Taking the time to make sure your computer is organized in a way that supports will save you hours of pain and frustration.Ĭheck out the FAVE article: Rescue Your Digital OfficeĮvaluate the things you need to do, or think you need to do.
One really great task you can add is to “Rescue your Digital Office”. Go look in all your various inboxes Email, the box on your desk, your handbag or purse, your kitchen table, your calendar, the notebook you carry around all the time, anything you use to capture the things you may or may not need to do eventually. Here is the general idea of what you will actually do during your planning time. It is ok to take some things off your list. If you find you keep pushing a task to the future you may want to take a deeper look at it and decide if you actually need to do it.
You can do this monthly, weekly or daily. Do a little work on your important projects to move them forward, make a note on what you need to do next, and move it to the next day or to your next Planning Day. We usually can’t get EVERYTHING done when we want to get it done. Even if it is just to think about the task.Ĭheck your tasks: do your tasks, or push the date TECH TASK: Set “due” dates in your tasks for when you want to “DO” something about that task. If I need to, I can shift the date in the “due date” field of the task manager to a day where I have room for the task. I generally notate the firm due date (when it NEEDS to be completed) in the notes field of the task. This seems reasonable, but isn’t the “due” date when the task should be completed? Unless your task manager program has a “start” date capability I usually consider the due date to be the date and time I need to “DO” something, not when it needs to be complete. Most task management apps have a “due” date. (no need to get too specific with “NOT NOW” tasks) Choose a reasonable number of tasks in a reasonable amount of time.įor the tasks that don’t make the cut, set the task due date for a planning time in the future.Įxample: Next Monday or 3 Mondays from now. During your Planning Day, choose the tasks you want to accomplish between planning periods and date them accordingly.
We really only have two-time options for tasks, NOW and NOT NOW. TECH TASK: enter your tasks into your task management program.Ĭheck out GAME SPACE: Choose a Task List System) Set a date for when you want to start or when you want to be reminded of the task. Unless the task is actually “Due” within the week think of the due date more as a “Reminder Date”.ĭuring your planning time, when you are in planning mode, you will give those new tasks a quick look over and do the deeper thinking required to decide if and when you actually want to work on it. You can think deeper about the task during your planning time. If it doesn’t need to be done within the week you are in just set the due date for one of your future planning days. Add whatever you think you should remember. Make sure the task manager you choose has an easy way for you to add new tasks. You can use the description field of that task to make notes on how the time should be spent. TECH TASK: Put this on your digital calendar as a recurring event and set a notification. Pick a day and try it for a few weeks, if it doesn’t stick, pick a different day. My planning energies are highest on Monday morning.įigure out where your planning energies are strongest.
It works best because this is when I want to do it. Personally, I do my planning on Monday mornings, after numerous books and experts spouting the importance of doing it a different day or time, I have experimented with changing it, but for me, Monday morning works best. Stephen Covey, the great father of effectiveness (Author of 7 Habits of Highly Effective People) recommends once a week. Sunday morning, Friday night, once a week, once a month, daily, these things don’t matter. Planning time is one of those things that most productivity coaches agree on and vehemently argue about. It is extremely important that you set a time to regularly review your priorities and make sure you are doing the things you need (and want) to do. Set a planning day and timeĪ task list is only as good as the thinking and planning behind it. Let’s talk about how your technology can support you as you do the things you need to do. The Goal of your task list is to remind you to do the things you need to do.
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