As a SharePoint consultant juggling multiple projects, managing a busy workload is both a challenge and a necessity. Whether it’s organizing information for clients, managing tasks, or keeping track of meetings, the need for an efficient system is paramount. For me, staying organised isn’t just about keeping track of the day-to-day—it’s about ensuring nothing slips through the cracks, especially when you’re managing multiple projects at once. To help me stay on top of everything, I use a combination of Microsoft products that work seamlessly together to help me manage tasks, keep important documents accessible, and communicate with my team.
Here’s a breakdown of how I use technology to stay organised and keep things running smoothly:
Organising My Meetings with Microsoft Outlook & Teams
First and foremost, I rely on Microsoft Outlook to schedule and manage my meetings. As a SharePoint consultant, most of my day involves consulting with clients and coordinating with my team, which means meetings are an essential part of my workflow. Outlook integrates perfectly with Microsoft Teams, making it easy for me to not only set up virtual meetings but also ensure they’re tied directly to my calendar.
I set up Teams meetings directly through Outlook, allowing me to send out invitations, track responses, and sync the meetings across my devices. This integration makes it easier to manage both personal and professional meetings without overlap. I also ensure that each meeting has a clear agenda and action items so I can track progress.
Leveraging Copilot for Meeting Summaries
A key part of staying organised during meetings is making sure that no detail gets lost, and that’s where Copilot comes in. Copilot has been a game-changer for me. During each Teams meeting, I use Copilot to record the conversation and capture the key points.
At the end of every meeting, Copilot generates a comprehensive summary for me, highlighting action items, decisions made, and any key points I need to follow up on. This means I don’t have to worry about taking detailed notes during the meeting, allowing me to focus on the conversation itself.
Centralising Notes with OneNote
After every meeting, I take Copilot’s meeting summary and transfer it into my OneNote notebook. I’ve created a dedicated notebook for each client, and within that, I create a page for every meeting. OneNote allows me to keep everything organised by client, with easy access to all meeting notes.
OneNote is fantastic for storing meeting summaries, ideas, and brainstorming sessions because it’s easy to search, edit, and share across devices. I can also add additional notes to the pages after a meeting if I need to clarify anything or if new ideas come up. This system ensures that all client-related information is centralised and accessible when I need it.
Tracking and Delegating Tasks with Microsoft Planner
The next critical step is managing the tasks that arise from each meeting. As I mentioned earlier, I always make sure to highlight any tasks or action items during the meeting and confirm who will be responsible for each one. Once the meeting concludes, I take those tasks and add them to Microsoft Planner.
Planner helps me create task boards that I can easily organise into different categories, such as by project or urgency. I can assign tasks to myself or team members and set due dates to ensure nothing is forgotten. This system is indispensable for me because it gives me a clear view of all tasks, whether I’m looking at what needs to be done today or further down the line.
I also use Planner to check on my team’s progress and see if there are any delays or dependencies that need addressing. This way, I can stay on top of things without micromanaging—everything is organised and visible at a glance.
Storing and Surfacing Content with SharePoint Document Libraries
As a consultant, keeping all my working documents in one easily accessible location is critical. I use SharePoint Document Libraries to store all client-related documents, project plans, notes, and other essential files. SharePoint makes it easy to organize documents into logical folders and subfolders, so I can always find what I need quickly.
The beauty of SharePoint is that it integrates seamlessly with the rest of the Microsoft suite. Once my documents are uploaded into the SharePoint library, I can access them directly from other tools, such as Copilot and Planner, without having to leave the application. I also use SharePoint to surface content through Copilot’s agent functionality. This allows me to quickly pull up relevant documents or information based on the context of the meeting or task I’m working on, saving me time and ensuring I have everything I need right at my fingertips.
Keeping Everything Synced Across Devices
Finally, one of the most important aspects of staying organised is ensuring everything is synced across my devices. Microsoft’s cloud-based tools ensure that whether I’m working from my desktop, laptop, or mobile, all my meetings, tasks, and documents are easily accessible. This way, I can manage my workload from anywhere, which is essential for my busy lifestyle.
Conclusion: Staying Organised with Microsoft Technology
In today’s fast-paced world, staying organised isn’t just a matter of using the right tools; it’s about integrating them into a cohesive system that works for you. As a SharePoint consultant, I’ve found that a combination of Outlook, Teams, Copilot, OneNote, Planner, and SharePoint allows me to manage tasks, meetings, and documents efficiently and effectively. These tools keep me on track, help me manage my time, and ensure that nothing falls through the cracks—even when I’m juggling multiple projects at once.
By using these Microsoft products together, I can stay organised and ensure that all my tasks, notes, and documents are in one place, which not only improves my productivity but also helps me serve my clients better. Whether you’re managing client projects or simply trying to stay on top of your day-to-day tasks, these tools can help you stay organised, focused, and efficient.
