Muddle Management(tm)

Finding Peace through Organization

Relax. Contact us today! 214.957.9366

Relax. Contact us today! 214.957.9366

Muddle Management’s Spiral Method™

The Muddle Management Spiral Method (MMSM) provides a method to keep your to-do’s and thoughts in one place. A few of the benefits are:

•Saves money

•Saves time due to easy access to inventory (no website needed to order additional pages)

•Avoids pre-set organizing strategy

•Saves space – fold over to write on page as opposed to composition books

•Easy to transport and fit into your lifestyle

•Provides one location for the myriad of thoughts and to-do’s in your life – as opposed to tablets

• Writing Tool: I suggest that you use a pencil for easy changes instead of a pen. But if using a pen, simply clip it to the spiral or use the pen holder to keep everything together and available for quick notes.
  

• Paperclip: Place a paperclip on the first available page or the page you are working on – this saves time in trying to write down your next note. If working on more than one specific project just clip the paper clip to another section of the spiral on the first page.
  

• Always have this spiral with you – this is your brain on paper. If it is not convenient to carry it in for lunch, etc. at least keep it in your car close by.
  

• With each new day, write the date in the top right (either on a new sheet or to create a new section on a page).
  

• Write all ideas onto the page one line at a time (this may take up 3 or 4+ pages when you first start).
  

• Write each to-do or thought with a dash to the left (or square) to check the items off as you deal with each. Use your own coding system, you do not have to write in complete sentences or even write every step of a project down, just something to jog your brain about the thought or project. Keep it simple.
  

• Place a star next to all items for completion outside the home or office – this then easily becomes your errand list.
  

• Move to next page as needed – could use front facing pages for work and back facing pages for personal. You do not have to complete a page before starting a new one.
  

• Each time to sit at your desk, open the spiral to remind and provoke .
  

• Check off as you complete each to-do or work through each thought.
  

• Once a few days have passed and you have remaining to-do’s or thoughts to deal with, write an M with a circle around it and the new date and move the to-do or thought to that date’s page.
  

• Once all items are checked off or have an M next to them, place a check at the top right of the page – this is an important step; it saves time when going back through your spiral.
  

• When the spiral is complete write the beginning and ending dates on the front and place on a bookshelf close to your desk for future chronological reference.
  

Additional Ideas

• If you write or someone else hands you a sticky note, place the note on a page, this gives this note a home. Deal with the note as necessary and be sure to have the date on the page.
  

• Use the pockets to hold business cards handed to you but do not use as a storage system for business cards. Develop the habit of opening the spiral at your desk, taking out the business card and putting the information where you need it:
  

Either scan the card into your computer, or

Enter the contact information into your address system and/or phone, or

Enter the URL and save the website as a “favorite.”

Place the card with your other business cards.

• If you have a page with research information for a particular project, either take out the page and file (either hot file or storage file) or scan the page and place into a folder in your computer.
  

• When in your car, place the spiral between the driver seat and console (if possible) so that it has a home and if you hear something from the radio that you want to research or purchase, just take the spiral out at the next red light and jot it down quickly.
  

• The idea here is that this system is simple, inexpensive, easy to keep going all year long, provides one location for all of your thoughts and a reference for the past.
  

Good luck and please send additional ideas as you use this!