Time Management Part 3: What Do I Need to Do? The Great Listing Strategy

The previous article was about identifying time thieves from the time usage records you kept.

Once you notice the time being stolen by time thieves, try to be conscious of eliminating them as much as possible. Also, don't forget to check the time required for each task and what kind of work you are doing at what time.

Now that you have a certain understanding of how you use your time, let's plan your future work with the goal of improving your situation compared to before.
To do that, you first need to clarify what you need to do.

■ List everything you need to do

To clarify what you need to do, list all the tasks you are currently aware of.
We will think about priorities later, so just write everything down for now.

By visualizing all your tasks, it becomes easier to create a concrete plan.
If you try to manage everything in your head, what you need to do becomes vague, and you might feel anxious about whether you've missed something.
But if you just get it all out, you'll feel relieved.

📒 Tools for writing things down

Even though I say to write everything down, just like recording your time usage, there are various ways to do it.

📓 Handwriting

Some people find it easier to organize things visually by writing by hand in a planner, notebook, or on a To-Do list sheet.
Post-it notes are also great. If you write one task per note, it's easy to see the volume and you can move them around.

The appeal of handwriting is that you can write immediately without having to launch anything, it's easier to remember by writing, and it's easier to organize your thoughts. Handwriting also seems to have the effect of activating the brain.

💻 Digital Tools

Using digital tools like web calendars or task management apps is also very convenient. If you sync your PC and smartphone, you can check them anywhere, and editing such as adding, deleting, or moving is easy.

Also, many digital tools have a reminder function that notifies you when a deadline is approaching, so you don't have to worry about forgetting important tasks.

Whether it's handwriting or digital, there are various types of tools, so choose the method that you find easy to continue and that suits you.

【In my case】
By the way, I use an app called TickTick (not TikTok) by syncing it between my PC and smartphone. It's quite convenient even for free, but the features skyrocket in the paid version, so I pay for it!

For your reference, I will write down recommended points of TickTick.
(I might write about it in detail in another article someday...)
Note) Some features are only available in the paid version.

…As I write this, it has become quite a long text. There is still more, but let's stop here.

📒 Points to note when writing down

・Write down long-term work and small tasks without omission
Write down long-term work with deadlines six months away, as well as small tasks that take about 5 minutes, without any omissions.

・Also refer to the recorded time usage
By checking the time usage you worked hard to record, you can also notice tasks you have overlooked.

・Break down large tasks to the task level
Break down large jobs into concrete task levels and write them down.
For example, under a large job like "Hold XX Meeting," write down broken-down subtasks such as "Agenda organization," "Preliminary meeting," "Meeting notification," "Material creation," "Attendance confirmation," "Venue setup," and "Minutes creation."

・Confirm purpose and deadline
It is also important to confirm the purpose and deadline of each task.
These are important points for judging priority. If there is a task whose purpose you don't understand, please be sure to check it.
Write the deadline together with the task you wrote down.

・Classify by category
When writing down tasks, it's good to be able to classify them by work category.
If you use Post-it notes or digital tools, you can change the color for each category, making it very easy to understand visually.
I think you can divide categories in a way that is easy for you to manage.

📒 You can feel at ease by writing everything down

We humans are forgetful creatures, aren't we? We can't remember everything we have to do. That's why we feel anxious about whether we've forgotten something.
So, if you write down all your tasks, you can feel at ease.
Once you write it down, it's okay to forget. You just need to make sure you can see the list you wrote down at any time.

📒 Summary

The above are the points about writing down everything you need to do.
By taking everything out of your head and making it visible, you can also grasp the total amount of work.

You might be overwhelmed by the sheer volume, but you just need to think about how to deal with it based on what you've listed. If you visualize it, you can share it with your boss and those around you, and you won't have to carry it all by yourself and can cooperate with each other.

Next time, I plan to write about considering whether the tasks you've listed are "really necessary to do." Look forward to it!

*Added in December 2024
I have published an e-book compiling the articles in this time management series👇.

■ Reduce Working Hours and Achieve Results!: 7 Steps to Time & Task Management
~ Ultra-Practical! Time Management Techniques for Busy People
*Available on Kindle Unlimited.
(Paperback version is also available.)