Killing the Task Monsters

I’m a great list-maker. I have to-do lists everywhere; they have been compiled carefully, organized strategically, color coded and tagged. But when it comes to actually getting all those listed things done, it’s another matter. Some I can get done right away, and virtuously check that item as DONE. Others I look at, think “ugh, that’s going to take time”, and skip over, day after day. Pretty soon, they become big ugly Task Monsters, glaring at me reproachfully, daring me to take them on.

I finally realized I could slay the Task Monsters the same way you eat an elephant… a bite at a time. I have gone from to-do lists to to-do index cards, and that has transformed how I approach projects both large and small. Whether it’s managing a complex client project, re-imagining a web site, developing a new marketing plan or scoping out a home renovation job, everything has its own pile of cards.

The magic is that I sort the cards based on how long I think the task will take. There are 15-minute cards for items like “Reach out to Anne to schedule informational interview” and “Email graphic designer re: logo”. There are half-hour cards for “Scope out options for new fridge” and “Sketch out upcoming webinar on big data”. For the tasks that I know will take more attention, I have 2- to 4-hour cards for jobs like “Write proposal for speaking opportunity at 2018 SLA conference” and “Outline new web page flow”.

Sure, it takes some time to chunk out all my projects into index-card-sized jobs, but I consider this time well spent. Now, when I have 20 minutes to spare before my next appointment, or a meeting was unexpectedly postponed and I have two unscheduled hours, I go through my cards to see what I feel like tackling.

The magic of these cards is that they’re so easy to pick up when you find yourself at the end of one task and not sure what to do next. While it might feel daunting to open up a folder labeled “New Marketing Plan”, it doesn’t take much to flip through some cards and choose one small item to take care of. Before you know it, you’ve made a significant dent in that daunting project. Take that, Task Monster!

ADDED: Joann Wleklinski suggested color-coding the cards – using a different color for each time category. Brilliant!

See more of my thoughts about managing yourself.

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