How do you plan your day/tasks?...if you do, that is.
February 13, 2018 6:45 PM Subscribe
Do you use google calendar? Do you buy a dayminder every year? Do you wake up in the morning and write: "7:00-7:30 breakfast. 7:30-7:40 get dressed. 7:40-8:10 commute. 8:10 pick up paperclips before work" or something like that? I'm interested in details--specific tools, philosophies, etc.!
And I am actually really curious about the varieties out there, so if you do something that's different from what everyone else upthread has said, all the better.
I'm very curious about such phenomenon as David Allen's GTD in the early 2000s, the Bill Westerman GSD (and many, many, many similar ideas popping up on the internet around the same time), and the Bullet Journal craze. They seem to be hitting a collective nerve (that's perhaps a fear of personal unproductivity) repeatedly. I myself have always clung tightly to the standardized academic calendar my schools distributed, and as soon as there were no more free planners I began drawing check-off boxes in my Moleskine or Miquelrius or whatever nice notebooks. I've also seen people who keep a piece of paper in their pocket, laying out hour by hour. Or people who schedule everything on their caledar-- including things like "10:00-12:00 project A; 12:00-2:00 project B" kind of things.
What's your system, if you have one?
And I am actually really curious about the varieties out there, so if you do something that's different from what everyone else upthread has said, all the better.
I'm very curious about such phenomenon as David Allen's GTD in the early 2000s, the Bill Westerman GSD (and many, many, many similar ideas popping up on the internet around the same time), and the Bullet Journal craze. They seem to be hitting a collective nerve (that's perhaps a fear of personal unproductivity) repeatedly. I myself have always clung tightly to the standardized academic calendar my schools distributed, and as soon as there were no more free planners I began drawing check-off boxes in my Moleskine or Miquelrius or whatever nice notebooks. I've also seen people who keep a piece of paper in their pocket, laying out hour by hour. Or people who schedule everything on their caledar-- including things like "10:00-12:00 project A; 12:00-2:00 project B" kind of things.
What's your system, if you have one?
Paper and pen(cil) to-do list, notepad or whatever scrap paper is around. New page once old page is full or an embarrassing number of days have passed without completing tasks.
I don't have that many separate events going on in a given day so no planner needed for those--most are just auto-filled into the Google Calendar app.
I thought bullet journals would work, given my stockpiles of stationery and hunger for a pretty-fied lifestyle, but it ended up being too stressful.
posted by Sockin'inthefreeworld at 6:57 PM on February 13, 2018 [1 favorite]
I don't have that many separate events going on in a given day so no planner needed for those--most are just auto-filled into the Google Calendar app.
I thought bullet journals would work, given my stockpiles of stationery and hunger for a pretty-fied lifestyle, but it ended up being too stressful.
posted by Sockin'inthefreeworld at 6:57 PM on February 13, 2018 [1 favorite]
I'm a bit old school and my job requires me to keep flexibility in my day for various things that bubble up. I'm in Senior Management in the corporate world.
- I keep an old school paper week at a glance planner. I know. It works though. I write out things I have to do each day in blue and things I would like to get to if I can in light green. Cross things off as completed and circle if I didn't get to it. This planner is more of my go to for life + work stuff, and I write things generally enough that it sets the bar low. Examples of things: "work" "yoga class 6pm" "dentist apt at 3" "go to post office".
- For work stuff, I live and die by my outlook calendar and task list and at the end of each day take an hour before leaving to clear my desk, prep for meetings the next day, clear my inbox to zero emails and write myself a post it list. I also block 30 minutes the next morning for when I first get in so I can have coffee while getting centered for the day.
- the calendar: I schedule blocks of time to prepare certain things for meetings or if something important is due - this way I can rest easy knowing I have scheduled time to get shit done. If I have a recurring meeting, I also have a recurring block of time prior to the meeting to do a call for agenda items as well As a separate time for any prep. I schedule these things when I schedule the actual meeting. Oftentimes if it's a day with unruly email I will bring my lunch to a small huddle room and eat while sorting through things undisturbed. No time for jibber jabber at work for me. However this also leaves the rest of my calendar open for meeting with people and dealing with things that crop up.
- the post it list: I write the top 3 things I absolutely need to do the next day before leaving each day so it is there waiting for me the next morning. These are 5"x7" post its mind you. This actually works because it allows me to be flexible for said fires and makes the day feel less crushing. I tape each one into my notebook at the end of the day and add any notes to it on progress and update my task list in outlook accordingly as well as schedule out blocks of time to work on stuff.
Again, old school, but it works but doesn't make me feel entirely over scheduled and I'm able to check stuff off and keep well ahead of due dates.
posted by floweredfish at 7:07 PM on February 13, 2018 [15 favorites]
- I keep an old school paper week at a glance planner. I know. It works though. I write out things I have to do each day in blue and things I would like to get to if I can in light green. Cross things off as completed and circle if I didn't get to it. This planner is more of my go to for life + work stuff, and I write things generally enough that it sets the bar low. Examples of things: "work" "yoga class 6pm" "dentist apt at 3" "go to post office".
- For work stuff, I live and die by my outlook calendar and task list and at the end of each day take an hour before leaving to clear my desk, prep for meetings the next day, clear my inbox to zero emails and write myself a post it list. I also block 30 minutes the next morning for when I first get in so I can have coffee while getting centered for the day.
- the calendar: I schedule blocks of time to prepare certain things for meetings or if something important is due - this way I can rest easy knowing I have scheduled time to get shit done. If I have a recurring meeting, I also have a recurring block of time prior to the meeting to do a call for agenda items as well As a separate time for any prep. I schedule these things when I schedule the actual meeting. Oftentimes if it's a day with unruly email I will bring my lunch to a small huddle room and eat while sorting through things undisturbed. No time for jibber jabber at work for me. However this also leaves the rest of my calendar open for meeting with people and dealing with things that crop up.
- the post it list: I write the top 3 things I absolutely need to do the next day before leaving each day so it is there waiting for me the next morning. These are 5"x7" post its mind you. This actually works because it allows me to be flexible for said fires and makes the day feel less crushing. I tape each one into my notebook at the end of the day and add any notes to it on progress and update my task list in outlook accordingly as well as schedule out blocks of time to work on stuff.
