I’ve used a task list in business for many years, and you would have thought I would have a settled to-do list routine by now.
For most of that time I have used notepads to manage a task list, but for a while I’ve been trying to manage it via my computer. The result being for a long time I was using a text file that grew so large, it became sentient, called itself Bob and liked to be messy.
Now I’ve shifted to using a spreadsheet, and those columns and rows, are keeping me in check! It is a simple spreadsheet, with the column headings being:
- Task
- Date Added
- Date Completed
- Priority
- Personal / Work
- Notes
- Completed
For priority I am using ‘low’, ‘medium’ or ‘high’. So basically I’m keeping it simple, and to make it easier on the eye, once a task is completed, I’m using ‘strikethrough’, so that I can easily see what tasks are completed.
So why the priority and completed parts? Priority does enable me to quickly see whether it is ‘high’, i.e. urgent and needs tackling sooner, rather than later. However also I want to leave the option open for sorting the task list, once it becomes a monster list. That way I will be able to readily find those tasks who have gone into hiding, amongst the completed.
Anyhow that is how I am currently managing my task list. It is offline, doesn’t require a subscription to some service, doesn’t take up more desk space, and quite easy to work with.
How do you manage your task list?