Get things done ✅

Full title: Besides reduced stress, moving tasks out of your head provides the less obvious side effect of getting more things done.

– a mini workshop

Too many tasks in my brain stress me out

After work hours

I check Slack, Mail and Trello

I do impromptu work

I think about work tasks

In work hours

I get notifications

I let notifications determine tasks

I pick up new tasks immediately

Overwhelmed

Impatient

Annoyed

Stressed

«I'm doing an extra effort at the moment»

– OK, but that's not why you feel stress

Distractions do not make you productive.

Your distracting tasks are not urgent to solve.

Message replies are not needed now.

Rested and stress free at work = faster work.

If you need, can or want to put in extra hours,

put in hours of actual work.

Extra effort need not be extra stress

2 min?

A...

B...

C...

Brain requirement:       1 ticket

System requirement:    Contain a few task lists

– Ticketing systems are mindless. But effective.

Dispatcher

MAX

Let's unload brain

– 10 min: write down existing brain tasks.

Some day

Later

Soon

Superquick

I think about doing this some day (> 30 days )
 

Learn the guitar

I should do this within the next 4 weeks.
 

Buy birthday gift

I need to do this soon (< 7 days)

 

Call mum

Anything you should do, taking < 3 minutes.
 

Buy train tickets

x

Everything you think about should be noted down. You can mark non-work tasks.

No PC/Phone.

Make descriptions actionable.

Write down everything, not just urgent todos or things your certain about.

5 task lists for your brain

– Defining our task lists

Inbox: New tasks

Next: Tasks to do next

Soon: Tasks to do soon (< ~7 days)

Later: Tasks to do later (< ~30 days)

Some day: Want to, but not at the moment

?

Don't let new tasks steal your focus

– Rule #1: New tasks are done now or put in Inbox

  • < 2 minutes? Do it immediately
  • > 2 minutes? Add to Inbox.
  • It's ok to say no.

nope

2 min?

just do it

inbox

👉 Handling new tasks

Don't let Inbox become a monster

– Rule #2: Clean your Inbox once a day

  • It's still ok to say no.
  • It's ok to delegate.

2 min?

nope

delegate

nope

just do it

inbox

👉 Handling new tasks

👉 Once a day

next

list X

list X

later

Make sure you can trust your lists

– Rule #3: Groom your lists once a week

  • It's still ok to say no.
  • It's still ok to delegate.

2 min?

nope

delegate

nope

just do it

inbox

next

list X

list X

later

👉 Handling new tasks

👉 Once a day

👉 Once a week

«What should i do now?»

– Rule #4: When you're looking for work, always use Next

You're always only doing Next.

Don't skip. Don't consider. Just do it.

Done? Hurray! Fill up list from Soon.

2 min?

nope

delegate

nope

just do it

inbox

next

list X

list X

list X

👉 Handling new tasks

👉 Once a day

👉 Once a week

RDY FUR NEXT.

JUS DO EET
NO PROBLIM

List systems

– Should always be available at hand

  • Your email inbox w/extra functionality
        e.g. Gmail with multiple inbox views and colored stars.
     
  • A todo app
        e.g. Todoist.
     
  • ReMarkable
        or just a small pen & notebook

Don't
forget us

Put us in Todoist!

Resources

  • Book: David Allen – Getting things done
     
  • Related: The Pomodoro technique – focus minutes

Go do your Nows now

We don't want to those
tasks laying around.

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