Back to Basics: Your Task List
Everyone makes a task list (or “todo list”) at least now and again. Usually, we wait until we’re overwhelmed with stuff to do, and then we’ll sit down and list everything we need to get done in the next day or two. Then, one by one, we go through the items on our list, do them, and cross them off.
We do this because it feels better when we do. One minute, you’re at wit’s end, your attention divided 60 different ways, with no idea what to do next, and the next minute you’re in control, with everything neatly plotted: do this, then do that, then do this other thing. And, eventually, we cross the last item off and throw the list out.
Until the next time we’re overwhelmed.
We make todo lists when we’re under pressure because they work. Imagine how much better they’d work – and how much more rarely we’d reach that “freaking out” stage – if we simply integrated the list-making into our day-to-day routines.
Your brain is for doing
Todo lists are important because every unfinished task you’ve made a commitment to causes stress. What’s more, your brain knows its own limits, so as you add more and more unfinished tasks, your brain starts thinking that some of them aren’t going to get finished – causing even more stress.
That’s why it feels so good to write that task list – your brain lets out a sigh of relief, knowing that now, at least, it doesn’t have to try to keep track of all that stuff. Your brain doesn’t want to be remembering all the things you haven’t done. It wants to be doing them, so it can feel good about itself. The neurology of all this is a bit more complicated, but that’s the basic idea.
Of Paper and Processors
Your todo list doesn’t have to be anything fancy. A pocket notebook, a 3×5 index card, any of about a hundred computerized task lists whether online or off. I use a two-part system.
I have a section of the same notebook I use for capture that I use to list tasks; it’s marked with a Post-it Tab Divider. I use this as a kind of “task inbox” – what I don’t get done right away gets transferred into an online task manager called Toodledo. I use a computerized one because a) my list is usually longer than a page, and I don’t like having to flip back and forth and sort through finished tasks and unfinished ones to find the one I’m supposed to be doing next, and b) I can sort them by due date instead of by when I thought of it, as well as by project. And, I suppose, c) it’s a lot neater than my handwritten lists.
It’s helpful to write not just the task but the reason for the task, to give you a pointer to what’s next after you’ve finished any particular task. I use a formula like this:
- [Action verb][task] for [project or goal]
For example:
- Call Caroline at 555-xxxx to transfer insurance into my name (for car registration)
- Write “Back to Basics” post for Lifehack
- Grade papers for WMST 113.210 by Wednesday
Note that I put in all the information I need (or as much as I have available) to complete the task. I don’t want to give myself an excuse not to do it, because I have to go find the phone number or I can’t remember which class folder I need to get. On the first one, I put “for car registration” so I’ll remember when I’m done transferring the insurance that I need to schedule a visit to the DMV.
Keep it with you
Whatever format you decide to keep it in, make sure you have access to your list at all times. I use an online system because a) I’m rarely far from a computer, and b) I carry an Internet-enabled smartphone with me at all times. If that weren’t the case, I’d use a paper-only system.
It’s crucial to have your list available under any circumstance. For one thing, you never know when you might have a few minutes to work on a couple of tasks; if you don’t have your list, you might waste those opportunities. Second, you never know when you might have to add something to the list.
I keep Toodledo open in my browser at all times when I’m working at the computer; as I process my inboxes, I can easily switch windows and add tasks directly. If you use paper, it’s even easier; lay your notebook in front of you on your desk and add to it as needed. Make a habit of this, so you never have to wait until later to add a todo item – that defeats the purpose!
What about context?
If you’re a fan of David Allen’s Getting Things Done, you might be thinking “but what about contexts?” To be honest, I don’t use them, but many people do. The idea is, you keep not just one list but a set of lists, one for each “context” in which you regularly do tasks (or, using a computerized list, you add tags to each list item noting the context it belongs to).
A context is a place or situation. For instance, you have tasks you do “at home” and tasks you do “at the office” and tasks you do “on the phone” and tasks you do “out and about”. So you have a list of tasks you do on the phone; whenever you have a few minutes and your phone is handy, you can take a look at your “@phone” list and see if there’s a call you could make. When you’re at home, you can look only at the items on your “@home” list. This way, you’re not constantly searching through tasks that you can’t do right now; you only ever look at tasks you can do right this minute.
Like I said, I don’t use contexts. I work at home, so all my contexts pretty much overlap. But for people who have clearly defined environments they move through over the course of the day, contexts can be a big help.
Your lists
What about you? How do you manage your lists? What works for you – and what have you tried that hasn’t worked? Let us know in the comments!