Again, old school, but it works but doesn't make me feel entirely over scheduled and I'm able to check stuff off and keep well ahead of due dates.
posted by floweredfish at 7:07 PM on February 13, 2018 [15 favorites]
I like the "collections" and "trackers" and "logs" associated with BuJo because they easily work with my bipolar disorder and cardiomyopathy tracking. My life doesn't require tight hour by hour scheduling because I am on disability, so I make heavy use of symbols in my mostly freeform daily log. I make a little "EKG" symbol when I have a cardiac symptom and note the time and nature, that sort of thing. For appointments I use my iPhone reminders app and note completed appointments in my log. For "routines" I have checkoff lists that are more or less granular depending on how depressed I am. During the bad months I have to have a brush teeth and shower box, but during better times I have an "am routine" box. That's why I like BuJo. It's flexible.
I do not, however, draw pictures, paint, or decorate my BuJo. My only affectation is neat handwriting and fountain pens.
Inherited from GTD is the concept of the "doable" task chunk. My to-do lists are not things like, "Clean bedroom." Instead it is separated out into lists of sub tasks. This is REALLY GREAT for my mental illness model of trying to accomplish adulting.
I recently switched to a traveller's style notebook so I could keep my permanent collections in a permanent insert. I got tired of rewriting them every time I blew through a Leuchtturm.
posted by xyzzy at 7:31 PM on February 13, 2018 [1 favorite]
I do not, however, draw pictures, paint, or decorate my BuJo. My only affectation is neat handwriting and fountain pens.
Inherited from GTD is the concept of the "doable" task chunk. My to-do lists are not things like, "Clean bedroom." Instead it is separated out into lists of sub tasks. This is REALLY GREAT for my mental illness model of trying to accomplish adulting.
I recently switched to a traveller's style notebook so I could keep my permanent collections in a permanent insert. I got tired of rewriting them every time I blew through a Leuchtturm.
posted by xyzzy at 7:31 PM on February 13, 2018 [1 favorite]
For personal life, I jot ideas, appointments and to-dos in my calendar app as a way to quickly info-capture, and then either delete items as they're completed or delete them and write them on a color-coded sticky note that goes in the appropriate category on my personal kanban board (which is really just a big cabinet door). I try not to lock myself into a written hour-by-hour schedule in my personal life because it stresses me out too much. Every day, I make a rough plan for what I want/need to do by deciding what stickies to move out of the bottom of my kanban into the part that I've blocked off for "today's to-dos." At the end of the day, I re-visit the board and trash stickies if I've accomplished the task written on the sticky, or move stickies back down to the "waiting area" at the bottom of my board, to be reviewed again the next day.
For work stuff, on the other hand, I have to have an hour-by-hour, very specific schedule, so I use my word processing app to make a daily schedule planning template that I use to sketch out my day. I use my calendar app for scheduling events and far-out to-dos. As I check email, I move emails to appropriate sub-folders, add events to my calendar app, and jot a running record of ideas and actionable items in a perepetually-open doc that I keep in a corner of my desktop. Items can then be color-coded, re-organized by category or order of priority and deleted when finished. Urgent reminders or items I haven't had a chance to put in a doc, calendar app, etc get jotted on a paper sticky note that lives next to the touch pad on my laptop until I do something with it, at which point the sticky can finally be thrown away.
posted by the thought-fox at 7:39 PM on February 13, 2018 [2 favorites]
For work stuff, on the other hand, I have to have an hour-by-hour, very specific schedule, so I use my word processing app to make a daily schedule planning template that I use to sketch out my day. I use my calendar app for scheduling events and far-out to-dos. As I check email, I move emails to appropriate sub-folders, add events to my calendar app, and jot a running record of ideas and actionable items in a perepetually-open doc that I keep in a corner of my desktop. Items can then be color-coded, re-organized by category or order of priority and deleted when finished. Urgent reminders or items I haven't had a chance to put in a doc, calendar app, etc get jotted on a paper sticky note that lives next to the touch pad on my laptop until I do something with it, at which point the sticky can finally be thrown away.
posted by the thought-fox at 7:39 PM on February 13, 2018 [2 favorites]
I started using Google Calendar for this about (jeez) ten years ago, and it works well for me, especially now that I can incorporate reminders. Between that and Inbox on my phone, I usually get where I'm going. At work, it's pretty similar, Outlook calendar/to-dos.
I don't personally schedule down to the level of "7:00-7:30 breakfast," but I generally tend to schedule tasks. So, for example, today my personal calendar has a note that today was a friend's birthday, and also my day to work out of a satellite office. Then an appointment at 7pm, grocery store at 8:30, a 9pm reminder to pick up something from the mail room, and a 10:30 reminder to answer some email I've been putting off. I wouldn't always put on my calendar that I need to stop for groceries, and I very often don't stick to specific times for tasks like "answer email," but I had a bunch of things in a row to remember to do tonight, so it was just easier for me to block it out that way.
This weekend my calendar has a gym class, a volunteer commitment, a couple of overlapping social events which I'll stop in at, a block in the middle where I'll meet a friend for coffee at some point, and dinner and a movie. I also blocked off a couple hours to do my taxes. Right now I have reminders set to plan some travel, but I've been letting that slip for a couple of weeks, so I'll probably block off some actual calendar time for it, since sometimes that works more than having a checkbox floating at the top of my calendar. I do not have laundry or food prep on my calendar, because I do those every Sunday night.
At especially busy times, I might schedule a night to not schedule anything else, but generally, I live off my calendar and use it as a combination schedule/to-do list.
posted by jameaterblues at 7:43 PM on February 13, 2018 [1 favorite]
I don't personally schedule down to the level of "7:00-7:30 breakfast," but I generally tend to schedule tasks. So, for example, today my personal calendar has a note that today was a friend's birthday, and also my day to work out of a satellite office. Then an appointment at 7pm, grocery store at 8:30, a 9pm reminder to pick up something from the mail room, and a 10:30 reminder to answer some email I've been putting off. I wouldn't always put on my calendar that I need to stop for groceries, and I very often don't stick to specific times for tasks like "answer email," but I had a bunch of things in a row to remember to do tonight, so it was just easier for me to block it out that way.
