The Tao of To-Do Lists
Robert Janelle
by contributor Robert Janelle
Hi, my name is Robert and I am a slacker.
This is a problem, particularly for a freelancer who doesn’t have an angry boss who yells when you’re not working. A few months ago, I realized I need to knock off the bad habits and start becoming more productive.
For me, the first step in slacker rehab was to replace the angry boss with a to-do list.
A list of tasks is simple, yet incredibly powerful. The question, “What should I be doing right now?” is answered by glancing at the list. Get distracted? A look back at the list and you know where you were going.
Plus, there’s the endorphin rush that comes from crossing off tasks as they’re completed. The feeling is even better when you realize there’s nothing left on the list.
Of course, the to-list becomes useless if it’s neglected, like deferring tasks without adding them to a new list list or forgetting to add tasks as they come up. It would be similar to your boss not caring if you finish the project or not.
Think of the list like a sink full of dishes. If you always wash dirty plates when there are only a few in the sink, it stays empty for the most part. But as soon as you ignore it and let them pile up, the tendency is just let them continue to pile up because, hey, what a a few more dishes when there are already so many to wash?
Before you know it, the dishes are stacked so high, you need to move them to the bathtub because there’s no room to work (I speak from experience.)
Now, there are many ways to manage your list, here are just a few:
- There’s a plethora of web-based apps to manage a to-do list (FreelanceSwitch lists of number of task managers in the 101 Essential Freelancing Resources),
- A simple text file left on the desktop, modified as tasks are completed and can even be made portable by saving it to a mini USB drive,
- E-mailing your tasks to yourself and deleting them once they’re completed,
- Keeping your list with you on a mobile computer. Most PDAs have task management software, or
- Sometimes the simplest solution is the best: just carry a pen and paper everywhere.
There’s really no right or wrong way when it comes to the tools. I personally use a three-pronged approach: always carrying paper and pen, a web-based list on Remember The Milk, and set reminders on my cell phone.
Rhonda
April 28th, 2007
Another trick is to set yourself quite specific work hours - and stick to them. I just starting working from home a couple of months ago because we moved to a small country town about 300kms from the city. I’ve been an independent contractor for about 8 years, but have mostly worked on client sites, so working from home every day and telecommuting with clients was a new experience. One way I’ve learned to overcome the slacker/procrastinator syndrome that I know I could slip into so easily, was to set my work hours to those similar to the ones I had when working on site.
So far, this has worked, except for about 2 days when we went to a nearby town “just for the morning” and found we were there most of the day. Oh, and a longer than expected lunch with friends. But that’s all. Instead of working 7am to 4:30pm, I now start work around 8am and go through to around 5 or 6pm, then that’s it for those clients. My evenings and weekends are my own.
With my office overlooked by the kitchen and in the centre of the house, it would be too easy to let the time slip happen, then I would never be able to separate work and personal time.
Simon Farrow
April 28th, 2007
The single most important thing with lists is that they have to be simple to use. Anything that takes more than three seconds to use will be great for about a week. After that only half the items get put in, worse than nothing.
Text file on the desktop is the one, so long as you can avoid spending half an hour making it look nice every time you open it. Ten minutes every morning organising it then the rest of the day getting things crossed off.
Omar Fouad
April 28th, 2007
I agree with Rhonda, Setting a specific self working time is essential, I also think it is right setting for each task the estimated time needed to get it done. And yeah the main problem is distraction… In five hours of work, you might be really working half of the time and the rest staring out the window daydreaming… by the way… Getting a good working atmosphere around you helps feeling better while working…I use to listen LIGHT MUSIC while working, (and not Songs as they would distract me :P). I also prepare myself a good drink, and sit in a quite place, in order not to be disturbed (especially when working at home..).
Regarding the *give a look back to the list when get distracted*…well Yeah this really works!!
Geoffroy
April 28th, 2007
For me the 2 most efficient way to list my task is wiki on a stick and Free mind. Wiki on a stick is a self editable self contained wiki (one file), which work on any browser so I carry it on my USB Stick. Free Mindis the tool I use it for bigger project and it’s java based so it works on any platform. It’s a mind mapper and is very efficient to list everything (even your emotional life !). And both are open source project (as in free and active development!)
