The Mental Tax of Relying on Memory Is Real (and Unnecessary)
Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash (Edited by Alexis Haselberger)
TL/DR:
Your task system doesn't need to be perfect from day one. It can evolve with you as your life changes.
This simple framework I share below works with almost any tool.
Pushing a task or changing your plan isn't failure. It's a signal to adjust your workload while you aim for “ruthless time realism”.
Offloading your mental to-do list to a trusted system frees you to focus on the task at hand without worrying about what you're forgetting.
The Whole Shebang:
Throughout college, I tried not to wash the back of my left hand, if I could avoid it.
Yes, even when showering. Yes, I was disgusting; I know.
Why?
It was my task “system”, although in retrospect, not a very good one.
I used to write, on the back of my left hand (and sometimes veering up my arm when the list got long), with a ballpoint pen all of the things I needed to remember to do. Because memory has never been my strong-suit.
School Assignments
Taxes
Appointments
I’m sure I looked VERY strange. But at the time, I don’t remember anyone commenting. And it worked for me, for awhile. It was always with me; impossible to lose. Just a quick glance and I knew what I needed to do.
(I was decades away from being finally diagnosed with ADHD, explaining my need for things to be written down and in my immediate view, lest they be forgotten entirely. But I digress.)
As my world continued to become more complex, so did my systems, by necessity.
As I entered the work-world and eventually moved across the country to a new city, my list had expanded.
It no longer fit on my hand, or even my arm; I no longer had a just a (literal) handful of things to do.
I started using a paper notebook to write down my lists; but they weren't super consistent. I wasn't super consistent. It wasn't a "system". It was a series of lists, written as needed and sometimes abandoned.
At work, I was slightly more systematic. I had a legal pad.
On that legal pad I wrote my entire to-do list. As I worked, I would cross things off the list, and add things to the list, and every day before I went home, I would flip over the page and rewrite the list on a clean sheet with the next day's date at the top (leaving off the items I'd finished that day).
Writing and rewriting helped me remember, and it also made me feel clean, clear, on top of it.
As I moved in with my partner and began to be responsible for a household in addition to my job, I first switched to a 3×5 card “ticklet system” and later switched to a trusty Moleskine weekly planner, the kind with 1 week on the left and a lined sheet on the right.
I began to schedule my tasks instead of just having a single list.
I began to limit the number of home related tasks to 3 each day, as a way of preserving my sanity. But my "big list" was still written and rewritten each week in the same manner as above.
As my jobs grew larger in scope and responsibility, as I became responsible for those other than myself (as a manager), as I had many projects with many, many steps I started using a spreadsheet to handle manage my workload.
I read “Getting Things Done” by David Allen, and certain aspects of the GTD method became impressed upon me, namely the importance of clarifying the next action for any task.
The basic framework I used then is still, at its core, the architecture I use today, but now, via a task app (keep reading for my recommendation).
And here’s that skeleton so you can adapt it for yourself to whatever tool you like:
Task Name (short description, item, etc.)
[Optional] Category (project, type, context, etc.)
Next Action(s) (the small, concrete, actionable step you will take, and perhaps the steps you will take after that. Sometimes you know them all at once, sometimes you only know one or two steps ahead)
Next Action Date (the date you'll perform the next step)
Due Date (only if you really have one; I don't believe in inputting arbitrary deadlines, as they only increase stress)
Comments (date and action for all steps taken; this is how you document your progress; most task apps will timestamp comments by default)
Once I've got everything in the system, I sort by "Next Action Date" because this is what takes it from a “list” (which can be super overwhelming) to a “system” that it enables you to know what you need to do TODAY, across all projects/categories by looking at a single list.
You'll notice that "priority" is a field that is conspicuously left off, and that's because when you schedule your tasks based on the "Next Action Date", there is no need to add priority.
You have already prioritized by taking stock of what you need to do and the time you have to do it, and your "Next Action Dates" reflect this.
As soon as you complete a step, you can update the "Next Action" (what you need to do next), the "comment" (what you've done) and "Next Action Date" (to decide when you'll do the next Next Action).
You update your list as you work your way through it, so you don't fall into the trap of having a task to update your tasks. (The horror! Plus, you’ll never do it. No one wants to “update my task list” as the final task of the day!)
I have adapted this framework to Wrike, to Wunderlist (RIP, but now the basis for MS ToDo), to Asana, to Clear and now, to TickTick (the app I’ve been using for the last several years, and that I most frequently recommend to friends, family and clients.
(In fact, I talk about this app so much that at a recent business retreat it became an instant inside joke. Sorry, not sorry!)
This framework can be adapted to almost any tool because it is simple.
It structures what you have to do today to make sure you meet your deadlines, rather than telling you that a bunch of stuff you should have already done is due today.
It doesn't require the bells and whistles of many task management systems; you don't need push notifications and reminders interrupting your flow if you're working off a prioritized list that is comprised of everything you need to do.
Still, you might be thinking:
"That all sounds nice in theory, but I never complete my to-do list every day".
And that's true, you won't get everything done every day.
And when that happens, you can just adjust your "Next Action Dates" to make sure you have a balanced workload for the coming days and weeks.
And try to remember that:
You can only move forward
Beating yourself up for not doing something doesn’t help you do it
The point of planning is not to follow the plan exactly, but to make better decisions about where the plan needs to pivot
Becoming a ruthless time realist is a process; you’re unlikely to “get it right” the first time.
So, why am I telling you about every task system I’ve ever used?
Well, 3 big reasons:
If you’re comparing your system (or lack thereof) to someone else’s success in this regard, I want you to know that it’s very likely they didn’t start out with something amazing; it’s likely evolved (a lot!) over time.
I want to normalize for you that what works now might not always work forever. And that’s OK. As you change, you can adapt your systems to meet your changing needs. This is true not only of task systems, but of habits and more.
There is real value in being able to offload the mental load so you can stop worrying about forgetting, and know that if you didn’t do something, it’s not because you forgot, ran out of time, or dropped the ball, it’s because you made a conscious choice to prioritize something that mattered more. And your system is there to back you up.
And if you’re excited about the prospect of banishing that nagging to-do list in your brain forever by building a trusted system for yourself, here are 4 ways we can work together:
Download the Do More, Stress Less App Daily personalized coaching that adapts to your brain, your goals, and your life. Like having a productivity coach in your pocket.
Get started here.Enroll in the Time Well Spent course
Bite-sized, shame-free steps to take control of your time, and your life. Built for real people with big lives, big jobs, or both.
Learn more, or enroll here.Get 1:1 Coaching
High-touch coaching for people managers, leaders, executives and founders who need a trusted partner to streamline priorities, manage the overwhelm, and focus on what moves the needle most.
Schedule a call to explore if this is the right fit for you.Explore Team Workshops/Training
Customized workshops and trainings to help your team improve productivity without burnout and create a culture where people (actually) thrive.
Schedule a call to explore if this is the right fit for you.PS. If you purchase the premium version of TickTick after clicking the link above I’ll probably earn a few bucks from it. However, please know that I only have affiliate accounts for products that I use, love and was recommending long before I signed up for the affiliate accounts.