This weekend my calendar has a gym class, a volunteer commitment, a couple of overlapping social events which I'll stop in at, a block in the middle where I'll meet a friend for coffee at some point, and dinner and a movie. I also blocked off a couple hours to do my taxes. Right now I have reminders set to plan some travel, but I've been letting that slip for a couple of weeks, so I'll probably block off some actual calendar time for it, since sometimes that works more than having a checkbox floating at the top of my calendar. I do not have laundry or food prep on my calendar, because I do those every Sunday night.
At especially busy times, I might schedule a night to not schedule anything else, but generally, I live off my calendar and use it as a combination schedule/to-do list.
posted by jameaterblues at 7:43 PM on February 13, 2018 [1 favorite]
I use a combination of a bullet journal and electronic calendars. The calendars are for places I need to be at particular times and things I need to do at specific times; the rest is in my journal.
For work calendaring, I use Outlook as all my meetings are already there. I also use it to block off time to do specific things, remind me of things some day in the future, deadlines and for repeating reminders, for example, to take my laptop home on Thursday.
My personal calendar is on the app Cozi and shared with my husband. This also includes my meal plan which I find very useful. I also make extensive use of Siri and Reminders on my iPhone to remind me of things, often well into the future, such as to buy tickets for something in April.
I use my bullet journal for my everyday planning. I use a combination of project plans, a project index and weekly spreads. Each weekly spread has each weekday and a running to do list. I don't create all the days at once; usually only as the last thing the day before. Then I go through my running to dos, my project plans etc and pull items for the next day's list. This allows me to reprioritize daily and refocus. I also use the journal for meeting notes and whatever else i need to write down, just making sure to update my index every few days.
I also have a personal bullet journal which I use on an as needed basis, such as to list out calls I need to make, presents I need to buy, trip planning or to dos for a weekend.
posted by peacheater at 7:44 PM on February 13, 2018 [1 favorite]
For work calendaring, I use Outlook as all my meetings are already there. I also use it to block off time to do specific things, remind me of things some day in the future, deadlines and for repeating reminders, for example, to take my laptop home on Thursday.
My personal calendar is on the app Cozi and shared with my husband. This also includes my meal plan which I find very useful. I also make extensive use of Siri and Reminders on my iPhone to remind me of things, often well into the future, such as to buy tickets for something in April.
I use my bullet journal for my everyday planning. I use a combination of project plans, a project index and weekly spreads. Each weekly spread has each weekday and a running to do list. I don't create all the days at once; usually only as the last thing the day before. Then I go through my running to dos, my project plans etc and pull items for the next day's list. This allows me to reprioritize daily and refocus. I also use the journal for meeting notes and whatever else i need to write down, just making sure to update my index every few days.
I also have a personal bullet journal which I use on an as needed basis, such as to list out calls I need to make, presents I need to buy, trip planning or to dos for a weekend.
posted by peacheater at 7:44 PM on February 13, 2018 [1 favorite]
I have a whole year calendar (this one) on the wall above the computer in my office that I use to write down big events and travel and occasionally thumbtack things. I have a drawer full of discarded library catalog cards which I use for todo lists. I try to write a new one every day. The first 45 minutes (by the timer) are off-screen time and this is when I drink coffee, open mail, read the paper or another book and do something that involves no typing. Usually during this time I take my old todo list and rewrite it for the new day. I use Calendar on my Mac (synced to my phone and all my computers) that has schedule stuff like doctor's appointments, meetings, and regular outside of the house work commitments, it's a little redundant with my wall calendar and that is fine. I work from home probably 75% of the time. I have all my alerts turned off except the "remind me when I have a thing tomorrow" alert. I chunk things like errands. My loose day is: 45 min offline, online, outside house errands stuff, coffee (sometimes out with friends, sometimes in), more work, dinner, unwind with friends or at home, get in bed, another 30-45 min offline before I go to sleep. It's flexible yet also very very routinized, I am scarily productive.
posted by jessamyn at 7:45 PM on February 13, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by jessamyn at 7:45 PM on February 13, 2018 [4 favorites]
Google calendar for home/personal stuff. I have several Google calendars - a main one that's for appointments, events, travel, etc which is shared with my husband. I have a reminders calendar that reminds me to take meds, and other boring tasks that happen frequently. I have one for local family events like carnivals, free museum entrance days, etc that I can turn on and off when I'm looking for something to do with my kids. When I managed the food in our house, I had a meal planning calendar too.
At work I have a tightly scheduled Outlook calendar that I print off once a week. On the printout I can write reminders and to-dos as they come up, and I carry it around with me so I know where to go for my next meeting. If I have an appointment that affects both work and home life (like a dentist appointment that will make me an hour late) I schedule it on one calendar and send an invite to the other.
posted by peanut_mcgillicuty at 7:48 PM on February 13, 2018 [1 favorite]
At work I have a tightly scheduled Outlook calendar that I print off once a week. On the printout I can write reminders and to-dos as they come up, and I carry it around with me so I know where to go for my next meeting. If I have an appointment that affects both work and home life (like a dentist appointment that will make me an hour late) I schedule it on one calendar and send an invite to the other.
posted by peanut_mcgillicuty at 7:48 PM on February 13, 2018 [1 favorite]
I will put appointments in Google Calendar, such as forthcoming dentist visits and the like that are a few months out, but where I need to be reminded a few days in advance.
For daily tasks, I have a whiteboard on my fridge. I need something that will remind me frequently and in sort of a confrontational way so that I can’t lose track—I have ADHD and my task will slip my mind at the first opportunity, and the whiteboard is useful for bringing me back. I try to accomplish my chores in the early evening after I get home from work, so I write them on the board the night before, or in the morning before I leave.
I also break my tasks down into short chunks as opposed to high-level ideas: tonight’s list was “Empty dishwasher, vacuum upstairs, wash load of darks, iron clothes”. Basically I do okay if I keep the weeknight chores to a small list of things that can be achieved in about an hour.
For reminders and shopping, I have to say I find Amazon Alexa to be super handy. I have an Echo Dot on each floor, and whenever I remember something I need to buy, I can simply tell Alexa to add it to the appropriate list. (Alexa now allows you to create individual lists, so for example, I have one for Costco and can just say, “Add almond milk to Costco list”. I have the Alexa app on my phone and tablet, so whenever I’m out and about, I can consult the list in the app, see my items and add or delete things as needed.
