I've been trying having 2 lists. One I call the bucket, where I have things I need to do but don't know when yet. And the other is for things I need to do today. So when today is depleted I pull stuff from the bucket. The only challenge here is putting realistic tasks for the 'today' list. I've noticed that I can only put like 2 or 3 max to actually make this work. The best part of making a very short list is that you can actually finish it, and it kinda motivates you to do a little extra if you have time.
To-Do Lists Are Not the Answer to Getting Things Done
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Re: To-Do Lists Are Not the Answer to Getting Things Done
#42[deleted]
Re: To-Do Lists Are Not the Answer to Getting Things Done
#43I've been trying having 2 lists. One I call the bucket, where I have things I need to do but don't know when yet. And the other is for things I need to do today. So when today is depleted I pull stuff from the bucket. The only challenge here is putting realistic tasks for the 'today' list. I've noticed that I can only put like 2 or 3 max to actually make this work. The best part of making a very short list is that yo…
You may want to read up on Kanban, it sounds like you're well on your way to starting to invent the Kanban process for yourself
Re: To-Do Lists Are Not the Answer to Getting Things Done
#44I find that this fails if your job involves putting out fires and responding to unpredictable client needs. I used to make a very concrete schedule at the start of a week and by midweek most of it was out the window. I do usually keep small must-do-this-week list, and the key for me in planning is estimating the duration of each task so that I can take advantage of what time I do get, and choose the right task for th…
When I was a manufacturing engineer, I used to have a short list of long term projects, a fair list of medium term projects, and a long list of tasks. A rolling todo list was the only way to stay on top of things. You can't be the Pinball Wizard when the job requires you to be the pinball.
>When I was a manufacturing engineer, I used to have a short list of long term projects, a fair list of medium term projects, and a long list of tasks. A rolling todo list was the only way to stay on top of things.
I'm in a similar situation. This is what works for me. I use a spreadsheet to keep track of what I'm working on currently and my progress so far. I don't update it all the time - probably something like every 3 to 4 days. sometimes it's as simple as adding a line to say "Emailed Phil with my recommendations, waiting to hear back from him - call him if no word by 23rd".
I'm constantly having to jump between various projects. This is the only way I've found to keep track of status of various things. Sometimes I'll be out on plant dealing with an issue all day or supervising a trial or tied up with meetings etc. Before I adopted this system it was a nightmare picking things up again after a few days away from my desk.
Re: To-Do Lists Are Not the Answer to Getting Things Done
#45The tricky part for this approach is knowing the order things can get done. Days can be dynamic.
I'm wondering if a schedule without times but only durations would be an upgrade from the ToDo list, showing how much can be accomplished in a day, or how long it will take to complete a list.
Did I just describe a personal Gantt chart?
Re: To-Do Lists Are Not the Answer to Getting Things Done
#46I don't know about most people, but this works terribly for me. Motivation is huge for my happiness, so I want to do something when I'm in the mood for it. This means I do keep a list of the things I need to get done, so whenever I've got free time, I take a look at the list and see what I'm most in the mood to do. Of course, this is the real world -- sometimes something has a firm deadline so you have no choice (so…
> I don't know about most people, but this works terribly for me. Motivation is huge for my happiness, so I want to do something when I'm in the mood for it. That's a sure-fire recipe for never doing most things one needs to do, because most of those things are not things that one looks forward to anyway. Even for the core work someone does (e.g. writing for a writer), people mention time and again that setting up ti…
Depends on what makes you happy, though. If you focus on the satisfaction of crossing a dreaded task off the list after you've been avoiding it for a few days, that can make the task an attractive choice.
Re: To-Do Lists Are Not the Answer to Getting Things Done
#47"I’ve helped thousands of people — from NFL Coaches and Four Star Generals to best-selling authors and hedge fund managers — feel less busy and get more done.
I get asked for advice on improving productivity so much so that I’ve packaged most of it into an online seminar that I call Insanely More Productive."
Why is an advertisement for a $59 online seminar on the front page of HN? Nice title aside, I'm flagging this.
Re: To-Do Lists Are Not the Answer to Getting Things Done
#48"I’ve helped thousands of people — from NFL Coaches and Four Star Generals to best-selling authors and hedge fund managers — feel less busy and get more done. I get asked for advice on improving productivity so much so that I’ve packaged most of it into an online seminar that I call Insanely More Productive." Why is an advertisement for a $59 online seminar on the front page of HN? Nice title aside, I'm flagging this…
If you look past the ad, the author's main point is a great piece of advice. A task takes time, so if you're going to do it you should schedule it. It's easy to put something on a todo list because you're not committing to doing it; you're just putting it on a list which causes anxiety.
Re: To-Do Lists Are Not the Answer to Getting Things Done
#49> SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE DON’T MAKE TO-DO LISTS. Request for disproof: Any successful people here make to-do lists?
My wife is ultra-productive and is a todo-list person. She does have a tendency to overcommit, which scheduling would help with. But that hasn't stopped her from being quite successful, and she works at a PR firm, which is a job has all sorts of tasks that continually emerge and require prioritization.
I'm less so a todo-list person, but I do use them help to clear my headspace, more so than to run my day. I plan to experiment with more scheduling to enhance my productivity. I don't think I'm the sort that wants to go to the extreme with it, but I think I may find it helpful.
Re: To-Do Lists Are Not the Answer to Getting Things Done
#50Click bait title!