FreelanceFolder: "We’re all well acquainted with the concept of the to-do list. Whether or not we get along with them is another matter entirely.Sometimes to-do lists just don’t cut it, and at the end of the day, the checked boxes are buried amongst all the empty ones. Well, gee, if that isn’t a morale boost, I just don’t know what is.
In this post, I’ll discuss a to-do list alternative–The Single Day Schedule. I’ll explain how freelancers can use this better system to become more productive.
11 comments:
I have tried a similar tactic to this before, and for me it is incredibly hard to stick to. When you can follow it and get everything done during your day, the author is right, it feels great to look at that list which is completely checked off. However, I have a real problem with estimating how long something is going to take. Somethings that you do often you have a pretty good sense of how long it's going to take you, but for things that you really have never done before, it's pretty hard to estimate the amount of time you should allot. Then, if I end up going over my time limit with a task, I get even more disappointed because my entire day is thrown off track. It's a good idea if you can stick to it, you just have to be aware that you're not always going to get everything done like you want to.
I used to be the person who can't stick to those schedules either. Usually, I couldn't estimate how much stuff I could get done in a day, so consequently, I couldn't estimate how much time one of the tasks will take. On the other hand, I have the habit of not scheduling in any breaks when planning my day, so hopefully, I'll be trying out the method of scheduling my breaks in advance. But like many of the comments say, it's inevitably up to each person's work ethic to be able to resist the temptation to procrastinate and get things done in an efficient manner. And unsurprisingly, the School of Drama has been teaching me quite a bit about time management. Yay for that.
As someone who can't get into a to-do list to save my life; this is an interesting concept. I'm still not sure I buy it (part of my problem with to-do lists is my inability to actually write them out effectively, so I'm not sure this method would help me any in that regard). That said, if a traditional to-do list doesn't work because they're too long (ie, because you've put too much onto it initially) I'm not sure adding the concept of "scheduling" yourself over the course of the day makes much of a difference if your problem is under-estimating how long it will take to do a task. I think the issue is self-discipline, no matter how it manifests. I've gotten more out of not checking email first thing in the morning than reorganizing my to-do list into a calendar...
I love to do lists. I designed my planner so that each day is a mini to-do list. I don't find it discouraging when there are many unchecked boxes; I just know that I need to be more efficient next time. Trying to allocate all of your time can be counterproductive - you'll rush to get things finished instead of giving them the extra time they need, or finish early and throw off your whole schedule. If there are tasks that you do daily that you know exactly how long they take (like a morning shower), that's one thing. But something like homework is pretty unpredictable: it depends on assignment, interest, location, surroundings...
Although I appreciate Rowan's perspective on To-Do lists I find his method even more disappointing and moral bursting than a "traditional" To-Do list. His approach to time slotting works but I've found that it's more productive if you simply state the time it takes rather that "scheduling" it within the day. the scheduling aspect about his approach makes it much more difficult to stick to based off of exterior elements such as other people, weather, or just the stresses of life. Rowan should take a new approach on this tactic with the consideration of "life's little ways". After all, we aren't all perfect and take exactly 2 minutes to pee or 30 seconds to blow our noses.
While I agree that this method will probably be more time efficient I don't know if it would work. One of the biggest things in my days are when things come up un expectantly. It happens everyday. What do you do then? Do you have to rewrite your whole schedule, or do you just ignore it and feel disappointed at the end of the day when you couldn't get everything done that had planned out by the half hour. I'm a strict follower of a schedule so when one thing gets off track I try to fix it. This is why i use the to do list method - it gives me what I need to do, with priorities, and there is room to move.
I like the concept, but I also think it's too much for me to get into. I like my To Do list. I always keep it handy. But it's realistic. I won't get it all done at once. And it's not prioritized or ordered in anyway. But I have to get to every task on the list at one point or another.
However, I may have to reconsider my approach. If I had the discipline to keep to this kind of schedule, then it might really affect my productivity. However, I don't always know when I have free time to do work, and I like being able to glance at my To Do list and pick one to complete.
It comes to a point when you've over planned. The fault in this "To-Do" list is that it seems to lack flexibility. If something happens where your task is interrupted, it's going to happen. I always make a to-do list in addition to my planner, just so I can check things off, and for fun. I have found that the most useful way for me to organize my to-do list is by the things I need to finish first. Sometimes I will split somethings up, to keep myself interested, but really there are lots of ways to make a to-do list. The most important thing to keep in mind is that your plans will never go the way you think they will, so try to keep it flexible.
I like this idea and I have tried this in similar capacities but I always run into the issue of not be in motivated to do specific items at the time I set out to do them. I have had decent success with a typical task list, I set out which ones I want to accomplish that day but I can still do long term planning for upcoming projects. This format may work for some people but I prefer the classic task list for my workload currently.
I don't like this idea. I think you should rather take all the tasks and prioritize them. Then think about your day and try to plan out like if you're getting lunch and the atm is nearby, leave lunch 10min early and get to the atm. Instead of scheduling an entire time slot for the trip. You can group things and also, if it doesn't seem like it'll all get done, you can schedule it into tomorrow's schedule. you should know your schedule as in where your going to be when and then fit these tasks within that foundation. The reason time slots would hinder your productivity is because you make it its own event, instead of attaching it to your foundational schedule. Instead of making a slot to make a trip, think about what else you have to do and think your day through. a To-Do list is something to considered as a whole, not as individual events.
I certainly see the advantages of a daily schedule, but I think that a bigger picture kind of to-do list is still useful. Think about it, how do you plan out and prioritize your tasks on a day-to-day basis without being aware of the bigger picture? I personally use both of these planning methods. I do not try to estimate the length of tasks for my daily schedule, though. I agree with Tiffany, this is just too unrealistic because things always pop up that will affect how long a given task will take. I always get frustrated when something takes too long, and I would get even more frustrated if it threw off this entire minute-to-minute plan that I had taken the time to create. It's better for me to simply prioritize my to-do list and then go through and decide, realistically, what takes I can or need to get done on any given day.
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