PM Thought of The Week: Manage Your Tasks

A while ago I read David Allen's book "Getting Things Done" and was impressed. In his book, Allen documents a personal management system that categorizes one's tasks as items that should be: 1) done immediately, 2) deferred to a later date, 3) transferred to someone else, or 4) dropped.

I incorporate a similar management system into my personal and professional life. If you find you do not have enough time to get all your work done in a day, consider this simple 4-step process:

1. Incorporate a good task management tool: There are plenty of free task list tools on the market. Spend some quality time looking for the tool that will work well for you. I use the iPhone product "TouchTodo" to manage and synch tasks with my Google Calender. Using TouchTodo along with Google Calendar, I always have my task list at hand!
2. Review your tasks in the morning: Try to focus on no more than 3-5 of your most critical tasks each day. If you a lot of overdue tasks, declare the day a "catch up day" and don't add new tasks to your list.
3. Complete your tasks: Cross off tasks as they are completed and move on to the next item on your list. Challenge yourself to get through your list before the day ends. I am less stressed when I make some sort of game out of completing tasks too.
4. Update your task list at the end of the day: Review your task list to ensure tasks are completed, categorized and prioritized correctly. Reviewing tasks at the end of the day builds a sense of accomplishment and gets you motivated to complete tomorrow's tasks.

In summary, don't overwhelm yourself with tasks. You may have a lot to do, but you can't do everything at once. As I create tasks, I move them to a bucket of "no due date" tasks unless a due date is absolutely necessary. As I review tasks in the morning or evening, I look for tasks in my "no due date" bucket that can be completed in the next day or two. This helps me keep my day much more manageable.