Time Management Expert Benjamin Floer: Self-management with MeisterNote

Self-management is an essential skill, yet it’s one that tends to be woefully undervalued. If you’ve ever felt like your work day is lacking in structure, that you spend an inordinate amount of time searching for notes and information, or that you’re working but actually achieving very little, then you’re not alone. It’s a problem that time management expert Benjamin Floer knows only too well. Using Meister’s new online documentation tool, MeisterNote, the Meister Expert Partner helps his clients to work more efficiently, which means they have more time to spend with their family.

Benjamin Floer describes himself as a “podcaster, theologian, minimalist, husband and father.” He is also an expert in time management and gives online and one-on-one courses on the subject. Shortly after starting his first job, as a pastoral assistant, Floer came to a realization that would define much of his working life:

I realized I was going to have to organize myself differently if I wanted to be happy in the long term. I needed a time management solution that worked for me both professionally and personally.

 

Floer has been a fan of the Meister Suite for several years, and recently began using its newest product: the new online documentation tool, MeisterNote.

The Challenge: Self-management

Self-management is a skill like no other, because it is vital and undervalued in equal measure. From sticky notes to apps, which are management-heavy themselves, most people still seem to be “muddling through” without any method or structure.

The point is to save time and money: according to a study by Harvard Business Review, by optimizing their self-management strategy, managers can potentially slash desk work by up to six hours and meeting time by two hours per week. This is where productivity tools like MeisterNote come in. For our growing user base, improvements in personal efficiency take care of themselves: better note-taking means more effective knowledge management, more productive meetings and in-tool communication – leaving more time for other more useful activities.

Better, More Effective Note-taking With MeisterNote

As a Meister Expert Partner, Benjamin Floer learned about MeisterNote, the new online documentation software, from the Meister Partner Team. Although his first forays with the tool were quite basic, MeisterNote quickly showed its effectiveness: “I used the tool to document and manage notes and ideas on topics that interest me,” says Floer. He was able to get going straight away without any support from the Meister Partner Team:

MeisterNote is user-friendly and intuitive. To get started you just type a slash to add a block – and even that’s explained right there in the tool.

Note taking – even with well-known competitor tools – has an inherent dilemma: how do I find what I’ve written?  While the temptation is to simply stuff documentation into a draw (digital or physical), this only leads to notes being lost and forgotten about. With MeisterNote, things are very different: when a new note is created, different block formats (bullet lists, infobox, quote) help users to document information in a structured way, which also makes it easier to find. Any points that require further research or input can be added straight away as a to-do list.

If there are items where action needs to be taken, then a task can be created directly in MeisterNote via the MeisterTask integration. This means that three essential steps can be taken in a single tool: document, organize, implement.

Benjamin Floer not only practices self-management, he also coaches clients through online and one-on-one courses. As a result, he was quick to recognize the wide-ranging applications of Meister’s latest tool.

My clients either use no digital tools at all, or they use so many tools that they waste time and lose focus. Meister’s solutions are ideal for both types of user.

Centralized Process Management

Benjamin Floer plans to integrate his time management training process into MeisterNote: “It would make the whole process so much more transparent, not just for the client but for me as well. And I would just love to eliminate email altogether.”

All too often, process management relies on the use of several different documents and channels. Reports might be stored in one place, email attachments in another, with the odd update on chat tools like Slack thrown in. With MeisterNote, you can document processes centrally: using comments and mentions you can communicate directly within a note and edit content collaboratively. Blocks and notes can be linked, making navigation easier. The search function also allows you to find what you are looking for quickly.

Floer likes to apply different methods: “I love using MindMeister to map creative processes, it’s perfect for ideation.” After the brainstorming phase, mind maps can be imported into MeisterNote via the integration with MindMeister. If the mind map includes any action points, then the task management tool MeisterTask can be used. This means that everyone with access to a note is always up to speed, and suddenly the blueprint for perfect process management – a seamless end-to-end workflow – starts to take shape.

Productive Meetings Start With Clear Agendas

MeisterNote is the ideal tool for meetings and coaching sessions: users can collaborate on agendas and even save them as templates for future meetings. After a meeting, it’s easy to write up the minutes and create specific tasks that can be assigned. This lends structure to the meeting process: clearer agendas, better documentation and more transparent results.

To anyone who might consider self-management simply a ‘nice to have’, Benjamin Floer would counter: “Using time management methods and tools I can help my clients to effectively structure their work day, to avoid stress and – I believe this to be especially important – to enjoy more time with their family.” It would be difficult for even the most diehard skeptics to argue with Floer.