The best task management system I have used so far:
Write down three to five most important to-dos in the morning*
Do the hardest things first
Say no to everything else (you can say no to)
Check your progress on the list throughout the day
Discard the list at the end of the day. Start again the next morning.
*I usually use a post-it note or my journal. I have experimented with many productivity systems in the last 15 years. They are all too complex. Keep it simple.
If a project feels difficult, break it down into smaller components. Start with the easiest one. Gain momentum. Focus on one thing at a time. For example:
Planning a trip? Decide on dates and budget, research travel options, book flights, reserve accommodations, and map out a rough itinerary
Decluttering a closet? Pull out everything, sort each item into a keep or donate pile, bag the donate pile, research a place that accepts donation, drop off.
Writing a document? Jot down ideas, do research, summarize research, draft*, revise, edit, send.
As Henry Ford said, “nothing is particularly hard if you break it down into small jobs.”
*My wife, who wrote a lot in her younger days as an eng. lit. major in college, advised me to separate ideation, drafting and editing more than five years ago. I never listened. I kept trying to perfect each sentence as I wrote. My output was dismal. Somehow I couldn’t figure out why.
In recent months I have come around and agree that she is right after all. Sometimes ideas just take time to sink in, right?
