Get Everything Done

As the title declares, this will be the definitive thread for the system Task Tracking and its variants. This is because for the previous thread the instructions for the systems were scattered all around. Here I intend to place the instructions for all final variants in the first post, and from hereon I humbly request everyone to make all subsequent discussions on the systems here.

Original Thread: http://markforster.squarespace.com/forum/post/2732095

Task Tracking version 1 (for all intents and purposes I consider this version to be obsolete and do not recommend its use):

1. Make two columns on your notebook: one would be labeled "New/Urgent Tasks" and the other "Recurring Tasks" (personally, the right column is "New/Urgent" and the left "Recurring").

2. All new tasks get written in "New/Urgent" column. All tasks that get re-written after doing them are placed in the "Recurring" column. Finally, urgent tasks that need to be done right there and then are (ideally) written on the "New/Urgent" column with an exclamation point ! at the beginning and crossed off after being done.

3. There is no "correct" way/direction of scanning the list, just dot the task that stands out and do it, then cross out and if needed re-write at the end in the "Recurring" column.

4. At the end of the day or the beginning of the day close the list with a line and date it. Once the list is closed you cannot add more tasks above the line, no matter how big the gap is.

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Task Tracking version 2 (This is what I consider to be THE definitive version of Task Tracking)

1. Make two columns on your notebook: one would be labeled "Non-Urgent Tasks" and the other "Urgent Tasks" (personally, the left column is "Non-Urgent" and the right "Urgent"). NOTE: Here is the template I used, formatted for 8"x11" paper, http://mega.nz/#!yxgRGITb!trxD3jiE3_kKBgFPdczeBd4CMsn32TBVkHJuDLKY1_c

2. "Urgent" tasks in this system are defined as tasks you want to start sometime today. Therefore, all new non-urgent tasks are written in the "Non-Urgent" column (I personally write a vertical line | before new tasks to help me distinguish them) as well as rewritten/recurrent non-urgent tasks (no distinguishing marks). On the other hand, all urgent tasks, new or otherwise, are written in the "Urgent" column (no distinguishing marks). Finally, all unfinished tasks are also written in the "Urgent" column (I enclose them in /slashes/ to distinguish them).

3. There is no "correct" way or direction of scanning the list, just dot the task that stands out and do it, then cross out and if needed re-write at the end of the appropriate column as discussed in Step 2.

4. At the end of the day or the beginning of the day close the list with a line and date it. Once the list is closed you cannot add more tasks above the line, no matter how big the gap is.

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Task Tracking Lite (NEW! This is the one-column way of doing Task Tracking version 2 that I have been using on a small notebook, where I use "pseudocolumns" by indenting)

1. All tasks in this system are written in just one column in a lined notebook.

2. "Urgent" tasks are defined as tasks you want to start sometime today. Therefore, all new non-urgent tasks are written right beside the left margin (I personally write a vertical line | before new tasks to help me distinguish them) as well as rewritten/recurrent non-urgent tasks (no distinguishing marks). On the other hand, all urgent tasks, new or otherwise, are written with a one-inch or more indent from the left margin (no distinguishing marks). Finally, all unfinished tasks are also written with a one-inch or more indent from the left (I enclose them in /slashes/ to distinguish them). Make sure to align the indented tasks so they visually make a "false column" on the paper.

3. There is no "correct" way or direction of scanning the list, just dot the task that stands out and do it, then cross out and if needed re-write appropriately at the end of the list as discussed in Step 2.

4. At the end of the day or the beginning of the day close the list with a line and date it.

It's working pretty well! "Task Tracking Lite" however is a bust, I couldn't improve it to the level of TT2 so I abandoned it. I have been using TT2 since the Saturday after Ash Wednesday. Have hit some snags but I think I ironed them out.