I also have to take a bunch of pills throughout the day (calcium, mainly) so I have an outlook reminder in my work calendar, and at home, I set timers using the Echo—especially convenient since you can label them. Iron timer, calcium timer, a timer while my cookies are baking, a timer while my face mask is working, a timer for my “chore hour”, a timer for a snooze alarm, a sleep timer to turn my music off. So, so many timers. But it’s great because I can set them on the fly without interrupting whatever I’m doing, and it’s an audible cue for me to do the thing when I actually need to do it.
Tl;dr: whiteboard on fridge for things I need to do around the house, Echo Dot for lists and timers.
My job uses Jira applications for workflow management tools, so that isn’t something I have to come up with on my own.
posted by Autumnheart at 7:57 PM on February 13, 2018 [1 favorite]
For daily tasks, I have a whiteboard on my fridge. I need something that will remind me frequently and in sort of a confrontational way so that I can’t lose track—I have ADHD and my task will slip my mind at the first opportunity, and the whiteboard is useful for bringing me back. I try to accomplish my chores in the early evening after I get home from work, so I write them on the board the night before, or in the morning before I leave.
I also break my tasks down into short chunks as opposed to high-level ideas: tonight’s list was “Empty dishwasher, vacuum upstairs, wash load of darks, iron clothes”. Basically I do okay if I keep the weeknight chores to a small list of things that can be achieved in about an hour.
For reminders and shopping, I have to say I find Amazon Alexa to be super handy. I have an Echo Dot on each floor, and whenever I remember something I need to buy, I can simply tell Alexa to add it to the appropriate list. (Alexa now allows you to create individual lists, so for example, I have one for Costco and can just say, “Add almond milk to Costco list”. I have the Alexa app on my phone and tablet, so whenever I’m out and about, I can consult the list in the app, see my items and add or delete things as needed.
I also have to take a bunch of pills throughout the day (calcium, mainly) so I have an outlook reminder in my work calendar, and at home, I set timers using the Echo—especially convenient since you can label them. Iron timer, calcium timer, a timer while my cookies are baking, a timer while my face mask is working, a timer for my “chore hour”, a timer for a snooze alarm, a sleep timer to turn my music off. So, so many timers. But it’s great because I can set them on the fly without interrupting whatever I’m doing, and it’s an audible cue for me to do the thing when I actually need to do it.
Tl;dr: whiteboard on fridge for things I need to do around the house, Echo Dot for lists and timers.
My job uses Jira applications for workflow management tools, so that isn’t something I have to come up with on my own.
posted by Autumnheart at 7:57 PM on February 13, 2018 [1 favorite]
I am a teacher with a very predictable schedule so I just...don't use a planner; instead I put this great Staedtler calendar on a wall in my home office for non-routine things like dentist appointments, flight confirmation numbers, dinners out, and vacations. Nothing gets forgotten and it definitely helps me see shortish-term things that are, like, 18 days away, which is a huge anxiety reducer.
posted by mdonley at 8:03 PM on February 13, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by mdonley at 8:03 PM on February 13, 2018 [2 favorites]
Before my schedule got complicated, I didn't bother with a calendar.
Now I live by my Google calendar. Things that have to happen at a particular time (meetings, classes, appointments, etc.) go in as events on my calendar. Most of my events are recurring, so I just set them up that way, but there are plenty of one-offs too.
I use the sidebar of tasks for things that need to get done, but just wherever they fit in the day/week/month/year/life. I put due dates on many tasks, but there is also a batch at the end of things to do whenever I get around to them.
Generally things that don't make it into my calendar/task list don't get done. Well, except that I don't schedule things like meals or brushing my teeth or commuting. I just do those. But I often have meals at weird times, which works fine for me. My daily schedule varies throughout the week, so I have different alarms for different days. Most of my events are set to give me a 10 minute alert on my phone.
To be honest, I very frequently drag non-urgent task items to tomorrow when I get near the end of the day. I also cheat and sometimes add tasks to my list right after I have completed them, just so I can check them off, because it is satisfying to check things off.
posted by ktkt at 1:10 AM on February 14, 2018 [1 favorite]
Now I live by my Google calendar. Things that have to happen at a particular time (meetings, classes, appointments, etc.) go in as events on my calendar. Most of my events are recurring, so I just set them up that way, but there are plenty of one-offs too.
I use the sidebar of tasks for things that need to get done, but just wherever they fit in the day/week/month/year/life. I put due dates on many tasks, but there is also a batch at the end of things to do whenever I get around to them.
Generally things that don't make it into my calendar/task list don't get done. Well, except that I don't schedule things like meals or brushing my teeth or commuting. I just do those. But I often have meals at weird times, which works fine for me. My daily schedule varies throughout the week, so I have different alarms for different days. Most of my events are set to give me a 10 minute alert on my phone.
To be honest, I very frequently drag non-urgent task items to tomorrow when I get near the end of the day. I also cheat and sometimes add tasks to my list right after I have completed them, just so I can check them off, because it is satisfying to check things off.
posted by ktkt at 1:10 AM on February 14, 2018 [1 favorite]
I make a lot of to do lists, both for personal and professional stuff. I use either paper or online tools like trello.
For me, personally, there are only two instances where schedule out my day like 12-12:30 lunch, 12:30-1:00 calls, 1:00-2:00 x meeting. The first is if I'm feeling overwhelmed at work and I don't know if I'm going to be able to get everything done in the next day or two that I need to. The second is if it's a weekend and I'm worried that I'm just going to sit around staring at my phone all day. These are usually little schedules that I scribble on scrap paper or in the notes app on my phone.
posted by geegollygosh at 5:17 AM on February 14, 2018 [1 favorite]
For me, personally, there are only two instances where schedule out my day like 12-12:30 lunch, 12:30-1:00 calls, 1:00-2:00 x meeting. The first is if I'm feeling overwhelmed at work and I don't know if I'm going to be able to get everything done in the next day or two that I need to. The second is if it's a weekend and I'm worried that I'm just going to sit around staring at my phone all day. These are usually little schedules that I scribble on scrap paper or in the notes app on my phone.
posted by geegollygosh at 5:17 AM on February 14, 2018 [1 favorite]
My personal planning relies on a mixture of Google Calendar for events, and the Remember the Milk app for chores, errands, etc. I like them both a lot but they're mostly chosen because they're my partner's preferred tools whereas I don't care that much which tools I use, and it's helpful for us to be using the same thing so we can share RTM tasks, see each other's calendars easily, etc.
