I recently read a statistic regarding the number of outstanding tasks the average person has at any given time. It was so depressing that I quickly put it out of my mind, but the fact is, we all have many things to do, both personally and professionally. Most people have some kind of system to keep track of it all, whether it’s a collection of Post-It Notes (not recommended), a task manager connected to Outlook or another electronic calendar, or something in between.
If you haven’t found a system that works well for you, perhaps one of the following resources is just what you need.
NowDoThis is an online solution that is ideal for people who just don’t like lists. Simply go to the website, click on Edit, and a text box comes up. Type in the things you need to accomplish in the order they should be done, then click Save. All that shows up on your screen now is the first item on your list. Once you’ve completed it, click on Done, and your next task appears. Repeat until you’re finished. It’s that simple! No account to set up or log into; no complicated interface. It doesn’t get much easier than this!
Remember The Milk is a more elaborate online solution which allows the user to enter deadlines, tag tasks with appropriate keywords, and receive reminders by email, Twitter, SMS, or instant messenger, among other really cool features. It can be accessed on a cell phone or other mobile device, making it perfect for busy people on the go.
Maybe you prefer pen and paper, but keep losing those scraps of paper or are bored with plain white notepads. If you need a change but can’t bring yourself to spring for some fancy note paper for yourself, why not download and print a fun “Mom’s Got A Latte Do Today” list from Skip to My Lou, or a “Short Term Memory Loss Device” from Design. Wash. Rinse. Repeat.?
For lots and lots of lists, consider a membership to ListPlanIt, where along with various to-do lists, you’ll find lists for planning every area of your life, including home, business, finance, travel, and much more.
How do YOU keep track of what you need to do?
Great information Janet. I am definitely a list maker as are many of my clients. What I have repeatedly heard from clients is, “I make a list of things to do, but I never get anything done!”. The trick to completing your to do list is to schedule when you will complete each task. The most successful way to accomplish this is to enter each task into your calendar. If it doesn’t get done when you schedule it, reschedule it. If you find you keep moving it foward you may want to think about delegating it or eliminating.
One of the reasons I prefer a written list to a computer program is that when you have to rewrite each week (or whenever you update your list) you are more aware of it and therefore more likely to make that decision to delegate or eliminate it (or to just DO IT and get it over with). On the computer, I found it too easy to just change the due date over and over and over…
Janet,
I have three ways I manage my time.
1. Adding deadlines and todo lists to my electronic calendar means things pop up when I need to think about them but I can forget about them until they appear. I also have my calendar synced with my Google Calendar so if my computer crashes again, I still have my data.
2. File cards. I’ve tried many different systems but this works best for me. I use funky coloured file cards. Each night I write my to do list for the next day. The nice thing about the cards is they’re small so I can’t put too many things on one (as I am prone to do). Also, because I use bright colours, they don’t get lost on my desk, no matter what I’m working on.
3. White board. I have a large white board next to my desk. When I get an idea or remember something I need to do, but can’t get it in today, I write it on the white board. Then I don’t have to worry about forgetting it. When it comes off the white board and onto my file card, I can just erase it.
Thanks for your article
I used a whiteboard calendar extensively when I relied on my Outlook calendar and tasks, because I needed to be able to see the big picture before taking on new clients or projects. Now that I’m back to using a paper planner, I only use the whiteboard to keep track of new work that hasn’t been scheduled yet and pending projects where I’m waiting to receive something from the client.
Hey Janet,
As a consultant using Microsoft CRM and ACT!, I’m of course using the computer and I do know what you mean about rescheduling things over and over but have some strategies to combat that habit.
To avoid rescheduling over and over, I try to not schedule too many things on a given day. Otherwise you end up just bumping a ton of those “someday/maybe” and “when I get to it” things from one day to the next. I also have a category for tasks called “Next Step” and “Someday/Maybe” that do have dates, but I pretty much ignore them – it’s more important that they’re on the list and documented.
My best tactics for accomplishing things come from books I’ve read.
In the Four Hour Work Week, Tim Ferris suggests that each day you choose the three critical things that you need to do to be successful and focus on those – forget trying to do a dozen different things and only getting seven of them done. You can certainly get more things done in a day, but pick three that you absolutely decide to get done and the rest is bonus.
Tim also mentions a principle, from someone whose name escapes me, that basically says a task expands to fill the time you give it. Like when you’ve got X number of things to get done before leaving early, you usually somehow manage. I don’t think it’s coincidence that we all have such different businesses and jobs and somehow most of us manage to squeeze tasks into the same size work week and workdays. So I choose specific timeslots and durations for tasks where I wouldn’t usually, because I’ll get more done in less time.
I also love David Allen’s “Getting Things Done” – it’s fantastic and my “Someday/Maybe” and “Next Action” categories come from him. He has so many good ideas for keeping schedules and lists under control.
Lastly, I do have to say that I find some enormous benefits from keeping my schedule on a computer, specifically in an ACT! database:
- my schedule syncs to my iPhone automatically
- I can tie items to a contact, so I can look up their details (like a phone number, or address) and record completed history against them
- I can view it different ways very easily, in a task list or graphically on a calendar so I can see availability quickly
Sorry for the length of this post – this is a hot topic for me! Great post!
No apology is needed, Len – your insight is valuable!
The one thing I like least about Outlook Tasks is that if you don’t assign a due date to someday/maybe tasks, it puts those items at the top of your list, instead of the bottom, which I feel is much more appropriate.
I used ACT! in one of my previous jobs and agree that it’s a marvellous piece of software.