IL100501A - Time management and utility system and method for utilizing same - Google Patents

Description

TIME MANAGEMENT AND UTILITY SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR UTILIZING SAME The present invention relates to a time management and utility system and to a method for management of time and tasks to be performed, which system and method are useful and susceptible of industrial applications, for all types of business and office management, as well as useful to private individuals.

Most time-management systems divide tasks to be performed according to priorities assigned to specific items, thus, e.g., A, B, C, D, to be performed in this order. These systems, however, contain quite a number of inherent drawbacks and are unsatisfactory, since, included in the priorities of these systems are many tasks which are not important, but which are commonly regarded as tasks which cannot be left undone. If such tasks, on the one hand, are given high priority, the real work is going to suffer, and if, on the other hand, they are given low priority (quite logical, since they are unimportant) they are likely to be left unaccomplished.

For example, what would happen if one did not renew a car license, neglected to order raw materials for the factory or the doctor's office, forgot payment for a P.O. Box, or was left without stationary for an office? Such tasks are routine and trivial, but indispensable. Evidently assigning time and energy to such items interferes with the important tasks which bring satisfaction and income.

The system and method of the present invention are designed and suitable for many applications which will allow the user to pursue an all-important project unmolested by the nagging question of what will happen to those minor tasks which have to be attended to.

In accordance with the present invention there is therefore provided a time management and utility system, comprising a folder/binder device having at least seven sections, each separated from the adjacent one or more sections by a divider, each of the dividers bearing an accessible indicia indicating the content of said sections, each of said sections including at least one sheet adapted for entering replaceable or additional updated information, the first three of said sections being utilizable for entering and displaying selected information concerning the tasks which the user has set down to perform on a particular day, the degree of importance and the degree of urgency thereof, a fourth section adapted to contain information concerning tasks which the user would like to accomplish, but which have no specific time limit, the fifth section adapted to contain information concerning follow-up of the tasks previously tackled, the sixth section adapted to contain data concerning information utilizable for recurring events, and the seventh section adapted to contain information concerning methods and special projects specifically periodically required by the user.

The invention further provides a method for the management of time and tasks to be performed, comprising a folder/binder device having at least five sections, each separated from the adjacent one or more sections by a divider, each of the dividers bearing an accessible indicia indicating the content of said sections, each of said sections including at least one sheet adapted for entering replaceable information, entering into the second and third of said sections selected information concerning tasks which the user has set down to perform, in the degree of importance and the degree of urgency thereof, entering into a fourth section information concerning tasks which the user would like to accomplish, but which have no specific time limit, entering into a fifth section information concerning follow-up of the tasks previously entered, consulting at least some of the previously entered information, and drawing up in the first section, information concerning the tasks to be performed on a particular day, while designating each task with a marking of a priority order.

In order to practice the present invention there is provided a folder/binder device having a multiplicity of sections, each separated from the adjacent one or more sections by a divider. At least one sheet of material is disposed adjacent to a divider, which sheet is suitable for entering, e.g. by jotting down or affixing by any per-se known means, replaceable or up-dated information. Each of the dividers bears an indicia either printed thereon or affixable thereto, which indicia should preferably be visible without opening the device, so as to facilitate the direct accessibility to the juxtaposed sheet of material either for the entering of information or for the retrieval of information previously entered.

The sheets of material may be simple blank sheets of paper, on which the user jots down the relevant information, in accordance with the guide rules hereinafter described, or alternatively, at least some of the sheets in some sections may be provided with preprinted indicia such as headings, outlines of a table or the like, to eventually be filled out by the user.

The first section of the device is entitled TODAY, and is adapted to include information with regard to the tasks which the user has set down to perform on a particular day. Generally, this section is updated every working day.

The second section, arbitrarily entitled ALPHA (the first letter of the Greek alphabet) , stands for the importance of tasks. In this section, the user assigns to each of the tasks written in section TODAY, a degree of importance relative to the other tasks of the same day. For example, an industrialist will assign major importance to turning out certain products which have to be shipped out on the same or next day, while a lawyer will assign major importance to the timely preparation of a case for a law court appearance, or the preparation of a contract to be signed by certain parties on a particular day or hour.

