Does chaos manage you or do you manage chaos?  Big difference!  If you are not careful, you will look up and allow the chaos to lead you, guide you and ultimately paralyze your ability to have impact in the areas that are most important to you.  However, if you are intentional, you can develop disciplines and use tools to conquer chaos and live an more influencial life!  Here are 6 Tips & Online Tools for Managing Chaos:

1. Have a place to dump notes, thoughts and info. Every one needs a place where they can jot notes, info, reminders, etc.  Some people use a simple notepad. I use Microsoft One Note.  Regardless what you use, you need to have place to clear you mind of all the clutter.   Here is a demo for One Note.

2. Have a place to manage projects and tasks. This is where I take the random thoughts and prioritize and determine what needs action. I use Todoist.com to manage projects and even track people development.  It doesn’t matter what you use; I have just found that an online tool saves me a ton of time and energy.  Todoist allows unfinished tasks to be prioritized and moved to another day.   Here is a demo.

3. Have a place to manage a calendar. I use Microsoft Office Calendar and it works for me. After I prioritize tasks and projects, I use my calendar to set times and manage my day. I always leave space for unexpected things. I check email at certain times of day.  I spend the most alert and energetic times of day on the most important things.  Regardless what you use, watch your time, it is the most valuable resource you have!

4. Have a place to manage email.  I use Microsoft Office and have set up folders for action and no action.  No action items are deleted or go into storage folders, action items are spilt up into a Reply ASAP folder or Reply WTD (week to date). I’ve also installed a plug-in called Xobni, for helping to manage contacts and locate emails and attachments sent from individuals. It rocks!  Here is a demo.

5. Have a place to manage Social Media. I use Hootesuite for monitoring personal and organizational conversation via Twitter. I can make both personal and organizational Facebook page updates through Hootesuite as well. I monitor Facebook comments and activity through FB email updates as well as visiting Facebook itself.  Here is a demo.

6. A place to manage on the go. I use an iPhone, and can do all of the above things through my cell. I dig the thing, but have to watch my calendar to make sure I’m not on my phone during times that I determined for something else.  Here is a demo.

What about you? What tools or tips do you use to manage chaos? Help the rest of us by dropping a comment…