-order cook preparing the food. It is like poetry in motion.

What you will see is a system where food orders are delivered to the kitchen by a waiter or waitress, which usually clips them to a spiraling clipboard. The cook reads the order and starts the music. For a traditional breakfast order he would quickly begin frying strips of bacon, beating eggs, and browning toast. Doing this for not just one order but many at the same time. Once the food is done, the cook plates the food and sends it out to be served. This system has been used for decades, even in our high-tech world, there is not a better system for the short-order cook.

What about your world? If it is like mine, your world is filled with to-do lists, appointments, meetings, phone calls, and projects. Like the short-order cook, without a system in place your world would not be very productive and probably very chaotic. However, with a system you will be able to focus on multiple tasks at once, prepare for appointments, and make good use of your time.

The first step you must consider in your system is your calendar. Do you have one? Just one? Is it helping or hindering you? Your daily calendar should be the tool that tells you

What to do your task list

Who to call your contact list

Where to be your daily calendar

Many people that I come in contact with say they dont need a calendar or dont need to write everything down because they can log it all in their memory bank. Always remember, the faintest ink is better than the best memory. I have gotten up many times in the middle of the night to write something down. Even if God speaks to you during the night, or during your prayer time, there is no guarantee that you will remember it unless you write it down. Now, where do you write it? Having one central place to write all of your important information is best. However, when an inspirational thought or a simple to-do hits your mind, write it down anywhere. You can transfer it to that central place later.

One tool that hit the market a few years ago is the Pocket PC (PDA). The vote is still out as to who loves them and who does not. However, many feel they cant keep up with a PDA and a manual calendar system. I would quickly agree. Also, for many, they are comfortable using the paper system and would be lost not having something to write an appointment down in or a piece of paper to write notes to themselves.

I was one of those type people, always caring my manual calendar/planner system with me. The thought of using a PDA was scary, but I have found a balance that will work for most anyone. I have also found great benefits from this system. The benefits of using a PDA is its

Sync-ability I keep my PDA updated with what I want to do, calls to make, and calendar items. I have the ability to connect the PDA to my computer. This connection synchronizes all my new data from my PDA to the computer and visa versa. Therefore, my computer and PDA always have the same information. I can print reports or set alarms right from my desktop computer. This has helped me because when I leave my office I carry a tool (my PDA) that is up to date with all my latest information.

Flexibility I keep my PDA in a small binder that has rings for notepaper. If I think of a person that I want/need to call, something that I need to do when I get to the office, or if I make an appointment I can write it on my notepaper and then transfer it to the PDA when I have time. Sure, I could add it to my PDA at the time, but I have found this system much easier and more efficient.

Expandability My PDA has much more on it than just a calendar system. I can type letters, design spreadsheets, play games, check the weather, and read the Bible. My PDA has expanded as my life has expanded. Something I could never get from my old paper calendar system.

Record-ability - My PDA has become a very useful tool to me. One last benefit is note taking. I can pull up someone in my contact list and record notes from a meeting. Therefore, when I speak to them again I can refer back to these notes. This really makes me look organized.

In order to reach your potential each and every day you must have a system. I hope my personal system ideas will be become gold nuggets of information to you.