The third section marked by the letters OPQR, denotes the urgency scale, which, basically is a continuum, and can be designated by, e.g., five degrees of urgency: 1) pleasant work, in case of availability of ample time until the target date; 2) performing the task; 3 ) urgent; 4) very urgent, and 5) emergency.

Examples of tasks which are to be categorized in this section are tasks which are unimportant but must be performed, such as renewing a car's licencse, ordering of raw materials for a factory or, repairing malfunctioning or broken equipment or machinery.

Dividing the work into the categories ALPHA and OPQR allows the user to devote undivided attention to the important tasks, while reserving a portion of available time on a daily basis, for the less important support tasks.

Advantageously, as tasks come up, they are to be written down in this section alongside the date of entry, as well as the target date. Usually, there is a time gap between the entry date and the target date of one or two months, however, such a time gap cannot be less than one week. Therefore, the work which must be performed in accorance with the priorities set down in section ALPHA can be attended to undisturbed, utilizing the entire available time for achieving the main goals within the preassigned time period for achieving same.

The fourth section, referred to as OMEGA, the last letter of the Greek alphabet, inter alia, signifies perfection. Under this heading are entered all tasks that the user should be happy to tackle, but for which there is no urgency and/or deadline. Examples for such OMEGA tasks are visiting a permanent exhibition, e.g., a technological exhibition, meeting certain people for exchanging professional or other views, etc. While the tasks to be performed under this heading are supposed to provide the user with satisfaction, or can be viewed as a bonus for completing ALPHA tasks within the prescribed period of time, it is suggested that the OMEGA section be tackled on a weekly basis in a similar manner to the one in which the OPQR tasks are dealt with, i.e., that a certain amount of time be devoted to them, otherwise, it is possible that they will never be attempted and performed.

After having invested a great deal of time and effort into a project, following it up is usually essential to bring the project into completion or assuring its smooth operation.

For this purpose, there is provided a fifth section, naturally named FOLLOW-UP. This section may include a multiplicity of separate sheets, depending on the number of projects to be managed at any given time, so as to enter on a separate sheet information concerning projects which require protracted follow-up.

The sixth section under the heading of RECURRENT EVENTS is considered to be a great time and energy saver, best illustrated by the following examples: the user who frequently or periodi-cally travels abroad must invest substantial time and effort in preparing a suitcase containing all items required for a particular voyage. Such items vary from season to season, from country to country and from the nature of one voyage to another. Prepared lists of such items to suit particular types of trips as e.g., outlined above, are very important and useful.

A second example refers to visitors to a factory who should be shown certain locations or workstations and not others. A prepared list of such a tour accompanied by the time to be spent at each place, could prove very beneficial.

The last section of the more important seven sections is named METHODS/SPECIAL PROJECTS. This section with regard to METHODS is adapted to include concise lists of, e.g., work methods whether already implemented or still in the experimental stage. With regard to SPECIAL PROJECTS, each project should preferably be listed on a separate page, alongside information needed to implement it. It is also recommended to jot down the tentative number of hours necessary to complete the project, as well as to subsequently write down the actual number of hours invested.

Optionally, the device of the present invention could also include an additional part, similarly divided into sections, each including a divider bearing an indicia designating the particular section and interposed sheets for jotting down relevant information, as follows: The optional eighth section is named THIS WEEK and is adapted to contain information on what the user is expected to accomplish in a particular week. There is no scheduling involved, but it is intended to provide an overall picture of all the tasks previously entered in the relevant sections. Hence, if as a result of optimal use of the folder/binder , the user has managed to accomplish the tasks planned for the entire week during the first days thereof, the user is then free to take a long weekend vacation (which is very important and many times not planned for, for reasons of lack of time) , work on the OPQR, or advance the ALPHA or OMEGA.

Another possibility is to tackle the projects listed ahead in the additional part of the device under the heading of THIS MONTH. This section is to include information similar to the previous one, however, with regard to tasks concerning a period of one month.

