Planning and To-Do applications

My approach for managing and planning tasks consists of two stages: planning and execution. Armed with my task management process I then investigated To-Do applications. This is partly inspired by David Allen's "Getting Things Done" book.

The planning state.

The very first thing that I did was to group my existing tasks into projects. I believe that any task, no matter how small, is part of a larger project - even “taking out the bins” I would classify as the “house maintenance” project. Once I dealt with the legacy I had, I then proceeded to follow the steps:

Any new tasks that I receive or identify, I assign to a project if it exists.
If a project doesn’t exist, I create one (for example, the task “write a report on X” I would assign to the project “X”).
Now that I have my task in a project, I can break it down into smaller steps. For example, if my task is to “write a report on X,” I would break that down into “create an outline for the report on X” and make a task for each item in the outline. I’d then break those items down into smaller units, perhaps I’d need to create a diagram (a task), generate some plots (another task), etc.

This is the most important step, as in the past I just wrote down the task and then got depressed that it lingered, incomplete, for many days until I finished.
Try to break the task down into as small a unit as you can — ideally, something you can complete within an hour. If you’re having trouble, then make a task to analyse the task.

I then look at my schedule to figure out where I can put my tasks.

This is an estimate based on what I know at the time.
Other tasks may come along that will require me to move my original tasks to a later date. That’s life. I usually leave them where they are, and at the end of the day, I see what I have left and replan the remaining tasks to a later date.

I do my planning at the end of the day. That way, I can see what I have left over and any new tasks that I need to break down. Sometimes, I have to take time out of the day to break an urgent task down and replan my day to accommodate it (or parts of it). I still take time to plan at the end of the day, so I have a list of tasks to tackle the next day and, hopefully, for a few more days.

The execution stage.

At the beginning of my working day, I check if any new urgent tasks need to be worked on that day. If there are any, examine those tasks and break them into smaller ones. If they can already be estimated to be completed within an hour, I assign them a time to work on them. I usually don’t break the entire task into subtasks, as that may take up too much time during the working day. I only make sure I have enough to work on that day and relegate the further task breakdown to after hours.

If there are no new tasks, I get to work on the first task in my list, which should take about an hour to complete. Completion of the task may prompt me to update any related tasks that I record for replanning later. This often happens because many sub-tasks are estimated based on my understanding of the task at the time. I try to keep my day filled with tasks on the same project to minimise context switching. I carry on working through my list of tasks and, at the end of the day, I replan the next day.

I usually manage to complete about 4 tasks per day when they are unfamiliar to me (if they are very unfamiliar and I have planned badly, I may get through just one task). If they are familiar, I can often get through 5-6 tasks per day.

Based on my experience here’s my summary of keeping my tasks under control:

I am not omnipotent; I don’t know everything. So any task planning I do is an estimate.
I can update my plan based on more information I get by working on my tasks.
If I have a huge task that seems overwhelming the first task would be to break down the task (and the next task may be a further break down - the important thing is to keep moving).
I make sure I keep moving. Even if the day is a total write-off I try to make one task to replan for the following day.

The best to-do application.

Now that I have a method that works for me, I need a to-do list to keep track of my planned tasks. I also need a place to document my progress. For task management, I have looked at many applications, and the one that works best for me is the simplest: Reminders for macOS. It is free, and it allows me to schedule tasks, add tags to tasks, and assign projects to tasks. It is available on my phone and laptop. It is free, simple, and doesn’t get in my way (perhaps ToDo for Microsoft is equivalent). For my notes, I use Obsidian, which I only use on my laptop (where all my work is done). I can create project notes, assign dates, and document my work.

After spending far too much time looking at applications and believing they would make me better, I suggest looking for the simplest possible To-Do list tool that lets you keep track of your tasks with minimal setup. There’s nothing wrong with the tool being a physical paper notebook. Whatever results in the least friction for you when managing your tasks and taking notes.