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!

 

[KENAT]

I've tried almost all the systems people put here.

Some of them work up to a point but usually get swamped at some point when works coming in faster than it's getting done.

At that point I do something like Asherang but with a few twists.

The most efficient way is probably to work on one task till it's done then go to the next. However, sometimes it seems that to managenment it's better to work all tasks enough to show progress, even though it means you never finish any!

Lately I've been putting flags on emails with a due date. Worked well until I have about 6 of them popping up every few minutes!

As for the time you spend keeping track of progress rather than working the task, don't get me started.

KENAT, probably the least qualified checker you'll ever meet...

 

[Gymmeh]

Funny side note... The Flag on our email system looks like the Virus flag on my home system... so for a month people that flaged important emails had them deleted! LOL OOps!

Two lessons learned here:
1) Important flag emails dont always help
2) if you ever need a good excuess for not getting an email or not doing something, enjoy

 

[csd72]

KENAT,

RE:

"The most efficient way is probably to work on one task till it's done then go to the next. However, sometimes it seems that to managenment it's better to work all tasks enough to show progress, even though it means you never finish any!"

This is exactly my experience. You can spend all your time putting out spot fires and making incremental progress just to please the management.

I have made the fight previously that the more jobs I have on my desk the more time I spend answering unproductive queries from clients e.t.c. (not to mention potential changes). As long as that job is on my desk it potentially attracts queries or changes.

So unless I reduce the number of jobs on my desk, I will continue to waste the same amount of time on them.

Also, isnt it better to have 5 happy clients and 5 annoyed ones rather than 10 annoyed clients.

That is why I will spend the 5 minutes asessing the priorities each morning, then work on each until it is finished.

csd

 

[KENAT]

CSD, trouble is they see it as 10 minimally satisfied clients.

I agree that with a lot of tasks on my desk I spend more time juggling them than doing productive work. I usually get small tasks done but large tasks, that will inevitably get interupted so much that they'll take twice as long or more than they should, I find difficult to even start.

I'm completely overwhelmed at the moment. I'm meant to be preparing a report of all the work I have in my que to try and justify resource. I just can't work out if that's higher priority than the actual work or my status report

So instead I've spent excessive time on this site:-(

Off to do my status report it is.

KENAT, probably the least qualified checker you'll ever meet...

 

[PSE]

Ah, cheer up Kenat. At least so far it appears you have not reached the point where management decides to have daily meetings to find out why projects are slipping behind schedule. The worst project I had to contend with was a meeting in the morning to prioritize and a meeting near the (supposed) end of the day to report on results. So much for having time to actually accomplish anything [flush].

 

[csd72]

Kenat,

Its times like that that it is best to get your calls held, ignore emails e.t.c. for one or two mornings just to get jobs out of your hair.

Working late one night (rather than a little bit late on a few nights) can give you the peace and quiet to get on top of things.

csd

 

[KENAT]

No, we have the morning stand up meeting for one of our major projects though I don't have to go as I'm not 'core team'

csd, I've acidently left my phone turned off all day and it didnt' really help, of course I only get about 1 call a day if that, mostly people actually walk over to see me. Ignoring email is something I need to get better at, trouble is some people here send very important stuff by email at relatively short notice so I could miss something (and no they wouldn't learn from it).

As to the evening thing, I had been doing that. Actually coming back in in the evening is very effective, and works for me as I'm a night owl and work away during the week so it wasn't cutting into family time. I've been doing it less though as I've borrowed an apartment that is further from my office.

Anyway, this is off topic and just me bellyaching.

As to what I'm currently doing to manage it, I track each document I have to check/approve in an excel spread sheet with a need date. This is my primary tool. I then have some kind of priority list based on emails from my boss and other senior staff although it tends to get changed a lot.

KENAT, probably the least qualified checker you'll ever meet...

 

[epoisses]

jistre - interesting, I use an Access database as well for my to do items. Then I try to do a daily and a weekly planning i.e. I copy the items into my agenda.

When you're overwhelmed, the first thing to do is challenge all the work people throw at you, don't make it end up on your to do list. This is not much fun for the people who ask you, but it's not much fun either to be dragging around a to do list that is unmanageable (it's one of the main causes of stress, actually).

