Having tried a number of todo apps I’ve found pros and cons for each but most seem to treat work to be done in similar ways. As a list of items, which all seem equally weighted and sit in a linear fashion just waiting to get picked up one task at a time.
Planning is more than prioritising
Many tools allow us to prioritise our work and categorise it in different ways, which certainly helps to give some clarity about what we should be picking up next. In my experience though, what would often happen was that each list would grow independently and the high-priority work would simmer at the top of each list.
If I was lucky, I would skim the tops of the list and get through the high-priority work but this inevitably meant that anything less than urgent would simply get nudged further and further down the list and enter the "long overdue" pile. Something else was missing in my workflow.
When planning your work, you should also be looking to understand what *type* of work it is. High-priority work could simply be time-sensitive. But it could also be highly strategic. Seeing tasks through this additional filter will help you to better organise and arrange how you will tackle your list.
Time is everything
Without time, we cannot get through our todos — fact. To acknowledge this, I recommend plotting your tasks on your calendar as a way of helping to frame the task in the context of your available time. Taking this approach in the past few years has been a real game-changer in how I view and manage my tasks and overall workload.
You have 24 hours in a day and before each day starts, you already have a number of deductions on that time. Sleep, your daily commute, family commitments, meetings, etc. These all take up a portion of your day. What's left is the available time where you can plot your tasks. Oh, and you'll of course get surprise distractions too!
Most apps fail to make this task-to-time. connection and simply treat time as a due date which can often be ambitious and unrealistic. Instead, see tasks as blocks of work that need to slot into the gaps in your life. Will one block of time suffice? Will you need multiple? Have you factored in the cost of context-switching? Pausing and reflecting on these points should help you to plan your days ahead.
More to come...
I have recently been experimenting with a tool which frames my work to be done in a different, much more intentional light. I’ll cover this in more detail in next week’s post, so make sure you subscribe to avoid missing out!
Until then, if you have found any methods that help you tame your todos, please drop a comment or reach out to chat 💬
Powering this week's thoughts
Music plays such an important role when I am thinking, working, and reflecting. I also find it interesting to see what others are listening to. It's a gateway into an aspect of their personality. That's why I'd like to share, with each article, an artist or playlist that I have been listening to that week. Here's this week’s: