Keeping on Task and Tracking My Time

I’m a big fan of the whole Getting Things Done system, however, I’ve always been a list person. However, in Getting Things Done David mentions my lists:

To-do lists make you feel like you have to get everything done on them today, instead of pacing yourself.

When I read what David had to say about to-do lists I realized why I had this love hate afair with my lovely life-leveling lists. So what’s a girl to do?

Well, while looking up GTD type accessories to keep my life together even in the busiest of times, I happened to find David Seah’s Emergent Task Planner. This handy tool has saved my life!

It keeps my love of lists intact while making me remember that if I don’t get everything done it’s OK, because I’m awesome for just even finishing three items today. For each set of three tasks I complete it has a little “go get ’em tiger” type message, and when you get to a total of nine completed items, it reminds you that you may burn out if you keep going like you are.

David Seah's Emergent Task Planner

So how do I use it?

1. I start my task list by listing my “permanent tasks”, thinks like meetings or items that are ABSOLUTELY required today.
2. Then I list all the other tasks by priority that I need to finish that I know of. Many of these are carried over from the previous day’s list.
3. For each task I make an estimate of how much time I think it’s going to take me to complete.
4. Then I fill in the time grid based on the estimates, this allows me to know how much “free time” I have during the day for those random tasks or meetings that may popup
5. I then use the bottom under the task list to jot down any tasks that pop up during the day that aren’t URGENT but need to be carried over through-out the week
6. When I finish a task, I still get the satisfaction of checking it off, and I also fill in exactly how much time it really did take me to complete.
7. Get Productive, Wash, Rinse, Repeat!
8. Then at the end of week I use the completed sheets to fill in my time sheets at the end of the week.