Reality-Based Task Management
Dear Groundwork Community,
Do you find yourself struggling to prioritize your tasks and workload? We’d like to introduce our approach to managing to-do lists. This practice ensures tasks are brought to completion regularly, and grounded in reality.
Here's the practice:
- Immediate Action: Tasks requiring five minutes or less should be prioritized for immediate completion. Once done, remove them from your list — nice work!
- Daily/Weekly Planning: Anything planned for completion in the next 7 days should have dedicated time slots in your calendar. If you aren’t realistic with your schedule, these tasks won’t get completed.
- Three-Month Timeline: Items needing attention within the next three months should be categorized as weekly. Schedule time weekly to review and break these down into actionable tasks. Allocate time in your calendar for these tasks.
- Long-Term Prioritization: For tasks lacking a specific timeframe but deemed important, allocate them to the monthly bucket. Regular monthly reviews ensure important tasks are identified for action and scheduled accordingly.
The aim is not to let your calendar dictate your life. Rather, use it as a tool for effective time management, by realistically assessing what you can achieve.
Expect occasional scheduling errors as you navigate this process. Consider these instances as learning opportunities, allowing you to refine your scheduling abilities and better align your tasks with your capacity.
This practice provides a strong foundation for your reality-based productivity. Use it regularly for quick wins in task management.
With ease,
Eli
The Groundwork System is a simple way to manage your inbox, to-do list, and calendar, and a simple way to understand and manage the triggers and pain that keep you in survival mode.