WRITER'S BIOGRAPHY
Dustin Wax
Dustin M. Wax is a freelance writer and project manager at Stepcase Lifehack. He can be reached though his freelancing site at DustinWax.comDon't Be Stupid: A Guide to Learning, Studying, and Succeeding at College.
Follow him on Twitter: @dwax.
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Comments
LiviuX says on July 18th, 2008 at 3:09 pm
You forgot to write: “Don’t do that !!!”
Avani-Mehta says on July 18th, 2008 at 4:57 pm
For one time use lists – like weekly grocery shopping I use post its. Every time something to buy comes up, I just write it up over there. What I like about it is that it is simple, conveniently located and everyone in family can update it.
For lists which can be re-used, I have a copy on comp. Travel checklist has been proven to be very useful. No need to make list from scratch. Moreover, I can improvise the list with every travel.
Kacper says on July 18th, 2008 at 5:24 pm
Hello.
I love all kind oft ideas used to manage todo lists. There I described how my TODO list works. Enjoy reading – http://www.kacperwrzesniewski.com/my-todo-list/
Alfa says on July 18th, 2008 at 6:56 pm
Reminds me to order David Allen’s GTD book! I’ve been bloggin’ about productivity and I’ve never ever read that book yet. What was I a-doin? :-D
Tom says on July 18th, 2008 at 9:56 pm
I finally fell into a system in which I have an excel workbook with two basic sheet: one page with the name of the project, item, its due date, and its project, and its status (working on it, queued, waiting for someone else, or complete). I mark the complete items and then move them to page 2, the complete page, where I have a record of what I did when.
I also use other workbook pages to break big projects to tasks, then copy that into the master to do list. This sounds more complex than it is, and it works really well.
AM Retrow says on July 19th, 2008 at 1:13 am
lists: brain dump, idea list, project lists, key shortcuts I’m learning, phone list, will do today list(3-4 items), short list, and others are .rtf files in a folder called Jarte favorites. It is synced between my computers with synctoy2. Launchy catalogs everything in Jarte favorites. Then the minimalist word processor Jarte is used with Launchy to open the lists or info files instantly with a keystroke. If I use someone else’s computer on the road, I work with the files off the USB. Capture uses the “brain dump” file (alt-br) when I am at a computer. When I’m not at a computer, 3×4 cards capture until I am. Web not required.
Carmen says on July 19th, 2008 at 5:52 am
This series is just a recap of GTD by David Allen. Why don’t you mention it?
There’s nothing new compared with his book.
Laurie | Express Yourself to Success says on July 19th, 2008 at 8:43 am
I wasn’t familiar with Toodledo so I’m glad you mentioned it – I’m going to check it out. I like having todo lists just to get the list off my mind – the biggest part of my stress is worrying about forgetting something. Also, I find that when I don’t write down the task, it seems bigger and will take more time to do than it really is. Thinking about doing something six times takes more effort than just doing it once and forgetting about it. Thanks for the Toodledo tip – I’m going there now…
Dustin Wax says on July 19th, 2008 at 11:12 am
AM: I’ve played around with Jarte but never done any actual work with it. Maybe I’ll have another look. Syncing is a clever twist — I do this in my home network with my working files, but not my todo list. With so many web-enabled syncing tools, you could also sync files to the Web, too — in case you lost that USB drive.
Carmen: I’ve mentioned Allen several times so far — there’s a whole section on contexts and GTD in this post! Since Allen is one of the big stars in the productivity landscape, any basic overview is going to recap a lot of his ideas. But there are two reasons I’m not simply posting chapters of his book (besides the fact that it would be illegal):
1) I’m touching on areas he doesn’t touch on. For example, my post on setting priorities can’t use Allen much since Allen is against priority setting — GTD is supposed to eliminate the need for priority-setting. Not everyone works well that way, though.
2) One of the ways that people approach GTD — which Allen himself recommends from time to time — is by taking pieces of his system and trying to apply them. While there are benefits in adopting the whole system in one piece, that’s a big step for a lot of people. By breaking it down into little pieces, I’m hoping that people who aren’t, won’t, or can’t manage the whole system will be able to enjoy at least some of the advantages of Allen’s (and others’) ideas.
Laurie: I use Toodledo because it integrates well with Jott, Twitter, and other services, but it’s not the only or necessarily the best online task list out there. Take a look at Tadalist (for simplicity), Wrike (for full project managment via email), Remember the Milk (for power in an easy to use interface), and others (Google “online task list” and you’ll find a lot of good options) if Toodledo doesn’t quite fit your style.
