Outlook appointments are not tasks on a to-do list

There is nothing wrong with using Outlook or some similar program to schedule appointments, vacations or the golf round in the evening. But, appointments in Outlook are not tasks on a to-do list. In fact tasks are either a result of some appointment, need to be completed before or both.

What’s a to-do list and what are tasks?

There are plenty of very good articles, blog posts and books about to-do lists and tasks so I will focus on the way I work with them.

My key points for to-do lists

• Keep it current. On Monday, I create a to-do list for every day of the week. Then I focus on Monday’s list and fill it with stuff that’s on my mind (it’s allowed to add tasks during the day). The goal is to complete all tasks before the end of the day. If one task could not be completed, move it to the next day.
• Fun and easy to use. To-do lists can be done in many different ways. You could use Notepad, Outlook, Excel, a piece of paper, the mobile phone etc. My favorite to-do list and the tool I use is Ta-da list. It’s a simple web app and it’s actually fun to use. There are not deadlines, reminder fields and tasks are either done or not.
• Do it. This sounds a bit silly but now and then I am tempted not to do a list for one day because I feel there is no time for it. The result is stress and the feeling that you’ve forgotten something.

Key points of a task or a to-do

• It’s a physical action. Formulating my tasks in the form of a physical action makes sure that I thought about how I am actually going to complete a task. It also helps to prevent me from writing down pseudo-tasks which lie somewhere in the future and are never going to be completed anyway (“Plan networking lunch…”).
• Keep them small. Tasks should not contain sub-tasks. I try to be as granular as possible to make sure tasks can be completed as a single entity.
• Keep the syntax. Most of my tasks follow the same syntax. Some examples: “Call Angela to schedule Feedback Meeting”, “Request project reporting from Ben”. Do not add tasks like “Birthday party”.

Adding tasks to a list also helps my to find out whether I am the right person to do that tasks or whether I should delegate it.

As I mentioned above, there are many good resources for you to read about to-do lists and there are even more ways how to work with them. The above is my way of doing it and I can’t guarantee that it’s working for you. There is no wrong way, just try it.