Proceeding along a similar line of operation, the device may include further sections named THIS SPRING, THIS SUMMER, THIS AUTUMN, THIS WINTER and ANNUAL PLAN. As is understood, all of these sections belong to long term plans. The division into time periods overlapping the seasons may be a convenience of terms merely designating a three month period of time, however, as is well-known, the four seasons may have, for some users, a far greater significance and meaning directly bearing on their work. For example, a farmer's work is highly dependent on the seasons and thus, should be accomplished in close adherence thereto .

The last divider is entitled IMPORTANT RESOURCES. This is the section where address, phone and facsimile numbers of various people playing important functions in the user's life during a certain period are listed. Examples of such people are repairmen, business asscociates or specialists, such as tax or insurance specialists. This section should also include general information and data with regard to such questions as to where a good source of supply is obtainable (be it information, specific materials or equipment) , and who or what agency is in possession of certain information which is periodically required, e.g., foreign exchange rates, or the like.

The correct usage of this device for managing one's most valuable, non-returnable commodity, i.e., time, is essential not only for the user's satisfaction arid orderly life, but more importantly, for assuring income and increasing same with minimal undue pressures.

It will be evident to those skilled in the art that the invention is not limited to the details of the foregoing illustrative embodiments and that the present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof. The present embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

Claims (12)

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. Time management and utility system, comprising: a folder/binder device having at least seven sections, each separated from the adjacent one or more sections by a divider; each of the dividers bearing an accessible indicia indicating the content of said sections; each of said sections including at least one sheet adapted for entering replaceable or additional updated information; the first three of said sections being utilizable for entering and displaying selected information concerning the tasks which the user has set down to perform on a particular day, the degree of importance and the degree of urgency thereof ; a fourth section adapted to contain information concerning tasks which the user would like to accomplish, but which have no specific time limit, the fifth section adapted to contain information concerning follow-up of the tasks previously tackled; the sixth section adapted to contain data concerning information utilizable for recurring events, and the seventh section adapted to contain information concerning methods and special projects specifically, periodically required by the user.

2. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the section utilizable for displaying the degree of urgency includes means dividing the section into five categories of urgencies for performing the task.

3. The system as claimed in claim l, wherein the section utilizable for displaying the degree of urgency includes means for entering the target date of the task to be accomplished.

4. The system as claimed in claim 1, comprising at least one further section selected from the group of the section utilizable for entering and displaying information concerning tasks to be accomplished within a one week period of time, a one month period of time, or within a particular season of the four seasons of the year.

5. The system as claimed in claim 1, comprising a further section adapted to be utilizable for entering and displaying information selected from the group comprising persons, organizations or sources required to be contacted, for supplying information, materials or equipment.

6. A method for the management of time and tasks to be performed, comprising: providing a folder/binder device having at least five sections, each separated from the adjacent one or more sections by a divider; each of the dividers bearing an accessible indicia indicating the content of said sections; each of said sections including at least one sheet adapted for entering replaceable or additional updated information; entering into the second and third of said sections selected information concerning tasks which the user has set down to perform, in the degree of importance and the degree of urgency thereof ; entering into a fourth section information concerning tasks which the user would like to accomplish, but which have no specific time limit; entering into a fifth section information concerning follow-up of the tasks previously entered; consulting at least some of the previously entered information and drawing up in the first section, information concerning the tasks to be performed on a particular day, while designating each task with a marking of a priority order.

7. The method as claimed in claim 6, further including the steps of entering into the sixth section data concerning information utilizable for recurring events.

8. The method as claimed in claim 6, further comprising the step of entering into the seventh section information concerning methods and special projects specifically, periodically required by the user.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the steps of entering into sections of the device information selected from the group concerning tasks to be accomplished within a one week period of time, a one month period of time, within a particular season of the four seasons of the year, or within a one year period of time.

10. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the step of entering into a section of the device information concerning persons or outfits who one may be required to contact with regard to the tasks entered in other sections.

11. A time management and utility system, substantially as hereinbefore described.

12. A method for the management -of time and tasks to be performed, substantially as hereinbefore described. FOR THE APPLICANT WOLFF, BRE6MAN AND GOLLER