There are many ways to set up a task manager, and you can find countless examples on the Internet, but ultimately, you need one that works for you. I often refer to this as a personal productivity system.
A personal productivity system evolves. You start with a basic structure that you think will work and hone it over time to create a fast, efficient system for processing your tasks.
Your system can be entirely unique to you or based on an existing system, like David Allen’s Getting Things Done.
I’m not going to spend much time here going over examples of different productivity systems, but three distinct components of Apple Reminders are essential when you are developing your system: your default list, your storage lists, and your smart lists.
I’ve mentioned the default list a few times, but that’s because it is essential to set up and work with. It’s your collection basket for ideas, thoughts, and tasks that must be captured quickly. My default list is “Inbox,” but you can call yours whatever you want.
You must make adding things to your default list as easy as possible. Put the Reminders app on your dock, use Siri to add tasks, or add widgets for fast access.
David Allen once said, “Your mind is for having ideas, not holding ideas.” As soon as you think of something that needs to be on your to-do list, get it on there. Add it to your default list. Then, when you have time, you can move tasks from the default list to your storage lists.
When you move tasks out of your default list, the best place to put them is an organized list grouped by type. Tasks may live on these lists for a few days or much longer, but you need to know where they are.
People have different ways of grouping tasks in lists. On a basic level, you could have a list for “Home” and a list for “Work” to separate tasks in your personal and professional lives. Others like to go all-in on a productivity system, like Getting Things Done.
I prefer a hybrid approach. The two lists I use the most are “Home” and “Work,” but they are not the only ones I use. I use a list called “Waiting For” to house all tasks with a date and time. Then, I use Smart Lists for a Today View or a Week View to filter those tasks.
The Today View is one of the default Smart Lists and is a critical part of any successful system. Put simply, it’s a list of things that need to be done that day.
You don’t need to think about what you need to work on; you visit the Today View and see your scheduled tasks right before you.
Of course, tasks don’t appear there by magic. The Today View relies on you adding dates and times to tasks when you add them to Reminders. If you can get into the habit of doing that, the Today View becomes a powerful way to stay organized and get important things done.
A weekly review is a perfect solution to ensure that nothing slips through the cracks. Try to set aside 30-60 minutes each week to review the tasks on your to-do list.