Take the Perfect Planner Challenge ‌‌🗓‌

[Michal_Gebacki]

Welcome back, Dynatrace Community!

These days, we can get quickly overwhelmed by dozens of deadlines, things to buy, bills to pay, responsibilities, commitments, etc. Even though some of you love perfect order, while others find peace of mind in total chaos, we're all usually keen on some form of planning that helps us manage all this madness the best we can. 😉

This time, we ask you to share your favorite and most effective planning methods! Are you using analog calendars and notebooks? Or maybe the digital tools help you maintain the feeling of "controlling what's going on"? Share your examples below, maybe you'll inspire somebody to be a better planner! 😎

Benefits of taking Community Challenges!

👉 Every participant receives a unique "Perfect Planner Badge"

👉 You will also get +100 bonus points for extra activity

👉 Engage with others and have fun!

[Mike_L]

For me it depends on the goal. If it's a personal trip or a guest list for an event and so on, I usually go with notes on my phone so I always have it with me.

If it's for work I usually use the Outlook calendar, combined with "Remind me" on Slack, as well as unread emails to know what my to-do list is.

[Kenny_Gillette]

Work - definitely some reminders / meetings in my calendar to focus on a goal.  Meetings with myself really help me focus on certain tasks that I need to work on.

[Karolina_Linda]

"Meetings with myself" - I may steal that idea! 💗

[Kenny_Gillette]

It really helps me get more focused.  Also put in meeting "what are you doing" during this meeting with yourself

[Karolina_Linda]

Love the topic! 😀

At work, I highly rely on Outlook where I have color-coding for meetings and events and a separate calendar with my kids' extra classes 😄 One of my teams has also created an Outlook vacations calendar, so I always know who's out of the office and for how long 💚

For daily planning, I'm a huge fan of analog to-do lists on post-its 😍

[GosiaMurawska]

I love paper calendars and notebooks; it's always somehow easier for me to visualize the length of a task or break a task down into smaller pieces.

Since besides work I have many meetings, additional projects, and generally don't like to be bored, I started setting up events in my Google calendar for the morning - so that when I'm already up and starting work, I get a sort of complete agenda for the day. This is especially useful when I've scheduled a meeting in advance.

Also, when I'm planning focus time and don't want to burden my memory, I highly recommend alarms as reminders. 🙂

[AntonPineiro]

Hi,

Emacs + Org mode for personal life.

Microsoft software (Outlook, Onenote...) for work.

Best regards

[p_devulapalli]

For most I use Outlook calendar reminders, To Do, etc., 

For few I get some friendly reminders my boss 😜 👨‍💻

[Karolina_Linda]

I love the GIF 😄😄😄

[AntonioSousa]

This is one hell of a challenge! Why? Because it's been challenging me for several decades now!
I'm a great fan of To-Do lists, but besides these, Calendar and Billing applications are professionally essential for me.
How do I manage all this? Could be better...
In the past I have used multiple techniques, but as of today, the most relevant are:

1. I use Google Calendar as my Professional Calendar. It's essential to be linked with e-mail of course.
2. I have several To-Do lists and Alerts. I have paper ones, I have several documents (yes, including one in Notepad), and also like Trello. Alerts seem to be everywhere. And this is only the tip of the iceberg. I need to improve on this one.
3. For Billing I have settled on Toggl. One of the most interesting web apps I have found in recent years. Integrates seamlessly with Google Calendar. Magnificent reports that my clients love.

[Malaik]

Hellloo,

I'm using a ToDo list in notepad and OneNote.

and for all people in the team, as we don't have an official tool, Im using a shared excel sheet that should be filled and follow-up continuously.

[marina_pollehn]

Oh man...when I see this I always realize that this is not my greatest strength....

Without my outlook calendar on the laptop (really dislike the mobile view), I am pretty much lost when planning private things :D.

In the evening "brain dumping" helps me. When I really have 20 things on my mind, I need to write them down to get a good sleep and to get the feeling that I will take care of them on time. Honestly, 20 open tabs on the laptop are enough, I don't want them in my brain.

[Patrick_H]

For personal task I use the Notes App of iOS/macOS and to sync family events we have shared calendars.
For work tasks it is mainly OneNote and slack/Outlook reminders (constantly growing... 😅)
Fully paperless as it is more easy to update/reorder thins, but I still love checking things I've finished, so a big fan of checklists (in Notes/OneNote)

[Abidyaseen]

I keep my professional life organized with Outlook Calendar, where all my meetings, work commitments, and key events are scheduled and easy to manage. For my personal goals and daily tasks, I prefer the simplicity of Notepad.

[MaximilianoML]

Staying organized is crucial when handling multiple tasks, and over time, I’ve refined my approach using a combination of three tools: Google Calendar, Microsoft To Do, and Google Keep. Each plays a specific role in keeping my workflow efficient.

