System to manage recurring deadlines?
December 28, 2022 3:22 PM Subscribe
Looking for recommendations to manage deadlines that recur every few months to few years. Can be software, app, Excel spreadsheet method, etc.
I'm seeking a system to help keep track of recurring professional deadlines. Things like license renewals, organizational membership renewals, business deadlines, etc. Some recur every few months, some every 1-3 years.
I'd like some system that keeps track of these things in an easy-to-follow list so I can see everything coming up in the future at once. Once one deadline passes, it should get moved back automatically, and it should come up again at its scheduled time.
My phone's calendar doesn't work well for keeping track of these deadlines because it can't give me a bird's eye view of tasks that might be, say, 1-3 years away.
A basic text-based to-do list doesn't work, either, because I would have to manually move completed deadlines to the end of the list.
A "to-do" list associated with each deadline isn't necessary, but it would be nice to have.
The solution must be digital. If it helps - I have a PC, Microsoft Office, an Android phone, and Evernote.
I hope I've explained what I'm looking for clearly enough. Thank you everyone!
I'm seeking a system to help keep track of recurring professional deadlines. Things like license renewals, organizational membership renewals, business deadlines, etc. Some recur every few months, some every 1-3 years.
I'd like some system that keeps track of these things in an easy-to-follow list so I can see everything coming up in the future at once. Once one deadline passes, it should get moved back automatically, and it should come up again at its scheduled time.
My phone's calendar doesn't work well for keeping track of these deadlines because it can't give me a bird's eye view of tasks that might be, say, 1-3 years away.
A basic text-based to-do list doesn't work, either, because I would have to manually move completed deadlines to the end of the list.
A "to-do" list associated with each deadline isn't necessary, but it would be nice to have.
The solution must be digital. If it helps - I have a PC, Microsoft Office, an Android phone, and Evernote.
I hope I've explained what I'm looking for clearly enough. Thank you everyone!
I set events in Google Calendar for things like this. I then set reminders on those events to notify me, for example, a month out, then a week out, then the day before, then the day of.
I know you can set things to repeat in GCal, although I've only used it for things at a weekly level.
If you've got Office, do you have Outlook? I think Outlook's calendar has similar functionality. I have work events in Outlook that are several months out, with reminders similar to GCal.
posted by ralan at 3:43 PM on December 28, 2022 [3 favorites]
I know you can set things to repeat in GCal, although I've only used it for things at a weekly level.
If you've got Office, do you have Outlook? I think Outlook's calendar has similar functionality. I have work events in Outlook that are several months out, with reminders similar to GCal.
posted by ralan at 3:43 PM on December 28, 2022 [3 favorites]
I use ToDoIst for exactly this.
posted by NotMyselfRightNow at 4:21 PM on December 28, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by NotMyselfRightNow at 4:21 PM on December 28, 2022 [2 favorites]
This seems like a thing 43Folders could address. I don’t use any of them, so I can’t recommend anything specific, but 43Folders is well-known enough that I’m sure there are plenty of apps.
posted by kevinbelt at 4:36 PM on December 28, 2022
posted by kevinbelt at 4:36 PM on December 28, 2022
Google Calendar has a built-in "Task" function - when you go to create an event, under the title there is an option to change it from "Event" to "Task." Tasks can repeat the same way calendar events can. You can see a list of your tasks by clicking the task button (a blue circle with a checkmark) on the right of your calendar. On mobile there is a separate Google Tasks app to support.
posted by mustardayonnaise at 6:30 PM on December 28, 2022
posted by mustardayonnaise at 6:30 PM on December 28, 2022
I use OmniFocus (MacOS and iOS) for this, as well as for my day to day tasks. I have a list of recurring tasks (e.g., renew car registration every 2 years) as well as some recurring projects involving multiple tasks (e.g., winterize the house exterior).
posted by brianogilvie at 9:10 AM on December 29, 2022
posted by brianogilvie at 9:10 AM on December 29, 2022
I use the Google Calendar solution mentioned above: set recurring reminders with alerts or emails long before the event. I don't have a separate calendar for these things but that would help with a bird's eye view. I also set recurring Tasks and Reminders (not appointments) that say things like "license renewal due on ", and I put them on my calendar long before that date. That way I can reschedule the task on my calendar but stay mindful of the deadline, and when it's done I can explicitly mark it as done.