For work, I use the office Outlook calendar to schedule my meetings so the administrative coordinator knows my availability when she needs to schedule me for stuff. I keep a running to-do list of all my projects and recurring tasks in a Word document so I can see the big picture of my workload and share it with my boss periodically, but for day-to-day task management, I just keep a post-it pad on my desk with the 2-5 things I want to try to get done that day. I spend a few minutes in the morning reviewing that big list and triaging my email and picking out the items for the post-it, and then the post-it stares me in the face all day and keeps me on task.
My days aren't scheduled to the extent that you're suggesting. I have whatever work meetings, and whatever evening events, and the rest is unscheduled to fit in whatever work or personal life stuff I can. The most regimented part of my day is my getting-ready-for-work routine because I'm just not awake enough to get my ass to work without a set routine I can sleepwalk my way through. At various times I have had anywhere from 2-6 alarms that go off in the ~90 minutes of my morning routine, to nudge me that it's time to do the next step. Right now my shit is moderately together so I only have three alarms - the "get up" alarm, the "stop fucking around with the cats-and-internet portion of your morning and actually do the breakfast-clothes-meds part of your day", and the "put your shoes on and leave for the bus" alarm.
posted by Stacey at 5:31 AM on February 14, 2018 [1 favorite]
For work, I use the office Outlook calendar to schedule my meetings so the administrative coordinator knows my availability when she needs to schedule me for stuff. I keep a running to-do list of all my projects and recurring tasks in a Word document so I can see the big picture of my workload and share it with my boss periodically, but for day-to-day task management, I just keep a post-it pad on my desk with the 2-5 things I want to try to get done that day. I spend a few minutes in the morning reviewing that big list and triaging my email and picking out the items for the post-it, and then the post-it stares me in the face all day and keeps me on task.
My days aren't scheduled to the extent that you're suggesting. I have whatever work meetings, and whatever evening events, and the rest is unscheduled to fit in whatever work or personal life stuff I can. The most regimented part of my day is my getting-ready-for-work routine because I'm just not awake enough to get my ass to work without a set routine I can sleepwalk my way through. At various times I have had anywhere from 2-6 alarms that go off in the ~90 minutes of my morning routine, to nudge me that it's time to do the next step. Right now my shit is moderately together so I only have three alarms - the "get up" alarm, the "stop fucking around with the cats-and-internet portion of your morning and actually do the breakfast-clothes-meds part of your day", and the "put your shoes on and leave for the bus" alarm.
posted by Stacey at 5:31 AM on February 14, 2018 [1 favorite]
Yeah, pretty much? I do write down everything every day. I have two strategies that work together: I write a rolling calendar with a sketch of everything I have to do in the short term, and I keep a paper calendar that has the longer term things in it plus lead time deadlines.
So today I'm going to use whatever is at hand the plan out the days that I can remember, which is about a week ahead: I put in my wake-up time, leave the house time, work time, goals that have to get done on that day, and bed time. If I am feeling anxious, it will get more detailed regarding what and when, but I also do this when I have firm plans that are vital (i.e. "I must make THIS bus or I will NOT make the plane to the wedding.") When I am very anxious, I feel compelled to write and rewrite the detailed schedule a couple times, and it seems to help-- it's a non-harmful compulsion and it helps me stay organized. I reference this list-making off of my longer-term planner, which I use in an academic year format (mainly because I like buying school supplies in August but don't like buying things I don't need.) I have a good sense of how long things take and I am so chronically early that I was early to my own birth, so this works for me but doesn't work for people who are chronically late.
The planner has all of the time-sensitive stuff plus lead time deadlines (example: send mom a birthday present. If her birthday is on a specific day, I need a three-week lead time to shop, decide, purchase, wrap, and ship so that it arrives on that day. Or, order office supplies at work: two weeks before, ask everyone what they want, one week before check the supplies in the cabinet and remind everyone, day before check one more time, day of place order. "Do the thing" is almost never a single reminder in anyone's life because of the momentum and build up required to do a thing, like, wash your bowl, you know?)
The nature of my work is that I don't have control over what I do when-- I have to cover a public-facing desk and be able to concentrate mostly on that, and the desk schedule changes daily or sometimes hourly as people call in sick, get hung up doing something else, etc, so unless a goal is time-sensitive, I don't plan in the goal's activity, I just keep a running list in the back of my mind of options for what I could do when I get a chance. So the compulsive list-making is for not forgetting stuff I have to do at a specific time (leave the house to catch a bus, show up at work, make it to a lap swim session, finish a purchase order by the day it's due) and also how I figure out the logistics of nebulous and non-sensitive projects (during off desk time, do XYZ component of project 1 so that it's ready for the other person to get around to their component and kick it back to me, then work on ABC component of project 2 and kick that to the other person, hopefully in time to return to Project 1 when it returns to me.) I do things as I have time and as I get around to them unless it's a hard deadline (like taxes, or doctor appointments.)
My feeling with long term goals is that if there is no action you can plan into your daily logistics, then that goal is not important or real-- it's a desire, not a goal. So I don't really write down or plan what I want to do until I have actually decided to do it and have a specific, timely, measurable action that I can add to the rolling list. I have goals for my life but some of them have not reached the point that they are actionable, so I don't worry about them.
Also, FUCK DIGITAL CALENDARS. I have repeatedly put in important things in something like Google Calendar and I either get 127 reminders about it that I can't turn off, or I get zero reminders because some software changed without me knowing and whoops February was deleted. Paper doesn't let you down; you can only let yourself down by losing it (and if that happens, guess what? You go about fixing it the same way you would if your digital just suddenly stopped working for some reason, by calling people.)
posted by blnkfrnk at 7:01 AM on February 14, 2018 [2 favorites]
So today I'm going to use whatever is at hand the plan out the days that I can remember, which is about a week ahead: I put in my wake-up time, leave the house time, work time, goals that have to get done on that day, and bed time. If I am feeling anxious, it will get more detailed regarding what and when, but I also do this when I have firm plans that are vital (i.e. "I must make THIS bus or I will NOT make the plane to the wedding.") When I am very anxious, I feel compelled to write and rewrite the detailed schedule a couple times, and it seems to help-- it's a non-harmful compulsion and it helps me stay organized. I reference this list-making off of my longer-term planner, which I use in an academic year format (mainly because I like buying school supplies in August but don't like buying things I don't need.) I have a good sense of how long things take and I am so chronically early that I was early to my own birth, so this works for me but doesn't work for people who are chronically late.