Mike Myatt says on July 19th, 2008 at 5:57 pm
This is the big one…Many people half-heartedly use task lists, but the key to consistently crossing items off the list is conducting hourly gut checks. Every hour on the hour I ask myself the following question. Am I doing the most productive thing possible at this point in time? If my answer is yes I press on. If my answer is no I have a decision to make…I have been known to end meetings, phone calls, recalendar appointments, etc. solely based on the outcome of my gut check. It’s okay to spend time on items that don’t meet the gut check test so long as you are aware that you’re doing it. It is the people that think their being productive when they are clearly not that have trouble.
Bari Khan says on July 20th, 2008 at 5:11 am
I keep a diary with me at all times to manage my weight training, eating and work etc. Its good!!!
Akash says on July 20th, 2008 at 9:20 am
I have tried most of the fancy software. But the M$ Windows “notepad” works for me best at work. Before I start my day, I write down the to-dos for the day and hash out when i finish each item.
Sometimes I forget few items while listing down the todo list. I use the reminder feature on my mobile phone (I use a pretty old nokia phone 2300) :-). So just a couple of words that would remind me of what i need to do helps.
Charlie Gilkey | Productive Flourishing says on July 20th, 2008 at 2:18 pm
Great post, Dustin.
One of the biggest insights from this post that I’ve found by using different productivity systems is the practice of including all relevant information to complete the item in question. Phone numbers, dates, email addresses, and such move the list from being huge and chaotic to actionable. The plus side is that the overhead of a system like GTD can fall-ahead, and you can use whatever implementation technique makes sense for you in your context.
I also think that context is an unnecessary descriptor on tasks if you write your lists to enough detail. Starting a task with an action, e.g. “Comment on “Back to Basics: Your Task List”, contains all of the information relevant to getting the task done. I know that to comment, I need a computer with Internet access – why do I need another flag to tell me that?
(This is not exactly fair: having that flag might enable me to sort through tasks when I use computer task management programs – but then I have to look at the time cost of having to use another system to track my actions. It’s easy enough to scan down a list and mentally flag those actions that require certain resources.)
Merlin wrote about the differences between project words and action words in the post GTD: Project Verbs vs. Next-Action Verbs that forever changed my ability to make manageable lists. It also started my move away from pure GTD, since internalizing and thinking about tasks in that way liberated me from having a lot of overhead.
André Camarão Ramos says on July 20th, 2008 at 8:13 pm
Funny… I was just my TODO list when I faced this article.
Congratulations for this websiting. Cheers!
Austin Hike and Bike says on July 21st, 2008 at 2:59 am
I have a tendency to be list crazy. I love having a list and get to cross things off. I guess it makes me feel productive.
Martin Wildam says on July 21st, 2008 at 3:03 am
I do not really use to-do lists any more. I adopted a simplified folder-/tag-system for keeping the (e-)mailbox empty: Action, Waiting, Hold/Reference and Archive. I have separated 4-Folder systems for work and private email as well as for paper mail at home.
But: In general I put things into the action folder not taking more than approximately 15 minutes. This is for tasks that are done somewhere within gaps (for instance if I am half an hour before lunch and it does not make sense to start a new big task then).
For everything that needs more time I schedule it on the calendar. Why? – It is so simple: When you want something to be done you have to find a piece of time when to do it.
As long as a task doesn’t find its path to the calendar it is not going to be done. (Assuming that your calendar is something you take for serious. ;-) )
Advantages:
1. I do not have to decide which priority number to give to a specific task. – Priorities are set implicitely by moving another task to somewhere later.
2. What is not to be done is also decided implicitely by deleting another task.
3. When writing To-Do-Lists the time to complete a task is often not considered.
3. When a client or my boss is coming up with a new project I can immediately tell when I can start and when it can be finished. – Important information that you can’t tell when looking just at your To-Do-Lists.
4. If your boss does not accept to wait until the time offered, then you can ask what other task(s) then must be canceled or postponed instead in an instant.
5. You see the limits – as there is always too few time the calendar is the thing that tells you where your time limits are. (For instance if you would have to schedule the next new thing starting with 3 years from now ;-) .) This also helps you in setting your goals “automatically”.
Using the calendar instead of task lists works for me much better because I have a very much better overview of the available time. I also leave appropriate gaps for the unpredictable urgent matters.
Only exception: There are some tasks that cannot be scheduled right now – those get filed in Action or Waiting depending on what is necessary to schedule them.
http://webescape.wordpress.com/ says on July 21st, 2008 at 4:42 am
I actually work well under pressure even though it can give me a few sleepless nights, but I definitely am better leaving things until they need doing especially design work.