If you still have too much work, make a list in what you think should be the order of priority and have your boss confirm the order. Then start at the top and happily ignore the rest. Then as soon as the boss comes up with something urgent, ask him if it has a higher priority than the item at the top or not and put it in the list accordingly.

Yu have to both PLAN the work and DO the work. And these two things have to be done separately. Take time to plan work, no matter how much is on your desk, or you'll feel completely frustrated very soon.

A time management training can be of great help. One of the most important things is to learn to say to people:
"No, I don't have time for that"
"I can't do it before next Thursday"
"I don't think this meeting has high enough priority for me"
"Sorry I can't talk to you now"
etc etc...

 

[corus]

For small tasks and reminders I have electronic post-it stickers that go on the desktop. You can download teh software free from Post-it. Advantage is that they don't get knocked off, fall down the back of the desk and get forgotten about forever... then again?

I also have my pc programmed so that at the end of the day another free software iDailyDiary comes up so I cna make a note of what I've done, if anything.

corus

 

[Gymmeh]

Its nice your company allows such usefull software... I have to jump through hoops to get anything on my computer... I used to used the post-its my my laptop in University... I have a 10 min time limit on personal things like reading dilbert

 

[NCCaryME]

Thanks corus, I like the idea of the daily diary for archiving work done. Even 250 work days' worth of entries wouldn't take that long to scan and pick out major items at year-end review time...

 

[TigerDog]

naygoo,

I have tried several methods for keeping tasks straight. Here is my not-so-brief history of task tracking:

I am fortunate in that I once was able to take the Franklin Planner class. I used a planner for several years sucessfully, but I found that manually recopying my task list everyday was cumbersome and not value added. I also didn't like carrying around the large binder. However, I very much liked their method of prioritizing tasks using symbols and numbers and I have used this in one form or another ever since.

I then tried to electronically keep a task list which eliminated the recoppying step, however when I was away from my desk I only had a hardcopy of the list, which required me to manually write down task, which I then had to copy into my electronic list when I returned to my desk.

I then began using a Palm Pilot which my company generously purchased for me. This allowed me to write down tasks electronically when I was away from my desk and then automatically "sync" the list when I returned to my desk. However, it had it's own problems, like running out of charge, and not being very durable as I occasionaly bounced it off concrete floors etc. Also, when I had a very long list I would have to "scroll" through several pages on the screen to see it all, which was inconvenient, and didn't provide me an easy way to view the overall size of the list to see how behind I might be. I also didn't like carrying it around.

I've also tried the posted note route, and I still use posted notes when I need to quickly write something down. However, I believe this looks unprofessional, and it's easy to lose them, so I tape the posted notes in my notebook (see below) if it's something I don't want to lose.

Currently I use a bound notebook, which seems to be very in-vogue at the moment with Engineers and Technical Managers. I write down basically everyting in this notebook other than formal calculations and data which I keep separate. I do write down the date each day so I know when I initially wrote down the task, note, etc.. I use a symbol to indicate a "Task", a symbol to indicated when I've started that Task, a symbol to indicated when I've completed the Task, and a symbol to indicate when I delete a Task that I am no longer required to complete. I also have a symbol for when I move a task before it is complete. This is usefull when I have a task that has been on my list for a long time (several pages ago). I can then "move" the task to the current page whithout losing the date when it was originally entered. I also mark the page in my notebook that has the oldest un-finished task so I don't waste time flipping backward through pages where everything is already completed. It is not a perfect system, in that no automatic "reminders" pop up, and if I lose my notebook (knock on wood) I'm quite lost. However, I think my current system has several advantages:

1) It looks professional and keeps me on task without being cumbersome.
2) My desk at least has the appearance that I'm organized, even if my notebook has a bazillion unfinished tasks that I'm late on.
3) Each morning I can quickly flip backward to see all of my unfinished tasks and how old they are by how many pages back they are and by the date they were entered. I normally do this as my computer boots up, or if I'm in a boring meeting, etc.
4) No battery, no docking station, no fragile electronics, and a low cost of equipment.
5) It is very free-form, e.g. I can still incorporate electronic lists and schedules if I desire by printing them out and taping them into my notebook.