The planner has all of the time-sensitive stuff plus lead time deadlines (example: send mom a birthday present. If her birthday is on a specific day, I need a three-week lead time to shop, decide, purchase, wrap, and ship so that it arrives on that day. Or, order office supplies at work: two weeks before, ask everyone what they want, one week before check the supplies in the cabinet and remind everyone, day before check one more time, day of place order. "Do the thing" is almost never a single reminder in anyone's life because of the momentum and build up required to do a thing, like, wash your bowl, you know?)
The nature of my work is that I don't have control over what I do when-- I have to cover a public-facing desk and be able to concentrate mostly on that, and the desk schedule changes daily or sometimes hourly as people call in sick, get hung up doing something else, etc, so unless a goal is time-sensitive, I don't plan in the goal's activity, I just keep a running list in the back of my mind of options for what I could do when I get a chance. So the compulsive list-making is for not forgetting stuff I have to do at a specific time (leave the house to catch a bus, show up at work, make it to a lap swim session, finish a purchase order by the day it's due) and also how I figure out the logistics of nebulous and non-sensitive projects (during off desk time, do XYZ component of project 1 so that it's ready for the other person to get around to their component and kick it back to me, then work on ABC component of project 2 and kick that to the other person, hopefully in time to return to Project 1 when it returns to me.) I do things as I have time and as I get around to them unless it's a hard deadline (like taxes, or doctor appointments.)
My feeling with long term goals is that if there is no action you can plan into your daily logistics, then that goal is not important or real-- it's a desire, not a goal. So I don't really write down or plan what I want to do until I have actually decided to do it and have a specific, timely, measurable action that I can add to the rolling list. I have goals for my life but some of them have not reached the point that they are actionable, so I don't worry about them.
Also, FUCK DIGITAL CALENDARS. I have repeatedly put in important things in something like Google Calendar and I either get 127 reminders about it that I can't turn off, or I get zero reminders because some software changed without me knowing and whoops February was deleted. Paper doesn't let you down; you can only let yourself down by losing it (and if that happens, guess what? You go about fixing it the same way you would if your digital just suddenly stopped working for some reason, by calling people.)
posted by blnkfrnk at 7:01 AM on February 14, 2018 [2 favorites]
I have a full time and part time job (lecturer at a university and I've got a class at another school), I'm an almost full time doctoral student, and I have an active family and social life. I am scheduled to the hilt.
Just about everything goes into Google Calendar. I've tried so many systems over time and that's what works. I'm an avid Apple user but I share my life with an Android user, and if it's Google calendar we can share calendars. We also share a Google keep list for Groceries/Target/etc. Also, Google autoadds events from email, which I know some folks find problematic but I'm just grateful for.
I have for calendars: personal, meal planning, one for each class that I'm teaching, and my wife's shared out to me. I had a separate calendar for the classes I'm taking, but lately that just gets dumped onto my personal calendar. I've gotten to the point where I block off time driving to job #2, going to the gym and showering, etc., or I forget that I can't teleport between places.
Stuff like movie releases, my cousin going to the DR to visit his wife, etc, get blocked off as all day events, so at least they're in front of me. Calling for visitation for my wife to see her dad is an all caps all day event and a task.
I'm finally back on Google tasks, after trying everything under the sun. They're not mobile friend (why don't tasks show in the Google calendar app on iOS?), and I hate that they got rid of checkboxes on the calendar itself with the new look (so tasks look like all day events), but I turned tasks the darkest red available, so they jump out, and I'm coping. Gtasks is the only thing for tasks that's ever worked for me long term (and seriously, I tried every app and planning system out there), because I forget to look at anything else. I'm looking at my calendar all day.
Tasks that I need to be able to look at on my phone, like errands, go into a list in Google keep.
Stuff that I cannot forget to do or that I need to be nagged about ("check in for southwest flight tomorrow morning!") goes into reminders on my phone, since I'm also always looking at my phone and it will pop up and nag until I do something about it. I'm getting ready to set a reminder to grab my coffee mug out of my office at 5 M-F, because guess what I've left in my office twice this week? :p
Finally, what's not electronic is the morning checklist. We have a white board on the fridge for the meal list (pulled off the electronic calendar), smart ass notes to our housemate, and I put a morning checklist on it. Feed the dog/water the dog/take my meds/turn off the coffeepot/etc. This one simple thing has cut down my morning anxiety and those "oh hell, did I turn off the coffeepot?" conversations in the car by 95%.
posted by joycehealy at 7:13 AM on February 14, 2018 [1 favorite]
Just about everything goes into Google Calendar. I've tried so many systems over time and that's what works. I'm an avid Apple user but I share my life with an Android user, and if it's Google calendar we can share calendars. We also share a Google keep list for Groceries/Target/etc. Also, Google autoadds events from email, which I know some folks find problematic but I'm just grateful for.
I have for calendars: personal, meal planning, one for each class that I'm teaching, and my wife's shared out to me. I had a separate calendar for the classes I'm taking, but lately that just gets dumped onto my personal calendar. I've gotten to the point where I block off time driving to job #2, going to the gym and showering, etc., or I forget that I can't teleport between places.
Stuff like movie releases, my cousin going to the DR to visit his wife, etc, get blocked off as all day events, so at least they're in front of me. Calling for visitation for my wife to see her dad is an all caps all day event and a task.
I'm finally back on Google tasks, after trying everything under the sun. They're not mobile friend (why don't tasks show in the Google calendar app on iOS?), and I hate that they got rid of checkboxes on the calendar itself with the new look (so tasks look like all day events), but I turned tasks the darkest red available, so they jump out, and I'm coping. Gtasks is the only thing for tasks that's ever worked for me long term (and seriously, I tried every app and planning system out there), because I forget to look at anything else. I'm looking at my calendar all day.
Tasks that I need to be able to look at on my phone, like errands, go into a list in Google keep.