• Google Calendar: I use it to schedule meetings, set deadlines, and block time for deep work. The reminders and event notifications help me stay on track without missing important milestones.
• Microsoft To Do: This is where I manage my daily and weekly tasks. I break down projects into smaller to-do lists and prioritize them accordingly. The integration with Outlook also helps in syncing work-related tasks seamlessly.
• Google Keep: Ideal for quick notes, ideas, and reminders. Whenever something pops up, I jot it down here to avoid losing track. Later, I categorize or move it into my to-do list if necessary.

This system allows me to balance structured planning with flexibility, ensuring that I don’t overlook important tasks while adapting to changes.

[DanielS]

I've tried many apps, from complex to simple, but the one that helps me the most and avoids procrastination is the Due App. When it's time to do something, I receive notifications. Plus, the user interface makes it very easy to add or delete new tasks. I've also added a shortcut to add new tasks from text selections or web pages. For family events (especially the kids'), we have shared calendars.

[dcarballo]

For personal use:

• Google Calendar, Tasks, Keep

In work Outlook, Trello.

[GilesDay]

Teams planner/todo/ outlook calendar with self meetings to block off time and track what needs to get done. Also try to do the small tasks as they come in/see them, and marking emails as unread/flagged if I need to come back to it later.

I also encourage clients to submit a work order/ticket instead of asking me via Teams/email where it gets forgotten or where it's harder to delegate to someone else.

[IzabelaRokita]

I love the part where you mention doing the small tasks as they come in/see them right away! With this approach, you can avoid the situation where those "small things" are piling up, and as a result, you can get so overwhelmed that you'll feel stuck. 😬 Also, small tasks usually equal quick wins, so why not benefit from this free dopamine rush from time to time 😅

[Mohamed_Hamdy]

For work, I use Microsoft products since my company uses them. In my personal life, I prefer Notion, but I still rely on notebooks. Writing is a way for me to memorize, so when I need to keep track of critical short-term tasks, I write them down 😃.

[RichardBird]

For me, every day is a new challenge trying to stay organized and follow a plan. I thrive in absolute chaos most days.

Step one, give yourself a little grace. You won't always get it perfect.

Step two, write down everything that needs to be done for the whole day.

Step three, read your list. Which task are you avoiding? Do that one first. 

Step four, repeat.
Remember, you only fail if you don't try.

[Romanenkov_Al3x]

Eisenhower Matrix: Prioritizing Tasks

Before initiating a task, I always evaluate whether it is necessary for me to complete it. If so, I consider how frequently I perform this task and explore opportunities to optimize the process.

The initial set of questions:

• What is this?

• Do I need to do something with it?

• Now?

• Why?

What if I don't do it at all? If there are no consequences, then I don't do it at all.

Next question:Is the task unclear? If so, I use planning and decomposition.

When it's time to execute the task, I rely on a wonderful formula. It's called "count to three and do it."

I disable all other notifications and pop-up messages, including alerts in work chats. I always schedule deep work sessions and avoid interrupting them, except for taking my dog for a walk.

Only one calendar with notifications from 1,2,3 do it. No other calendars at all.

Just one task per day, 365 tasks per year.

If an important work meeting is missed, it means it wasn't that important after all.

Regards,

Alex

[kuncarlos]

For work, I use Outlook Calendar. For personal stuff, it's Google Calendar... and my wife, the ultimate keeper of our plans! 😅📅

[RohitBisht]

For work, I use One note to take notes, and calendar.
Personally, I use notes, official calendar for personal appointments, reminders for bin day and have a WhatsApp group group with my wife for shopping list items

[gbaudart]

Hi,
For work, I use Notion for Kanban & ToDo, and Outlook Calendar.
Personally, I use Notes (on iOS),  and Outlook Calendar.

[dmezynski]

I'm all about using my to do list app, keep an ongoing list of things that need to be done, continually review and re-prioritize.

[IzabelaRokita]

I love planning so much!!! Honestly, putting chaos in order gives me a lot of satisfaction. Nevertheless, is it about strategizing some work-related long-term projects or planning my daughter's doctor appointments (there are a lot of them within the first year of life 😅).

Still, I believe the key to effective planning is constant iteration, learning from your experiences, and adjusting to a constantly changing environment. Do not be afraid to plan something even though you're not sure it will be possible to accomplish—pursuing the goal itself might teach you a lot! This was my personal game-changer; getting rid of the "set in stone" mentality helped me plan everything far more effectively.

In general, I use various types of planning methods. I track all of my private appointments and friends' and family's birthdays/anniversaries on my smartphone calendar. For meetings and daily work, I prefer a traditional notebook and pen to write down some keywords and general thoughts that I tend to analyze later. I also very actively use our Community Team Jira board as I'm a big fan of agile methodology.