ProductivityScience says on July 21st, 2008 at 9:42 am
I do not like to make todolists on paper. I’ll make a post on my blog about simple paperless todolisting with a smartphone and MS Outlook
Carmen says on July 21st, 2008 at 10:29 am
Thanks for your answer, Dustin. I didn’t read your post thoroughly and at first sight I probably misinterpreted them.
I’m sorry, I’m going to read them again more carefully.
Bye
Ann at One Bag Nation says on July 22nd, 2008 at 3:08 pm
I’m always struggling with this. My worst habit is to make long lists and then never refer to them! I just do what’s right in front of me. This isn’t a good long-term practice, so this week I’m limiting myself to 6 items per day (3 for work, 3 for home) and not adding any more until I get those three done!
DanGTD says on July 26th, 2008 at 9:17 am
Ann, maybe this is because the items on the list are disparated?
If the task list reffers to a single project, it doesn’t really matter how long it is. You’ll still reffer to it because with each crossed task you’ll be closer to finishing that project. This is motivating.
Michele says on August 8th, 2008 at 1:46 pm
I work at home too, but do use contexts even though like you a lot of mine overlap. One of my useful ones is “work clothes,” which means I’m in my heavy duty jeans, work boots and an old shirt and ready to tackle a home improvement or messy task. I wouldn’t want to do this after getting dressed for the day.
brook says on October 29th, 2008 at 4:48 am
I am very much impressed with your approach towards day to day work. If I follow your tricks means it will real helpful to come up in life. Thank you.
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Brook
Link Building
tomhawk says on November 5th, 2008 at 2:20 pm
It is a good habit to make a task list.It reminds to do the things promptly,properly, in a planned way and priority wise.Usually humans forget the things to do due to mechanical life and stress at work.So, inorder to keep all the works in track and upto date.everyone has to make a to do list.
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Tom
Best Link Building
Catherine says on November 8th, 2008 at 3:18 am
Its a good idea to schedule our task. We should put a TODO list. The TODO list really works.
Catherine says on November 8th, 2008 at 3:18 am
Its a good idea to schedule our task. We should put a TODO list. The TODO list real`ly works.
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Catherine
Social Bookmarking
Khaled says on November 10th, 2008 at 5:49 am
Ive only recently started using lists for managing my days activities. I try and write a to do list for the following day in order of priority, so when I start work the next day I already know what I have to do. I find it easier to do it this way as I don’t get to overwhelmed with a huge unmanageable list. If I keep it small It helps me not to get over stressed, because I’m being realistic about what Its possible to achieve.
bhuvana says on December 2nd, 2008 at 7:24 am
HI,
This article is really very useful and it is good to keep the schedule of things which we have to do.Its a great habit and each one should practice like this.
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bhuvana
Better Link Building
Mark says on December 2nd, 2008 at 12:36 pm
I have started to use ‘todoist’ (www.todoist.com). Available online wherever i access a PC which is great as I work all over the place.
Its dead simple, dead easy, and has helped me enormously to keep track of stuff I should be doing, and all the stuff I would rather not!
Great site Dustin
Thx.
Mark
Athina says on December 31st, 2008 at 1:12 am
I write my to do list on paper, it starts on monday of each week and ends on sunday. I just check off each task completed and then on sundays look at what tasks i did not finish and make a note of what prevented me from doing something then add those unfinished tasks back to next weeks to do list. Does it work? Sometimes yes and sometimes no.
Cola says on January 1st, 2009 at 1:21 am
I use Smartsheet.com to keep track of everything. I love that I can get it on my iPhone. It’s easy enough to use with my mother for planning holiday parties and robust enough to share with colleagues and clients for work collaboration.
halı yıkama makinaları says on January 8th, 2009 at 7:58 pm
perfect graphic
VanMan says on January 23rd, 2009 at 1:03 pm
Thanks for the tip about smartsheet – I love everything to be on my iphone.
Mader says on January 23rd, 2009 at 7:34 pm
Smartsheet’s mobile version is browser based solution (vs. native iPhone) and also works on BlackBerry, Android, and Windows Mobile. iPhone screenshot can be seen here: http://www.smartsheet.com/product/mobile
Mid-Feb we will release an update to the mobile offering, enabling add/edit capabilities.
TruckMaster says on April 8th, 2009 at 9:50 am
I use a PDA and cover it in post it notes!
Used Trucks says on July 21st, 2009 at 9:18 am
Personally i hate to do lists…