Stuff that I cannot forget to do or that I need to be nagged about ("check in for southwest flight tomorrow morning!") goes into reminders on my phone, since I'm also always looking at my phone and it will pop up and nag until I do something about it. I'm getting ready to set a reminder to grab my coffee mug out of my office at 5 M-F, because guess what I've left in my office twice this week? :p
Finally, what's not electronic is the morning checklist. We have a white board on the fridge for the meal list (pulled off the electronic calendar), smart ass notes to our housemate, and I put a morning checklist on it. Feed the dog/water the dog/take my meds/turn off the coffeepot/etc. This one simple thing has cut down my morning anxiety and those "oh hell, did I turn off the coffeepot?" conversations in the car by 95%.
posted by joycehealy at 7:13 AM on February 14, 2018 [1 favorite]
I Bullet Journal. The original idea at this website, not the fancy way it's shown on a lot of Instagrams. (though there is nothing wrong with that if that's what you want to do). Though you seem aware of this one, I love it as at it's core it is so simple and my system combines a lot of the GTD methods with bullet journal methods. I do a lot of brain dumps.
I use a fancy Japanese Hobonici notebook to do it in with a nice fountain pen though as I find I like to sit & do my planning more each evening with the nicer equipment, but I have also made it work with a free pen from my dentists & a composition notebook so it's definitely not equipment reliant.
I like the brain dump factor, everything is out of my head & in my notebook somewhere. Decorating plans, in the notebook. Ideas for vacations, in the notebook. Shopping list, in the notebook. Gift lists for birthdays etc, in the notebook. What I have to do tomorrow, in the notebook.
I'm not anti tech, but I hate trying to keep notes more complicated than appointments in any sort of tiny tech like a phone, I just write so much faster by hand or on a keyboard & I can't lug my computer with me everywhere so notebook it is. Also I hate having to keep things recharged so I can keep on track during a day & am not one to be tied to her phone, hell I mostly just use it as a timer when doing housework (which I allocate time for in my Bullet Journal).
The hardest part is getting over the "it has to be neat" mentality and realising it doesn't work if you don't write it all down. I find it's great for anxious people like me to do this last thing at night, so I can go to sleep without those constant "don't forget" worry bombs going off in my head.
posted by wwax at 8:21 AM on February 14, 2018 [4 favorites]
I use a fancy Japanese Hobonici notebook to do it in with a nice fountain pen though as I find I like to sit & do my planning more each evening with the nicer equipment, but I have also made it work with a free pen from my dentists & a composition notebook so it's definitely not equipment reliant.
I like the brain dump factor, everything is out of my head & in my notebook somewhere. Decorating plans, in the notebook. Ideas for vacations, in the notebook. Shopping list, in the notebook. Gift lists for birthdays etc, in the notebook. What I have to do tomorrow, in the notebook.
I'm not anti tech, but I hate trying to keep notes more complicated than appointments in any sort of tiny tech like a phone, I just write so much faster by hand or on a keyboard & I can't lug my computer with me everywhere so notebook it is. Also I hate having to keep things recharged so I can keep on track during a day & am not one to be tied to her phone, hell I mostly just use it as a timer when doing housework (which I allocate time for in my Bullet Journal).
The hardest part is getting over the "it has to be neat" mentality and realising it doesn't work if you don't write it all down. I find it's great for anxious people like me to do this last thing at night, so I can go to sleep without those constant "don't forget" worry bombs going off in my head.
posted by wwax at 8:21 AM on February 14, 2018 [4 favorites]
I actually have three online calendars: an Outlook calendar at work, a Google calendar for personal stuff, and another Google calendar for family stuff. All three are synced to my phone so I can easily see everything I have to do that day, but my husband (who can see the family one and my personal one) doesn't have to see all my work meetings and my work colleagues don't have to see things like my kid's gymnastics classes.
Then I have reminders set for almost everything, so my phone/computer tells me what to do when.
I definitely put in blocks of time for working on projects, so for instance if I need to get a particular thing done it's marked as busy on my calendar so no one can set up meetings with me while I'm supposed to be working on it.
Only thing I have to be mindful of is that anything personal that happens during the workday needs to be blocked out on my work calendar so I don't end up with a conflict. Outlook does allow you to mark things private but I usually just put an "out of office" block in with no details since the details are already on my personal calendar.
One nice thing about having my calendars all online is that my events go back years now so I can easily see things no matter when they happened -- harder to do with paper. And at the end of the fiscal year when I need to write my annual report at work, I can go back through and see what I've actually been doing.
posted by rabbitrabbit at 8:36 AM on February 14, 2018 [2 favorites]
Then I have reminders set for almost everything, so my phone/computer tells me what to do when.
I definitely put in blocks of time for working on projects, so for instance if I need to get a particular thing done it's marked as busy on my calendar so no one can set up meetings with me while I'm supposed to be working on it.
Only thing I have to be mindful of is that anything personal that happens during the workday needs to be blocked out on my work calendar so I don't end up with a conflict. Outlook does allow you to mark things private but I usually just put an "out of office" block in with no details since the details are already on my personal calendar.
One nice thing about having my calendars all online is that my events go back years now so I can easily see things no matter when they happened -- harder to do with paper. And at the end of the fiscal year when I need to write my annual report at work, I can go back through and see what I've actually been doing.
posted by rabbitrabbit at 8:36 AM on February 14, 2018 [2 favorites]
For day-to-day routines, I use a very niche app called Routinist. It lets you set a 'go time' when your routine has to end (like going to work, for example) and a target amount of sleep, then it will work backwards from the routine durations you add. It's a bit of a faff to set up, but once you've got it going it's very good at keeping me focused in the morning. Before I started using it I was very bad for staring at my laptop and leaving late every morning, but the quiet chimes of this app get me moving nicely.
posted by Happy Dave at 12:37 PM on February 14, 2018
posted by Happy Dave at 12:37 PM on February 14, 2018
I use Google Calendar to notify me about the things I really shouldn't miss. Dentist appointment, team meeting, mom's birthday.
I toss into that the things I want to do that will likely have other things contesting for that time; there's a block at 4pm MWF called "leave work/go to gym". Otherwise, I'll get mired at work, and not make it.
If my calendar then looks like all day every day busy, I go out 2-3 weeks and start putting in "do not schedule/focus time" blocks so that I can still do unscheduled things. For that one, the book "Slack" by Tom DeMarco introduces "if you don't have flexibility in your schedule, you're always underperforming/rarely doing creative work", and I'd agree.
