Why task lists don't work and what to do about it

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Here are some tips on how to turn your "body" from a simple notebook into a powerful tool for decision-making, planning and analyzing the progress of the tasks assigned.

Managing to-do lists couldn't be easier. I wrote my affairs in a column, and then you just take it and cross it out as you complete it. What else can you think of?

However, if you look at the number of different desktop, mobile and web applications that implement this concept, it becomes clear that everything is not so simple at all. Despite all the variety of tools and functions, task lists still don't work! Maybe you just don't know how to use them?

All people start using task managers the moment they feel that their daily routine is turning into chaos. They begin to forget important things, confuse the order of tasks and assignments, let their colleagues down and are late for dates. At such a moment, a person chooses a "tudushka" to his taste and tries to bring organization into his life. And, as a rule, at first he succeeds. But some time passes, and the task lists stop working, and the original mess returns to life.

Why it happens?

The point is that task managers are just a tool. Which needs to be configured correctly for it to work well. And here are some tips on how to do it.

1. Share

In no case should you dump all your big and small things into one big, long list. There is nothing more depressing than contemplating your to-do list with dozens of entries. In this case, the probability of ever getting to the tail of the list tends to zero. Various productivity studies generally suggest that the number of your tasks on one sheet should not exceed 7-8 pieces. Therefore, separate task lists by category, project, topic, urgency, and other criteria.

2. Add deadlines

According to Parkinson's Law, work always takes as much time as you give it to. Therefore, maintaining a list of tasks only makes sense if you write the approximate execution time next to each item. Yes, in reality, there may be deviations; yes, on some days things go awry, but most of the time this approach works. Having put down the approximate time for completing a particular task, you subconsciously will strive to correspond to it, and this radically changes the rules of the game. Give it a try and you'll be amazed at how powerful your todo list can become.

3. Prioritize

This point is simple and straightforward. We carry out important matters first of all, small and non-urgent ones - if we have time. All that remains is to prioritize your list, and do it right. After all, there are very urgent matters, but completely unimportant for you. And it happens the other way around. Therefore, we offer you the following prioritization:

• important and urgent matters;
• important but not urgent;
• urgent, but not very important;
• not urgent and unimportant.

4. Evaluate

And the last rule on this list, but not the least in importance, is the need to analyze and evaluate the fulfillment of your list. Do not seek to immediately hide and forget the completed task forever. Try to set aside a few hours at the end of each week, and perhaps even a full day at the end of the month, to take stock. Pick up the crossed out elements from the archive and evaluate what gave you their implementation.

• How well and quickly did you do your job?
• Could it have been made better, or maybe it shouldn't have been worth it at all?
• How far have you progressed towards your goal?
• What needs to be done to move one step further?

After you answer these and similar questions, your list will take on a completely different meaning to you. It will transform from a simple note-book “so as not to forget something” into a powerful tool for decision-making, planning and analysis of achievements.