 

[NCCaryME]

Thanks Tiger, I appreciate the post. I use a bound journal as well, which I typically use to take notes in meetings, jot down reminders to myself when I'm in the field, etc. I'll usually transfer these to my task list in Outlook at my first opportunity. I assume you prioritize by using the symbols you mentioned, or just do it in your head as you review the list? I'd be very interested in seeing what these symbols look like if you have a chance to scan a page in or point to a web site with examples. Thanks in advance for that.

I really like using Outlook's task list for the reason you liked the Palm, the fact that I can sync with my organizer. I have a BlackBerry that I keep with me at all times anyway and it isn't a burden to carry since I would have a phone anyway. My biggest peeve is that I can't easily prioritize the task list. I'm considering trying Franklin Covey's Plan Plus plug-in for Outlook to get the ability to prioritize the task list better than I currently do.

 

[Senselessticker]

I've tried everything from planners to blackberries to Outlook... What I arrived at is this:

Beginning each day I start with an 8.5 x 11 engineering pad 1/4 inch scale with company letterhead. Then I record all my "to-do's", action items, important dates/times, important phone call info, meeting notes, brainstorm ideas, project options, key project info, deadlines, phone numbers, fax numbers, addresses, airline info, hotel info, rental car info, usernames, passwords, websites....

You name it... it goes on that pad in line-item style. One line may say "Meet Joe tomorrow 2pm at the project site". The next line may have a load rating for some equipment that someone just dropped off at my desk while I was on the phone. The next line may say: "pick up dish soap on the way home" Somedays I go through 5 pages, sometimes I have 5 lines of info.

I review the pad of papper multiple times each day, and keep a notbook in chronological order where I review info from days/weeks past as reminders. Very simple, works like a charm...

 

[GregLocock]

I've just switched. I used to use a hardbound notebook for anything important, and bits of paper for daily notes. Trouble is the hardbound book lasts too long, and the bits of paper get lost.

So now I use a 120 page softbound notebook, and no bits of paper.

Each major project has a unique page with a to do list, then all my daily working is lost in a chronological jumble at the back of the book.

I think I'll fill it up in two or three months.

Cheers

Greg Locock

Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips.

 

[corus]

I also use the old grey matter too. It's hard backed, lasts quite a long time and is always close to hand. It also has the advantage of conveniently forgetting certain tasks you want to put off rather than being reminded of them each day you open up your notebook/pda/pc or whatever. Oh and the data never has to be backed up and you never need to buy the next version to get rid of that bug. It can shut down during meetings however, though that might not be a disadvantage.

corus

 

[mizzjoey]

for me a thick marker and paper work very well...

I just list out the projects I have and tack it up my cube wall. When I complete an analysis I cross that one out, and the list is also handy when my boss comes to my cube with something for me to do. He already knows where to glance at to see if I'm already swamped!

I'm already thinking of getting a small whiteboard as a Xmas gift to myself...

jo

 

[corus]

If you're lucky enough to have solid walls around you then a whiteboard on the wall is useful for listing major tasks. As missjoey says, it's good if someone walks in and can see what you're working on, though like a used car salesman it's good to cross some tasks off to show you're getting things donw. Fot that added wow factor include an equation or two but try and avoid anything Einstein might have jotted down in case they ask you what it means.

corus

 

[goldnwhite]

I've gone through several methods. I started with a hard cover notebook that had a schedule and to-do list on one page and a note space on the other. When that book was full I went to a plain hard cover notebook for daily notes. I also added the larger lined post-its near my computer for tasks and updated this task list as needed. I then switched companies and tried using Lotus notes, which was a waste of time.

I now make up a single chart in excel of all the projects I'm working on with empty spaces below. I print this out and keep it under my keyboard and add things as they come up or cross them off (definitely use red ink for this).

Still toying with different ideas as this system is far from perfect (i.e. less desirable items are delayed until I get the productive itch).

 

[jistre]

One good thing about the whiteboard is that you can put stuff up there that lets everyone know you're king nerd and not to be trifled with. My favorite is the following limerick...

The integral of z dz
from one to the square root of three
is one-half cosine
three pi over nine
plus the inverse of four over three

The kicker is that you write it as an equation. When reading it out, it's a limerick, and the equation is valid.

No one will dare question your nerd-fu if that's on the whiteboard along with your to-do list.