How do you manage your work/task list? 7

[NCCaryME]

I've tried for some time to figure out how to most efficiently manage my time and my work load. I'm typically involved in several projects at once, and my tasks range from overall management of the project to very small ("to-do") items. What do you all do to track the work you are currently responsible for, prioritize items so you are working effectively, and don't put off tasks with due dates?

I use Outlook's "Tasks" list quite a bit, which is handy for jotting things down in my phone, but I haven't figured out how to use it to handle ALL of my projects and tasks. For the remainder, I've experimented with keeping lists on a whiteboard (too temporary), MS Project (too complicated for small stuff), and most recently an Excel spreadsheet (I like this because it lets me prioritize and also archive so I can reference later for year-end reviews, etc.).

Any thoughts on organizational techniques, tools, tricks, etc. would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Twoballcane]

For small taskes I write them down on a sticky and then put them on the side of my computer screen.

When the task gets bigger, I write the subject title on a white board and then add stickies with task under each subject title. Each sticky has a file so any documents/analysis/notes goes into that file. When the task is done, the sticky comes off. In this way you can see all of your task per subject and decide that day/hour what your priority is. Under each subject title I would put in order the stickies from top to bottom the the prioities. Well you know that saying "crap flots" but it is up to you to take care of it be for it "hits the fan"!

Tobalcane
"If you avoid failure, you also avoid success."

 

[Gymmeh]

I use the post-its around the monitor,

then I have a small not book so when people call me i can jot stuff down, i almost could be considard another language...

and I have a stupied rack on my desk with all my major projects in it.

Then I also have a alot of everything all over my desk... but it seem to work

 

[Ashereng]

I have a bound notebook that I put everything in. I put in the day's date when I get to work, and everything is put in as I go along. I never put things in previous pages, I always refer back to previous dates.

I prioritise like most people probably do, in order of urgency:

1) What the boss just to me to "drop everything" and do "now".
2) Work that I like from people that I like.
3) Work that I don't like from people that I like.
4) Work that I like from people that I don't like.
5) Work that I don't like from people that I don't like.
6) Work from people that I want to p**s off.

"Do not worry about your problems with mathematics, I assure you mine are far greater."
Albert Einstein
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[csd72]

The spreadsheets are a great idea on a month to month basis.

I would also do a top ten handwritten list first thing every morning. Then I would start at 1 and go to 10.

Repeat the next morning adding the ones from the previous day that were not completed.

It is important to be honest with the priorities and try to do them in order (that way you cannot put off the less interesting tasks).

Straight after writing the list, try to make sure that you have all the information required for them, if not then your first task should be chasing this up.

If possible try and pick each job file up only once.

Tasks regarding construction/installation stage should generally be given a higher priority than design stage (as delays at this stage usually have greater cost implications for the client).

csd

 

[MadMango]

I use Outlook's Calendar for placing due dates in for major milestones or items, and set it to remind me in 1 or 2 weeks. Once the reminder goes off, I'll check status and adjust the reminder again until completion. I also use a composition book as a log book (spirals are too easy to tear a page out), and write everything down that happens during the day (new tasks, completions, meeting minutes), and even stick those Post-It notes in there. That's my main reference when it comes to salary review time.

If you find yourself pressed for time, you may not be accounting for wasted time during the day (breaks, chatting beside the water cooler, walking). I was told long ago to double whatever estimate I had in my mind for completion of a task. If I thought something would take me 2hrs, I'd say 4hrs. If I thought it would take 3 days, I said 6. The noose has been loose ever since.

"Art without engineering is dreaming; Engineering without art is calculating."

Have you read faq731-376 to make the best use of Eng-Tips Forums?

 

[tygerdawg]

MS Outlook has some powerful functionality if your work environment is very email-centric.

I find the Tasks function limiting and awkward to use, though. Back in the "BC" days (Before Computers) I learned my task management / prioritization skills using the paper & pen "Day Timer" books. It worked very well for me and sometimes now I would even prefer it. I've never used it, but I hear similar reports for the "Day Runner" series found in most big box office supply stores.

For example, the Day Timer method is to daily re-prioritize all of your tasks in order of importance with two-character priorities:
A1, A2, A3, ... (most important)
B1, B2, ...
...
D1, D2, ... (least important)
P1, P2, ... (for personal non-work tasks)

This daily shuffling and updating of priorities worked very well for me, and I had a daily written record of activities and results. It takes discipline and effort to implement this method. But having the written record going back months or years came in very useful when projects got into trouble and the inevitable witch hunts started.

TygerDawg
Blue Technik LLC
Advanced Robotics & Automation Engineering

http://www.bluetechnik.com

 

[GregLamberson]

I'm kind of like Ashereng. I keep an At-A-Glance notebook (the day type that has a full page per day) with me all the time.

I keep notes & action items on it to do by placing an "A" beside my actions. I use it to jot down actions on future dates, list meetings to attend, etc. I do use a PDA and Outlook for reminders, but they are back up, my notebook has it all. In fact I've been doing that since 2000, so I can look back to 3 April 2003 and know exactly what I did on that day.


Greg Lamberson, BS, MBA
Consultant - Upstream Energy
Website:

http://www.oil-gas-consulting.com

 

[MintJulep]

For tasks that are assigned via e-mail:

1. When a task arrives, do not open the e-mail. The Bold subject line serves as a reminder that it is something that you need to attend to.

