Task & calendar management

Tasks to appointment working method

This guide describes one possible work methodology for getting work done efficiently and transprantly. This also allows to record the work done. 

Procedure

If you have a new task to do in the near future, you can use the following approach.

  1. Create a new task in todo tool.
  2. Prioritize tasks
  3. Plan your time in your calendar -> Copy task name to calendar.
  4. Work on task
  5. Update corresponding calendar entry for correct time period.
  6. If task was completed in the given time, close the task.
  7. If you need more time to complete the task, plan more time in your calendar or shift the priority of the task.

Element naming

There is nothing more difficult than naming things. That's why it's important to come up with a consistent solution and then always follow through with it. Notes, documents, to-dos, calendar entries, etc. should always be named the same.

A possible naming could be as following:

English:

Verb + noun + described in more detail + affected person + " - " Subcategory of the workspace
Example: Edit problem OneDrive synchronization Luca Caprez - Support LNC

German

Noun + described in more detail + affected person + verb + " - " Subcategory of the workspace
Example: Problem OneDrive Synchronisation Luca Caprez bearbeiten - Support LNC

Working areas

Work environments are areas that require resources over a long period of time and many tasks need to be completed. This could be, for example, working in a voluntary association and working at the main job. For each working area it makes sense that a separate folder for tasks or a new calendar is created. It is also important here that each work environment is treated equally.

Per working area it makes sense to create the following:

Long term projects & processes

This overview can be visualized best with the help of a Kanban board. Suitable tools: Microsoft Planner, Asana, Microsoft DevOps, etc.

This guide describes a possible work methodology for getting work done efficiently and transprantly. This also allows to record the work done and get a overview over a large period of time.

A long-term assignment or project, respectively a repetitive work or activity can be recorded and brought into an overview with this working method. For short-term to-dos or partial work within such projects, orders or processes, I have worked out the following compatible working method for myself: Tasks to appointment w... | LNC DOCS (lucanoahcaprez.ch)

Procedure

  1. Make a new section in your todo tool or notes tool where you can subordinate many projects and entities. Organize it in such a way that you can distinguish between projects (major work on a specific area that can be completed at any one time) and processes (repetitive work or contracts that have no end date or target state).
  2. Think of a short descriptive name for your project or process.
  3. Describe your thoughts about this so that you will know later exactly what this means.
  4. Assign the project to an area of work (self-employment, hobby, volunteer work, etc.)
  5. Roughly place the new entity between the other projects in time, so that the first prioritization can already be done.

These project names can then be used for the "Task to appointment working method" as the Subcategory of the workspace. It is then important that you use this name consistently throughout your calendar, to-dos, filenames, etc.

Completion of a project

If the work or project can be completed, the corresponding To-do can also be completed or moved to a different section. Here it is important that no further work should be posted on it. Otherwise, the overview of all projects and work is no longer correct.

Overview & evaluation

With this work methodology, you can see in a very simple format what major projects and processes you are working on and have an overview.

This helps me immensely to see where I need to invest the next time, because you can usually remember the rough status, but the number or details of the work is not necessarily present.