ForumsQuestionsOrganizing tasks
Organizing tasks
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T Mac |
I'm really frustrated with myself and my organization (or lack thereof).
How does everyone organize their tasks to keep them in order? I have many short mini projects with no hard deadlines. I am looking for ideas on how best to load my subtasks so that they are in a specific order. I don't want to use fictitious due dates. I figured there are some really strong users here on the forum who have already figured out how to do this. |
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SleepySpider_2 |
This is what I do, but I like the system so far, but it might be a little over the top. There are much easier systems probably... I have about 2000 tasks + projects. Some large, some small. Some fit into multiple categories and it was chaotic. Overtime I've come up with a better and better system. GTD wasn't good enough for me and had some serious issues, like repeatables and gigantic someday/maybe lists.
1) Forget folders. Just tag things. Tags are more flexible and act like folders anyways. Use tags to categorize your types of projects (or tasks). You can shove a task into two "folders" this way. 2) If you have the ability to create subtasks, the parent task should be a "project". If there are too many subtasks, create a tag for the project instead. 3) Create a tag called "_projects" or "active_projects", these are the currently active projects you are working on in your queue. Only tag something that is an active project as "_projects". I would name a "project" parent task like this: 01.10.20 - Build shed out back. I would then tag this guy as "_projects, housework" Active Identifier: The first number "01" means it's "active". If it's 02 or 03, those are the order in which you will do your future projects. Sort items alphabetically. If you want, you can have the _projects tag also show upcoming projects by tagging the "02" projects as "_projects" as well. Tag Identifier: The "10" is just a tag identifier to help sort "housework" projects within the "_projects" tag if you want. If you have 10 tag categories, you'll have projects with the numbers 1-10 for the second number. This isn't really necessary, but it helps me sort them. Project Identifier: The "20" is how you order the projects within the "housework" tag category itself if you have multiple projects within that category. Each tag will now contain an organized list of projects for that category. The "_projects" tag will contain a list of active projects you are working on across all categories. Now, for each project, you have a list of subtasks to perform. Just create them under the project and set a "due date" if you want. You can then use the calendar to see what you need to do each day. Each week, review your projects and tasks and schedule the next week. Don't schedule too far in advance. No more than one week to keep it flexible. This consumes less time. This sounds complicated, but it helps me manage and keep track of all the stuff, especially if that stuff fits into multiple categories simultaneously. It prevents me from having to look over and review a gigantic list of things to do. I already know what I need to do because I've planned it already for the week. So you just focus on a single day at a time. At the end of the week, you do a "sprint planning" session and schedule the next week out. Repeat until all projects are done. I do use some GTD ideas as much as I can, such as "make tasks actionable". "If it's more than one task it's a project", etc. Essentially, for this system, each tag is a categorized "someday/maybe" list (or backlog?). So you have several someday maybe lists so it's easier to manage. I call this method "Todd's Toodledo-GTD-Agile method" version 03, since I borrow things I like from each. |
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SleepySpider_2 |
Wow. I just realized I didn't answer your question.
If you want to keep your subtasks in order, just number them. 01 - step 01 02 - step 02 etc. I normally just schedule subtasks on a specific day so I can just look at the day and see what I need to do that day. |
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T Mac |
Todd, very interesting system. I need to think this over and how it would fit into my system but there might be something here. I feel like I struggle to remain true to GTD principles so this may be a more direct approach for organization.
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alexandremrj_2 |
The main issue and main strenght of Toodledo is the enormous number of ways to do things.
For me, GTD in Toodledo is: Folders are Areas of Responsibility Tasks are the project Sub-tasks the actions that you want to complete Contexts are contexts Status is status (Waiting For, Next Action, Active) If you want, you can use tags for energy and use time estimates for time Activate in the settings the option to sort subtasks by drag and drop, and you can organize your tasks inside projects. When looking at my lists, by filtering by context, I activate the actions I want to work with passing them from Active to Next Action. This way they will appear in my hotlist, without any artificial due dates. Hope this helps Alex |
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