What to use to stay organized?

[pcs]

What does everyone use to keep there papers and recipts organized? I know last season my truck was a mess with papers flying everywhere. I was thinking of getting a briefcase. I could put my laptop in it and organize everything so it's not flying out the window. What does everyone else use?

[joshua]

when i'm out this year i will have my palm computer with a key board, incase i have to make any notes or anything i could type myself a reminder. i just put any reciept in my pocket and when i get home i put it a folder with others.

[1MajorTom]

We use a clipboard. Attach the days`schedule to it along with a pen. If we accumulate any papers throughout the day we just attach them to the clipboard.

[mowerman90]

I use a three ring loose leaf binder with my weekly cutting schedule on the front cover (in the clear slip in pocket). On the inside I have a Customer Data Sheet for each of my customers that details everything about them, so in case I need to know when their contract expires, or how much I charge to cut shrubs, or fertilize and it will be at my fingertips. On the back cover I have a yearly calendar. Any receipts or notes for the day get slipped into the binder and hopefully I'll remember to take them out when I get home. I'm dying to buy a Handspring Visor or Palmpilot, but I really don't know if it would make sense or not. I'd also like to have a laptop w/printer (for contracts/proposals) on the seat of my truck but fear that in the summer the heat of a closed cab would toast them, not to mention someone stealing them. This is another reason I haven't yet got the Visor. Anyone have a PDA in the cab in the summer? How's it holdup in the heat?

[awm]

It would help to have multiple brains.
one to solve problems
one to remember everything
one to deal w customers properly
not much chance huh

[Barkleymut]

Very good question. I do what Mowerman does. Only I don't have each contract or yearly calendar in there. Both good ideas. I think if you follow his post you will do well. Just make sure you organize it twice a day once at lunch and once at the shop at night, and don't let the truck get too messy. I know how frustrating it is when you open the door and 5 receipts go blowing down the street and you have to go chasing them like an idiot.

[kutnkru]

I keep a briefcase in the cab of the truck with me at all times. I keep a supply of graph paper, writing instruments, legal pad, estimate forms, coupon calendars, priceing guides for each service, business cards, etc. and a clean t-shirt. All of the days receipts go in here in a zipper style pencil holder.

I also keep a shave kit with a toothbrush, deodorant, cologne, and breath freshners(certs etc.) I find that 30 seconds under the spigot saves hours avoiding the trip home in the evening before going to do estimates. Have yet to find a client gripe about scrubing my arms, face, and pits.

I use a metal clipboard/binder that has a calculator attachment for figuring estimates. I also keep a phone book for each area that truck services at all times as well.

MSDS sheets are kept in a folder in the door-pocket of the truck too.

Good Luck this season!
Kris

[KirbysLawn]

Trying a HandSpring along with Lawn Monkey this year. Have used dayrunners in the past, did not do well for me.

[Southern Lawns]

My Wife...........:D Noooooo not really, just couldn't resist.

[Gtotoy]

i was not at all inpressed with " lawn monkey ",, i decided to go with " Gopher 98 " instead i love it only $299 . thats my 2 cents!

[Roger]

I work solo so am small and have some advantages over the larger contractors. But, I'm sure there are solo operators out there, so maybe this will help. I've been doing this for five years, and have refined my system down to what I think is nearly the best for me.

I carry a briefcase with supplies (estimate forms, receipts, envelopes, etc), calculator, clipboard, insurance folder, and a large three ring notebook. The notebook is primarily where the records are kept.

I have an alpha tabbed setup, with each customer having one or more pages. I record each visit with what I did, time, etc. Also, the notebook has a calender I made for schedule. It is six days in length (I don't work on Sunday), with seven slots for customers and a side box. The box gets a check when done. Schedules are easy if every day goes right, but when weather wipes out a schedule, the check box insures that everybody is covered. I made the calender with WordPerfect tables. Every night the calender is updated, next week, or next mowing. Having only about 36 customers, I can manage this scheduler well.