FreeMind:
freemind.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php/Main_Page
Wiki on a stick:
stickwiki.sourceforge.net
Paul Lagasse
April 28th, 2007
Timely topic! As a full-time freelancer I can’t get by without my to-do lists. I have two — one in the form of e-mails tagged “todo” and a running list on a 3×5 card that I keep on my Levenger Circa PDA.
For analog people, paper to-do list templates abound. There are some very good ones on http://www.diyplanner.org. (Disclaimer: you can find links to mine there, but I highly recommend the original templates by Doug Johnson.)
There’s a perfect method for everyone’s individual madness. I tried to go totally digital and then totally analog, and neither worked. For me, half and half works best.
Cheers,
Paul
Reese
April 28th, 2007
Something that I found psychologically motivational for me is to create very low-tech to-do lists. Each item goes on a small scrap of paper (similar in some ways to the approach in “Getting Things Done.”). When I am done with that item, I put it in my paper shredder. That act of shredding is fulfilling, and often becomes a game of sorts–”how many and how fast can I shred today?”
Dave Craggs
April 28th, 2007
I have just read that book as well - “Getting Things Done - david Allen). His philosophy of keeping things simple makes sense. Now to implement what he says.
Robert
April 29th, 2007
Lots of great suggestions, here!
@Geoffroy, I’m also a fan of Freemind, though I use it more for organizing longer stories or for brainstorming ideas based on topics. I also like how I can create an entire map without touching the mouse once (yay keyboard shortcuts!)
@Reese, I love the paper shredder idea. I usually tear up my paper to-do lists when they’re clear but that sounds even more satisfying.
Chris Huff
April 29th, 2007
Everybody’s a little different. I use the text document on the desktop approach, while my wife uses the email it to yourself method. I think the key is just picking what works for you and sticking with it.
IdeasNextDoor
April 29th, 2007
Hi there, I agree with your post. One of the worse thinks in being a freelance is the distraction. For this reason is really important to have some kind of “your personal boss”. It’s pretty good to make a “to do list” and follow it.
Jermayn Parker
April 30th, 2007
Ouch that hurt, thanks for the kick up the butt (doing my task list right now)
Ryan Allen
April 30th, 2007
There is also the so-called ‘4th Generation Time Management’ put forward in the 7 Habits of Highly Successful people: it basically says that you should define the roles you play in your life and allocate time to fulfil your roles, apparently it’s supposed to free you up of the niggling feeling that ‘you should be doing something else’… But I suppose that’s just more strategic planning whereas todolists are more tactical
Eliffio Rodriguez
May 2nd, 2007
The same as Jermayn here. It hurts, yeah! but it is necessary…it´s so easy to fall in the “comfortable zone” and do nothing for several days…
Anders Mogensen
May 4th, 2007
I use a personalized “iGoogle” as the start page in my browser, and I have added a simple todo-list that I update every morning.
Every time I open my browser, it reminds me of what I have to do during the day. Great if you spend much time surfing aimlessly around, and have a habit of “I just need to check this now”.
panson_p
May 7th, 2007
….I borrowed ‘Getting Things Done’ from the lib (yeah, the building with books in it, remember?) & found it a great way to test drive the ideas [1st seen on the ‘net] - then went out & bought it…. >> can’t say I’ve applied it all tho’ but it helps with the chaos!!
-also- this REALLY works -> I have my own P.A. (for free); use a contact/scheduler on the PC with a synchronised ‘phone (e.g. Outlook/Windows mobile or iPhone when it arrives…) nothing more effective than a ‘niggler’ message on my ‘phone screen together with a buzz/beep etc.
karthik cmouli
April 22nd, 2008
I have to say that one of the best ways to do the list is online, and you can store the list in your usb drive and carry it with you where ever we go. Today most of us tend to freelance every now and then, as such, we end up working for a variety of sites and a variety of bosses, we may have to carry so many details in our head. Today with the usb drive, we can all carry that info on it and most of the usb drives come with secure protection.
Often our to do lists contain sensitive information, like say you want to transfer funds from your bank to a payment portal like paypal. In such a case were you to write that down in your to do list with your bank a/c number to help you remember, well, even if you shred the list after you are finished with it, the criminals of today can very easily put it all together and read the whole thing. So either you use a commercial shredder for added security or start using the usb drive instead.