One other thought I'll throw in -- which I should have put in my post -- is the Getting Things Done concept of "One Trusted System". Others might recognize the concept as "system of record" -- the one place where you can count on all the information being before it is farmed out to satellite systems or devices.
Good point, Steve. And likely another good reason to start with a more consolidated approach to paper and go from there!
In my downtime this week, I'm further exploring and deciding on productivity systems.. and this one, a paper one, seems very reassuring after being inundated with research on digital alternatives. Mary B., since you are thinking about a paper approach, try the Bullet Journal:
http://bulletjournal.com/get-started/
Catherine, this looks terrific! Thanks.
Just an update now that we're nearly halfway through January. I tried the bullet journal Catherine found, and so far I absolutely love it. The secret for me seems to be in indexing the note book so I can be confident I'll find things later on. Still using other places to take notes on projects, but that will likely change as I get more used to this system.
Thanks again!
For the online course I teach I print out the Syllabus and tape it to the wall in my office. I look at it daily so I can remind students of when things are due. I have a paper calendar in my office and one in the kitchen. I tried using my phone but just never kept it updated.