Juliet Jessop, June 2016
My task list is usually a jumble.
I've tried making one at the end of each day in preparation for the next - but it grows, morphs, disappears... I've tried transferring it to a task list in Outlook, only to click ‘Snooze’ or ‘Dismiss’ on the reminders and losing track again before reverting to pen and paper. There’s also the dilemma of maintaining a work to-do list versus a home to-do list.
Consequently, my brain is tired of always spending time organising rather than thinking, and I feel overwhelmed.
But today, I’m inspired.
I came across a short review of 'Getting things done' by David Allen (you'll need to scroll down the link to find his book). A member of the Blinkist Team tried his method for classifying tasks from multiple projects. As a result, they were able to spend more time on doing things at the 'right time' rather than having to remember everything - and were able to work out what or who was holding them back.
Essentially, Allen’s approach involves classifying each task as one of the following:
- 'Next action' - tasks that need doing now
- 'Someday maybe' - tasks that aren’t as time-critical or important
- 'Waiting for' - e.g. tasks that can't be completed without input from someone else
This might be this month's tip for you, but I’ll also be trying it out myself!