For Getting Things Done, if I have something come up that I want to do, and it's less than five minutes, I just do it, or put it in a pile for later today; if you push back the little stuff too much, the context shifting of coming back to it kills you. If all I have time for is the little stuff, I need to learn to say "no" much much more often.
And saying "no" to stuff explicitly or implicitly is the cornerstone of actually doing more; if you're not going to do it ever, being able to get it out of your head completely is a pretty big win.
posted by talldean at 2:33 PM on February 14, 2018
I toss into that the things I want to do that will likely have other things contesting for that time; there's a block at 4pm MWF called "leave work/go to gym". Otherwise, I'll get mired at work, and not make it.
If my calendar then looks like all day every day busy, I go out 2-3 weeks and start putting in "do not schedule/focus time" blocks so that I can still do unscheduled things. For that one, the book "Slack" by Tom DeMarco introduces "if you don't have flexibility in your schedule, you're always underperforming/rarely doing creative work", and I'd agree.
For Getting Things Done, if I have something come up that I want to do, and it's less than five minutes, I just do it, or put it in a pile for later today; if you push back the little stuff too much, the context shifting of coming back to it kills you. If all I have time for is the little stuff, I need to learn to say "no" much much more often.
And saying "no" to stuff explicitly or implicitly is the cornerstone of actually doing more; if you're not going to do it ever, being able to get it out of your head completely is a pretty big win.
posted by talldean at 2:33 PM on February 14, 2018
I use iCal on my computer and phone for random non-work-related appointments, like birthdays, doctor's appointments, and plans with friends.
For my professional life, I live and die by the bullet journal, though like a poster above, I'm not into the artsy part of it. I literally draw a weekly calendar where I list appointments and meetings for M-F and then keep a daily to-do list with checkboxes. I write every tiny task on my to do list because I have a terrible memory. I do draw a monthly calendar at the beginning of each month as well, and every Monday I transfer meetings from the monthly to the weekly calendar. The to-do list is really my saving grace though. I break it down absurdly -
"Get x form from John Doe."
"Fill out x form."
"Return x form to John Doe's mailbox."
All separate items. Because otherwise I forget something.
Occasionally I use highlights to color code tasks by chunk of the day I plan to complete them.
posted by raspberrE at 2:35 PM on February 14, 2018
For my professional life, I live and die by the bullet journal, though like a poster above, I'm not into the artsy part of it. I literally draw a weekly calendar where I list appointments and meetings for M-F and then keep a daily to-do list with checkboxes. I write every tiny task on my to do list because I have a terrible memory. I do draw a monthly calendar at the beginning of each month as well, and every Monday I transfer meetings from the monthly to the weekly calendar. The to-do list is really my saving grace though. I break it down absurdly -
"Get x form from John Doe."
"Fill out x form."
"Return x form to John Doe's mailbox."
All separate items. Because otherwise I forget something.
Occasionally I use highlights to color code tasks by chunk of the day I plan to complete them.
posted by raspberrE at 2:35 PM on February 14, 2018
I just switched from outlook calendar to this paper calendar.. I like that it keeps me focused on long term goals but also lets me put in daily tasks. The blank pages I use for my brain dumps- trip ideas, gift ideas etc...It fits nicely in my purse, but is big enough that it gets my attention.
posted by SyraCarol at 7:02 PM on February 14, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by SyraCarol at 7:02 PM on February 14, 2018 [1 favorite]
I use a combination of Habitica, which makes my to-do lists part of an RPG, and Trello.
Trello keeps my running lists of things I need to get done in various aspects of my life. Direct sales business, clickwork reminders, freelance writing possibilities, blog article ideas, health, bills, and on, and on, and on. I've got separate boards for the broader topics, and lists to organize the details.
Habitica gives me three lists: Dailies, To-Dos, and Habits. Dailies are what they sound like: things I do daily. Take meds, eat at least twice, write a specific number of words, earn a certain amount on clickwork, drink a bottle of water. Habits are Dailies in training. Things I want to do every day, but haven't quite reached the Daily level yet. And To-Dos are one-off tasks. like call Suzy Q about her skin care, put away the laundry, stitch 25 squares on this cross stitch.
This is my favorite Trello tutorial, by Brittany Dixon of Clutter Control Coaching. Terllo also has a vast array of hints, tips, and ideas on their blog.
Beyond all that, I kinda just wing it. I know the best hours for the clickwork I do are from about 0800-1800 EST. My sleep-wake cycle is often weird, between insomnia, sleep apnea, and bipolar disorder, so I don't always make it online during those hours. I eat as soon as I get up in the morning most of the time, and dinner's delivered around 1830. After dinner, I work on writing, or direct sales, or one of my various arts & crafts projects. I don't do clickwork on the weekends because there's generally not anywhere near as much to be had. That's when I do the majority of my "after work" activities.
posted by The Almighty Mommy Goddess at 10:25 PM on February 19, 2018
Trello keeps my running lists of things I need to get done in various aspects of my life. Direct sales business, clickwork reminders, freelance writing possibilities, blog article ideas, health, bills, and on, and on, and on. I've got separate boards for the broader topics, and lists to organize the details.
Habitica gives me three lists: Dailies, To-Dos, and Habits. Dailies are what they sound like: things I do daily. Take meds, eat at least twice, write a specific number of words, earn a certain amount on clickwork, drink a bottle of water. Habits are Dailies in training. Things I want to do every day, but haven't quite reached the Daily level yet. And To-Dos are one-off tasks. like call Suzy Q about her skin care, put away the laundry, stitch 25 squares on this cross stitch.
This is my favorite Trello tutorial, by Brittany Dixon of Clutter Control Coaching. Terllo also has a vast array of hints, tips, and ideas on their blog.
Beyond all that, I kinda just wing it. I know the best hours for the clickwork I do are from about 0800-1800 EST. My sleep-wake cycle is often weird, between insomnia, sleep apnea, and bipolar disorder, so I don't always make it online during those hours. I eat as soon as I get up in the morning most of the time, and dinner's delivered around 1830. After dinner, I work on writing, or direct sales, or one of my various arts & crafts projects. I don't do clickwork on the weekends because there's generally not anywhere near as much to be had. That's when I do the majority of my "after work" activities.
posted by The Almighty Mommy Goddess at 10:25 PM on February 19, 2018
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posted by grouse at 6:54 PM on February 13, 2018 [5 favorites]