Using Task-Lists

In the office, we are required to send a weekly status report and a monthly timesheet report to our customers. Once having to rush them at the last moment due to temporary memory lapse, I set up tasks for these two items in Microsoft Outlook and configured them to run on weekly and monthly basis.

Since then, there was never a missed report.
And that got me thinking: how about extending the idea of task lists?

A significant amount of the tasks that we do routinely iterative in nature; be it shopping for grocery or paying our bills. Yet, more often than not, we keep forgetting to do them on time, just because we forget. The idea of task-list is to set up a process that will take the pain out of remembering.

It can be broken down in a 5-step process:

1. Identify:
Sit down and make a list of all the tasks you do. Brainstorm. Ask your spouse, parents. Ask your office peers. Consider all the facets of your life:

• Financial (paying bills, loan premiums)
• Social (calling up friends, visits to relatives)
• Professional (sending status reports, taking data backups)
• Spiritual(yoga classes)
• Recreational (watching movies, reading books, going to gym, swimming classes)

Jot down as many tasks as you can. Having said that, also keep in mind that identifying the tasks is not a one-time job. As days progress, you will think of more and more tasks.

 2. Classify:

From the list, classify the tasks depending on their frequency, as follows:

• Weekly
• Monthly
• Bi-Monthly
• Quarterly

A few tasks could even be on a yearly basis.
Some tasks will classify themselves. For example: a weekly status report will go in a Weekly task-list. Payment of bills and premiums is most likely to be a Monthly task.
For the tasks that are not so clearly well-defined, you will need to take into consideration their priority and importance. For example, consider washing/servicing of your vehicle. Do you need to do it on a weekly basis, or will once a month suffice? It will depend on the nature of its use. Weekly and monthly are the major task-lists.

3. Configure:

Set up the task-lists using a medium on your choice. The lists can be maintained on your computer, mobile phone or even on paper. It wouldn’t be advisable to carry them in your head though, for the primary purpose of creating task-lists is to free yourself from remembering tasks to be done!
  
4. Implement:
The most important part is to actually implement the task-lists. It might come difficult for a first few weeks, but once you realize how they make life easier, you will feel encouraged to use them!

 

 5. Review:

Review all the task-lists to add/edit/replace/remove the necessary tasks. In fact, include the task-list review as an action item in preferably a Quarterly task-list!

Hushsh! Seems like a lot of work, does it? Well, rest assured that it worth the effort, for it saves the headache.

A few pointers:

• Note that task-lists work best for activities that are iterative in nature.
• Be flexible. Do not let the task-list rule you. In case of an impromptu event, such as a quick movie plan or a last minute invitation to attend a party, feel free to ignore the scheduled tasks for a while. Over a period of time, you will be better than striking a balance.
• If you find a particular tasks being side-lined all too often, consider changing its scheduled time, day, or even shifting its frequency. For example: it’s not really necessary to defrag you system once every week, you can set it to every month or so.
• Although tasks-lists are meant to be an individual activity, it is recommended that you share your task-lists with people close to you, especially spouses, parents and close office colleagues. Not only does this give them a better idea of your schedule, you will also be able to delegate some of the tasks to them.