TODOs the old fashioned way
I am a typical PC guy working at a firm. My daily tasks involve juggling many big and small projects but go home feeling stressed, burned out, empty and unaccomplished.
I come to work thinking in my mind that such and such things will need to get done, these are top priority projects that I’ve been having nightmare about all night long. I spend most days thinking about all the things I COULD do as usual never get around to doing them.
So for people who work in a fast paced environment and also manage various projects, how the heck they’re supposed to juggle everything and stay focused? With that said, here are some non-tech techniques that has somewhat worked for me and it has made me a bit more organized and timely on my project deliverables.
NOTEPAD
No. This is not the infamous notepad.exe. Although the application itself is very handy when it comes to capturing quick notes, the actual physical notepad can make a person much more productive when it comes to getting things done. Why you ask? First off, you can carry it around in your pocket all day, leave it by bed side and jot things down as you come up with ideas and solutions…it works better than PDAs and smart phones because well be honest, how many of us really type notes into our PDAs and then go back to them to review? I’ve made numerous todo lists on my phone but I always forgot about them as soon as I got a phone call.
A physical notepad is much lightweight, batteryless and you can drop it all you want on the floor and it’ll still work just fine. When you jot things down, you can easily go back to it and check off when you’ve done the tasks. The feeling one gets from checking off a todo list on a notepad is much more satisfying than marking it done or erasing it from a PC application. You feel you’ve accomplished a real task, it also makes you feel more productive.
WHITEBOARD
That’s right. The next best thing to a handy notepad is a good size whiteboard. Putting your todo list on a whiteboard is very effective. Why? because it’ll stare at you when you come into office in the morning until you leave for the day. You’ll never forget what you need to do as long as this thing is around you. Whether you sit in a cubicle or an office, anyone can make room for a reasonable size whiteboard. Use it regularly, jot down your daily tasks or weekly projects, it makes you stick to your goals and get it accomplished.
Just DO IT!
That’s right. If you have things to do, then just do it and do it right away. Don’t wait for tasks to pile up and clog your life and brain. If there are tasks that take 15 minutes or less, don’t leave it for later unless absolutely necessary. If you practice this method, you’d at least get most of your tasks accomplished on timely basis. Remember, everytime you accomplish a task, big or small it increases your integrity as a professional. Meaning the trust and confidence in yoursellf increase as you get more things done on time.