2. Eventually, the unopened task will fall off the bottom of the inbox's first screen.

3. The assigner may send a "reminder" e-mail at some point. Apply step 1 to these as well.

4. If the task was important, the assigner will either:
a. Come see you in person
b. Assign the task to someone else

5. If not, then it obviously wasn't that important in the first place.

 

[HEC]

Ashereng,

Had to give you a star for the priority system. I think that is a close representation of how I prioritise also!

I use the white board/print off the apointments at the beginning of the week from outlook then write in the last minute ones (seems to be the same people here), and the foundation of all this is a spiral notebook. Write the date then notes for the day. Any items that need attention later get a star then ruled out when complete.

The rest of the desk is a mess. If any thing is urgent people come to remind me about it, no reminder, no urgency!

Mark Hutton

 

[lewtam]

MintJulep - what about those who send you emails with the 'High Importance' red exclaimation mark?

Surely you answer them straight away?



LewTam Inc.
Petrophysicist, Leading Hand, Natural Horseman, Prickle Farmer, Crack Shot, Venerable Yogi.

 

[davidbeach]

lewtam, what, you don't have a rule set up to automatically move those to the junk file unopened and unread? ;-)

 

[epoisses]

For all of you cynics:

I have a rule set up as follows:
For every email I send that contains a request for somebody (in which case I make it high priority),
the rule sends a reminder to that person every day until a response comes back that is at least 500 characters long.

This is a great time saver. :-D


No seriously, I think if everybody waited to be reminded, the entire organisation would work at only 50% efficiency.

 

[NCCaryME]

Thanks to everyone so far who has taken time to give me your take on organizing work/task lists. I'm not completely unhappy with my current system, but in an effort to "improve myself" I'm always looking for a better system.

Post-its: I don't care for these at all when it comes to leaving notes for myself. They can easily fall off of whatever you stuck them too if left for too long, and having a bunch of sticky notes on your monitor can too easily look chaotic or unprofessional, so I try to avoid it.

E-mail: My work is very email-centric, as tygerdawg suggested, so I rely on Outlook heavily. I strive to empty my inbox daily of all items except for those that require some action by me. Also, when such an email arrives, I flag it immediately to remind me within a certain amount of time so I don't lose track.

Task List: I like the "A1, A2, B1, etc." style, but Outlook does not do that very well by itself. I"ve never used a paper planner (I keep a journal at work, but that's it). Prioritizing and keeping 1 central task list is an area where I think I have the biggest opportunity to improve. I need something that will work on my laptop but that I can also enter tasks in on my blackberry when I'm in the plant or travelling. Has anyone every used the Franklin Covey Plan Plus for Outlook software? I'm going to download the 30-day trial and give it a shot.

Thanks again, and feel free to keep this discussion going if you have any more thoughts about what I've said or this topic in general!

 

[PSE]

For "regular" type projects, I create an titled file within Outlook in which to keep related e-mails etc, and on my local drive, I create a titled project folder in which to keep other relevant documentation. A physical folder in my file cabinet for the inevitable paperwork and a dedicated notebook complete "my system" for dealing with projects. I also keep a log of the day to day stuff that I am involved in that I consider worthy enough to record. This comes in handy around review time as it documents all the unplanned work that I had to contend with.

I can appreciate Ashereng's prioritization system . Mine starts the same with priority #1 being the bosses immediate do it nows and then goes something like this.

Preserve Cash flow (keep product lines up and going)
Enhance Cash flow (efficiency improvements)
New Products
Anything else

Regards,

 

[Gymmeh]

Post-it notes: I have to defend our light yellow little friend. I have one stuck in places from my first day at my job with the pw for my phone.... I work in a factory office which everything is a just a little gritty. (Other then my desk and chair, which is clean alot)

 

[NCCaryME]

RE: Post-Its... I certanily don't want to hurt anyone's feelings! I use these all of the time when making notes on a document to give to someone, or to leave a note on someone's desk when I've stopped by and they aren't there (although I usually follow up with an email). I like the new "super sticky" notes for durability, but my main beef with these is that using them as an organization system in and of themselves is not a good system. To each their own, but when I see a monitor or desk covered in sticky notes (my own included), it appears disorganized and adds a level of stress that I don't need. Having said that... these notes are great for the reasons I've mentioned, and I won't be doing away with them any time soon.

 

[jistre]

I've perhaps gone a bit overboard. I created an Access database that serves as a task reminder/project journal/progress report generator/etc.

The downside is that it takes some familiarity with Access to get it set up. The upside is that with the kind of flexibility available, you can create and save a core set of functions you need it to perform, and then tailor that based on the requirements of the project.

It sure makes generating recurring reports easy.

Boss type person : "Hey, can you write up a progress report letting me know where were at on everything? I need it for a progress meeting in two days with the client."

You type person : <CLICK> "It's coming up on the printer now. If you want one complete through the meeting, stop by when you leave to go to it."

 

[SomptingGuy]

Forgive me for repeating myself, but what we are often faced with is an Escher Staircase of priorities.

 

[jistre]

SomptingGuy,

I've dealt with that before. This was before my electronic forays, so back then I just had a stack of manilla folders for all the priorities. I'd do real work on whatever was on top in order to try to get it out the door quickly. When I was told something new was top priority, I'd stop whatever I was doing, shuffle through the stack of folders, find the folder, and move it to the top of the stack and begin working on that. I did it in front of the chief priority shuffler a couple of times, and can't prove it helped, but before too long, I'd have enough time between priority shufflings to actually make progress on whatever was on top at the time.

Now, it's not nearly as impressive if I can click a button to update that. Perhaps I need a multimedia display or just some dummy folders...