Change in how I work - Todo and the task plans

I was lost in the sea of tasks that I had to do. My task list was just growing, constantly overwhelming me. And then I read this article and found where I was making a mistake - I was trying to find what to do from a list that was a compendium of tasks, not a to-do list.

I am a fan of making a list of tasks that I need to do. I do it for several reasons. I forget tasks, and I want to keep a log of things that I did to refer back when I need. I have a list of things that I have not planned to do today or tomorrow, but maybe I will do it in days or months to come. So, certainly, my list was too long. It was failing me on one thing a to-do list is supposed to do - tell me what I need to do now so that I can get that thing done. I would scroll through the task list and just sit there wondering which one to pick.

My task list does not have only the tasks that I need to do in my professional capacity but also family responsibilities and self-improvement tasks. I have a list of things that I need to read and study, a list of family responsibilities and errands that I need to handle, and a list of things that I desire to do in the future or when I get time, like watching a movie, etc. And, of course, there is a list of tasks as a professional. It is a mess. Still, it is a mess.

But now, I have more clarity than I ever could. I did just one thing. I have changed the way I see the sea of my tasks. Just a change of perspective. I look at the list and pick that one task that is urgent and important, write it down on a sticky note, stick it to my computer, and I do not go back to my to-do list until I am done with that specific task.

But, like all systems, I faced a problem. I have two types of tasks - timed single tasks and untimed long projects. There are tasks that must be done at a certain time - like attending a meeting, feeding my pet, sending a message, etc. And then there are tasks that are not timed but are important, like the project I am working on in my professional capacity. Such projects require my whole attention for it to come out as best, but do not have a set time. More importantly, even if you break the whole project into multiple smaller subtasks, you do not know how much time one of the subtasks is going to take. You can't say that you will start at 11 AM on a subtask X and close it by 5 PM. The time it takes depends on the nature of a task. And unless you do it, you can't be sure of the amount of time it will take. You can just make guesstimates but can't say with certainty.

So, now I pick one subtask from my project, write it on a sticky note, stick it to my computer. When I am working on it, and a timed single task arrives, I leave that subtask in midway, go and attend that single task, come back, and continue with that one subtask I am working on. And I keep doing it until that subtask is done.

This way, I don't miss the important timed activities like meetings, eating, sleeping, feeding my pet, etc. And my focus also does not derail as my mind is constantly fixated on that one subtask that I am working on.

The article I had read suggested that I must keep on working on a single task I pick and defer everything else until that single task is done. But, the problem is that you don't know how much time that single task is going to take. It may take you two or three hours or two or three days. What is actually needed is continuity of thought in the back of your head, all the time, so that after you are done handling that important timed task, you get back to the untimed important and urgent subtask with ease.

Timed tasks are often important. You can't defer eating or sleeping, or attending a very important office meeting. And breaking a task into a very, very small unit so that it gets done in a few hours (or in one sitting) is not always feasible and does not work with all task types. So, an open approach towards a continued task works well. For me, it does! :)