Also, I have a zippered pencil case for pens, and other small items, a case with three holes that is in the notebook. I was having trouble keeping track of pens, but this solved that problem.

I use Quicken for PC records and make entries when I return home. I have written programs to take reports from Quicken and report to me the number of days since last mow for all customers. This helps me, at a glance, to be sure I've made the daily entries properly (0 days since last mow), and that I know who is on the "7 day since last mow" for weekly customers. For non-weekly (a few of them), I can easily see that nobody has falled through the cracks. This is merely a check procedure for me, primarly to be sure I end up with the right invoices at the end of the month.

I've also written programs that take my records from my Quicken and fully prepare invoices. None of this work ever leaves the house. Only my briefcase leaves with me. I've considered a Palm or notebook, but still believe pen/paper is the quickest while on the road. Time is valuable at that point of the day.

... one person's procedure.

Roger

[Edited by Roger on 03-12-2001 at 03:38 AM]

[Kevintree]

Just bought Palm 111 xe end of last week.

Spent weekend working w/ it and it is outrageous!!

Check it out

Kevin

[HOMER]

I have recently purchased a briefcase as well. I put all my licenses in clear covers, copies of my mowing schedules to hand out tp prospects that wonder how the year round thing works, pens, legal pad, S & W .40, calculator. I even put a book that identifies weeds so if a customer asks I can hit the books so to speak and not go duuuuuuuhhhhhhh! I am making attempts this year to be more organized and keep things in line. All my receipts go straight into my wallet. When I can no longer see any green stuff I know its time to clean out the wallet. All my checks come to the post office box so a daily trip there lets me know if I can eat or work the next day. If I am blessed with a payment I bring it home and enter it into my puters invoice program, record it in a binder and on a calander I printed out to track, at a glance, who pays and when they pay. Doing this also enables me to tally up the weeks total and average out what the revenue was for any given week. When you invoice monthly things can get pretty tight, I.ll build a history by doing the calander that I can look at next month and have a rough estimate of when the money will start coming in. One thing I need to do better is get my invoices out before the 1st of the month! Im gonna try this month to have them done and in the mail by no later than the 25th. My truck is staying cleaner and more organized now and I like that part!

[ron]

I USE MY PALM M100,A SMALL DAILY CALENDAR with all my clients to do that day and a clip board with my nebs invoices on it. my measuring wheel sits behind the seat,and my extra paper work for est etc go into my ole lap top case which is laying on my seat.a stickey pad on my dashboard and last my cell phone which sits inside a hands free holder,a city map thats all I need.Maybe some day down the road when I go full time in lawn care I will get a lap top computer for the truck...

[LScom Addict]

I carry an attache case in the truck with all the necessary BS to make sure im covered. I think I am going to try that alpha tabbed set up though. Now thats efficiency!!

[eslawns]

I use a spiral phone log for all incoming calls. This helps in case my wife or I forget to mention it. I don't think the ans. mach. is reliable to manage calls.

I use a 5.5"x8.5" Organizer for all the rest of the time management stuff but the actual work performed. I think it's important to keep track of how you spend all your time during the work week.

Actual work performed is managed with CLIP. I print a route sheet in the AM, put it in a metal clipboard, and record data the next AM when I print a new sheet. There is a compartment there for hand written invoices if I need one.

Receipts go in the organizer and from there to an accordian file by month. On rainy days, I put them in the accounting program. I also use rainy days to make repairs that have been put off, or other maintenance, and analyze the numbers.

I also use a 24" dry erase board for making to-do lists, and leaving messages. One other thing I do is use Wednesday as a catch-up day. I schedule it light, so if there is rain, I can catch up. When I do one time cuts, they usually go on Wed or Sat, unless I can fit them in near another yard.

If you unload tools every day, put them away in a group so it's easy to see if you left something in the shop. Not much more irritating than getting to a job where you need a shovel and you forgot it.

I also use a small plastic bin box, like for fishing lures, for small parts, spare starter cord, etc. And every week or so I go through the whole place and try to put things where they belong that I did not do when I finished with them.

I know this is long, hope it helps.