I have, within the context of my job, things to do that will take various lengths of time and are of various priorities. If I get blocked on one it’d be useful to know what to switch to, and on.
I have, within the context of my personal life, things that I want to do that will take undetermined amounts of time and are of various priorities.
It’d also be nice to have a record to go back and reflect on when I did what. And it’d be nice to plan a little ahead so that I can decide what I hope to do next.
So… how do you do it? I am so bad at time management. Is there a useful software I can use (if so, is it foss)? Is there a way to keep consistent with my planner so that I don’t fall behind on managing my time management, without falling into the trap of spending much effort on creating a time management system that all my time is spent managing my time.
Send help :(
One of my tools is a never- ending to-do list (pen&paper). It’s a substitute for having a memory, it’s always on me and I have to write things down as soon as I realise it’s a task I need to complete. Ticking items off helps me stay motivated, so if it’s a longer process I’ll break it down to get more ticks (eg think about x, outline plan for x, spend 1 hr on x).
Then on a given day I can make a separate list of things I need to get done that day and stretch goals, with the must- haves split into hard and easy columns (based on how they feel to me, psychologically). Ideally I try to start with the hardest thing first, then reward myself with an easy one, and repeat.