I started this article three years ago. For better or worse that task management system has atrophied. I’m keeping the old parts (in italics) as brainstorming fodder for anyone attempting to create their own complicated systems.
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The key components of my task management system are:
- Immediate Capture
- Digital Curation
- Daily Spreadsheet(s)
- Weekly and Monthly Review
Immediate Capture
The first step is to write it down. Anywhere. I jot down things as they pop into my head and as they come up in conversations.
I prefer a notebook, but if I’ll use my phone if I must. Pen and paper gets ideas out of my head faster than a smartphone keyboard. In a pinch, I use Apple Reminders for immediate capture on the road, but I find it sluggish and I hate that it looks like I’m texting someone outside of the meeting.
I’ve settled on a 6″x9″ Steno notebook. I also keep a 4″x8″ Reporter notebook in the car for taking notes in the field, I prefer the width of the Steno, but the Reporter fits in my back pocket. The most important feature is that the notebook lies flat while open because it should always be open. It’s only closed when you first get it and when you file it away for good.
These notebooks are ephemeral objects. I never reference them after they’re done — I rarely even reference old pages, except to double check that of all todo’s have been crossed off. I use a green highlighter to signify that the task has been either completed or transfered to my digital task management system.
Digital Curation
My primary task management system is on the computer. Every day, I clear through my notebooks and my phone and move work related tasks into Microsoft Outlook and personal tasks onto Apple Reminders.
As a project manager, I live in Microsoft Outlook. I’ve tried other software but the seamless integration between email and task management is invaluable. As an Inbox Zero bro, it’s critical to quickly flag emails to turn them into a future reminder, which lets me archive them into the appropriate project folder. I never use the Inbox proper for task management.
Whenever I input a task or flag an email, I always give it a date. Normally, I use the default options in Outlook: Today, Tomorrow, This Week (Saturday) Next week (Saturday). If it’s not urgent I’ll set the date as July 4 or December 25 to push it into far into the future.
When I look at my tasks in outlook, I can quickly see the immediate todos, this week’s tasks, what needs to be done in the next half month, and long term projects when I scroll to the bottom of the list. I also categorize the emails/tasks by project. By assigning colors, I can grok which projects are falling behind at a glance.
(When I was working on construction administration for my college building, I kept a separate project board on Asana, which was useful for coordinating with the architect, but I’ve found it unnecessary for smaller projects.)
For personal tasks I do something similar in Apple Reminders. The only difference is that I have more daily recurring tasks (exercise, bring lunch, floss, etc.) and I don’t add dates to long-term “nice to do someday” ideas.
Daily Spreadsheet — (I’ve stopped this practice)
The next step of my system is to use a daily spreadsheet. It started it to track of my hours, and then I added key metrics, growing into a baroque document (before becoming a simple time tracker again). My mornings start with a review of the AM checklist (noting metrics from the day before) and then a quick scan of email. Once completed, I’ll prioritize the tasks in MS Outlook and my day begins in earnest. I use spreadsheet to center myself, at the start of the day, after lunch, and at the end of the day — replaying the events and then calling a wrap, turning off my brain for the night.
Weekly and Monthly Review — (I’ve also stopped this practice, only keeping the 1-on-1’s with my boss on Monday mornings. This weekly meeting minimizes how often I interrupt him during the week and is just enough centering for my own work. Maybe I should restart a monthly sweep of my personal core values to become more contemplative about my efforts.)
On Friday mornings I take an hour to review the week. I run through Outlook, set up the weekly spreadsheet for next week, skim my personal core values statement, conduct a postmortem of the past week, and set the agenda for my weekly check in with my supervisor. Once that’s completed, I’ll pick up the remaining tasks for the week to end strong. Fridays are always nice in that they are dead quiet, allowing for focused concentration or an early out. For the last friday of the month I conduct a monthly postmortem where I reflect on the entire month.
Conclusion
As may be implied from what has survived the test of time, the most important parts are the immediate capture of tasks and the systematic curation of the work.
You might have noticed that I’ve been influenced by David Allen’s Getting Things Done fan. If so, please also note that that I’ve dispensed with all of the complexity of his system beyond his heavy emphasis on immediate capture. Indeed, I jettisoned most of my own complex superstructure over the years.
Designing systems are hard. Things look good on paper, but they rarely survive the long passage of time. But what does survive must be rigidly followed. You must be absolute on your system, otherwise you won’t trust it and will totally fall apart.
Good luck handling your chaos!
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For giggles here is the old Review Checklist in my “Core Values Document” (that I don’t use anymore)
- Moment
- Immediate Capture – notebook to outlook/reminders
- Stop and Systematize whenever there is grit
- Daily
- Morning Evaluation (incl email scan)
- Morning Contact
- Morning Email Scan – but do focused work
- Post Lunch pondering (if not before lunch)
- Post Lunch Email purge
- Evening Evaluation
- Let myself relax at night, but avoid youtube rabbit hole
- Weekly
- Set up the next week
- Clean Outlook Tasks
- Clean Email / Calendar
- Open the Weekly Folder
- Skim this Core Values Document
- Fill Out Weekly Review
- Set up Weekly Spreadsheet for next week (do timesheets)
- Sort the next week’s tasks
- Clean Desk and Box’o’Death
- Set up the next week
- Quarterly
- Reset Goals
- Revisit this Core values Document
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Some Links
Sherman Alexie finds the universal in the mundane. His poems and essays reveal our shared experience as strangers making our ways through a disorienting world. If I was ever tempted by a writer’s Faustian bargain, it would be for his eye and his voice.
Elissa grabs my heart and refuses to let go. There is a gentle power that courses through her Poor Man’s Feast. Not to be missed.
George writes a thoughtful essay about a painting in Art Every Day. I have no idea how he keeps it up, but each piece is insightful and provocative.
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Thanks for reading this Owner PM’s Letter!
Justus Pang, RA