But if you don't like that solution you might look into https://www.followupthen.com/ - you can get reminders sent to your email whenever you want. The paid plans have recurring reminders, and I believe you can see a list of the reminders you've set. I didn't end up sticking with it because Google Calendar does what I want but it might help you.
posted by Tehhund at 3:48 AM on December 30, 2022
But if you don't like that solution you might look into https://www.followupthen.com/ - you can get reminders sent to your email whenever you want. The paid plans have recurring reminders, and I believe you can see a list of the reminders you've set. I didn't end up sticking with it because Google Calendar does what I want but it might help you.
posted by Tehhund at 3:48 AM on December 30, 2022
I really like my system of using Trello for this, though it’s not quite as automatic as you’re describing.
On my board, I have a list for each 3-month period, e.g. one for January/February/March. On that list, I have a card for each recurring task. I also have cards that are just dividers, to separate each list into its months.
The name of the card is the task, plus its recurrence interval if it’s not 1/year. E.g. “Change WATER FILTER (every 3 mo)” or “Get SEPTIC pumped (2026).” All the details (like your task’s to-do list) are on the inside of the card. Specific deadlines and reminders are there, too, if applicable.
When I finish a task, if the next time it needs to be done is in one year, I put a big green checkmark sticker on it (which is also rewarding). If it’s in six months or whatever, then I just drag it to that new correct place on the board. There’s probably a way to automate that, but I like the physicality of dragging the cards, and it’s easy since the card name tells me where to drop it next.
When everything on that 3-month list is checked, I clear off the stickers and drag the whole list to the end of the board, so that the current three month period is always first. Well, second really: I have a list that is permanently in the first spot where I temporarily drag any particularly Hot tasks. And I have another list that is permanently in the last spot. That’s where I put occasional tasks, with all my needed info about them, that recur based on something other than time periods — e.g., the things to do whenever I’m preparing to leave for a trip.
Each of my lists has maybe one or two dozen cards. If you have many more recurring tasks than that to manage, then it would work better to have a list for each month instead of each three-month period.
I know that Trello does have a Calendar view, but I prefer my board because of how it consolidates everything — the bird’s eye view you mention.
I’ve been using this system for a few years, and I’m psyched to have finally found a method that seems worth sticking with.
posted by daisyace at 6:59 AM on December 30, 2022
On my board, I have a list for each 3-month period, e.g. one for January/February/March. On that list, I have a card for each recurring task. I also have cards that are just dividers, to separate each list into its months.
The name of the card is the task, plus its recurrence interval if it’s not 1/year. E.g. “Change WATER FILTER (every 3 mo)” or “Get SEPTIC pumped (2026).” All the details (like your task’s to-do list) are on the inside of the card. Specific deadlines and reminders are there, too, if applicable.
When I finish a task, if the next time it needs to be done is in one year, I put a big green checkmark sticker on it (which is also rewarding). If it’s in six months or whatever, then I just drag it to that new correct place on the board. There’s probably a way to automate that, but I like the physicality of dragging the cards, and it’s easy since the card name tells me where to drop it next.
When everything on that 3-month list is checked, I clear off the stickers and drag the whole list to the end of the board, so that the current three month period is always first. Well, second really: I have a list that is permanently in the first spot where I temporarily drag any particularly Hot tasks. And I have another list that is permanently in the last spot. That’s where I put occasional tasks, with all my needed info about them, that recur based on something other than time periods — e.g., the things to do whenever I’m preparing to leave for a trip.
Each of my lists has maybe one or two dozen cards. If you have many more recurring tasks than that to manage, then it would work better to have a list for each month instead of each three-month period.
I know that Trello does have a Calendar view, but I prefer my board because of how it consolidates everything — the bird’s eye view you mention.
I’ve been using this system for a few years, and I’m psyched to have finally found a method that seems worth sticking with.
posted by daisyace at 6:59 AM on December 30, 2022
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There are dozens of different calendar apps, and almost certainly there is one you can use that A) can focus on a single calendar, and B) displays upcoming events as a list. I'm pretty sure the Google Calendar app will do this.
posted by adamrice at 3:42 PM on December 28, 2022 [8 favorites]