Now let’s move on to managing tasks in the longer term.
“The difference between a dream and a plan is a deadline.” — Walt Disney 🏰
Planning out our important tasks over two weeks based on their level of urgency lets us see the big picture of everything we have to get done. It prevents us from remembering things we have to do at the last minute, falling behind, and succumbing to pressure and bad stress as a result.
Now let’s make some decisions and commitments—and stick to them at all costs! For each of our important tasks, we must:
set a deadline and stick to it as though our boss had set it for us (if that’s not actually the case).
create daily schedules mixing work and leisure, starting our day with the most important and difficult tasks, which will have a very positive effect on our stress.
Fill in any Fixed Blocks of Time
Some companies have firmly established schedules, which may be the case where you work. You may have a weekly briefing meeting every Monday morning, for instance. Or, perhaps you have blocks of time when your physical presence is required somewhere, like “serving at the restaurant” or “working the reception desk.”
It goes without saying that these “fixed” periods should be the first to go on your schedule, along with anything else you can’t or don’t want to miss. You should also keep in mind your work-life balance when planning a schedule two or more weeks ahead.
So, your next step will be to add in any leisure activities such as dance classes, yoga, or guitar lessons as a recurring event in your calendar. You can do the same thing with your OpenClassrooms courses and schedule some time slots for studying and learning.
I “timebox” my agenda, meaning I schedule blocks of time for each task. I never used to do that because I thought tasks should only go in a task manager and not on a calendar, to make it easier to deal with urgent items. Now I put the big tasks on the agenda (important/urgent items I have to deliver this week). For smaller tasks, I don’t add them to the agenda. I put in general time slots, “production,” for example. All of this helps me visualize the week ahead, and I think visualizing is very important for managing tasks. You have to keep as little information as possible in your head, and as much as possible in a visual task manager. — Lawrence, Training Manager
Choose the Right Time of Week for Each Task
Know your own flow and tackle critical or challenging tasks during the days and times that you naturally feel the most productive and aligned to the type of task you need to complete.
We are all different, but this is my typical flow of how I would allocate my work:
Monday
I typically set aside for planning and reconfirming my week, as well as team meetings to find out the status of everything and reassess priorities where needed.
Tuesday and Wednesday
These are my best days for high-priority project work, as I’ve got into the flow of the working week and I have a high level of concentration to complete tasks that upper management or clients may see.
Thursday
I typically assign Thursday to new project creation, innovation ideas, networking, team events, or learning new topics.
Friday
I’ve got a bit more of a Friday feeling going on, so I schedule in my creative thinking activities, as the high, fun energy helps me naturally tap into my creativity.
I also allocate time in the afternoon to check how the team is progressing and to validate my work for next week.
After 4:00 pm Every Day Apart From Friday
I find my energy starts to flag. So, this is when I schedule in time for administrative activities, like creating client invoices, that don't require me to think too much, yet are good to get off my to-do list.
Plus, dealing with these types of admin tasks, little by little, also helps avoid that, “oh no, I need to go through all my expenses at once” sinking feeling, which can cause stress over time and a reduction in productivity.
You’ll start to notice that the more you apply the principles of time management, the emptier your calendar will become… which is actually completely logical.
I do my two-minutes-and-under tasks outside of my sprint sessions --> so I don’t need to schedule those tasks. 😉
I take care of anything urgent or important the same day or the next day --> tasks noted and checked off as soon as they’re done (Trello, Asana or Google Task). 😎
I have an assignment involving a series of tasks --> tasks noted and tracked (Trello). 😊
I have recurring tasks: “Monday morning routine,” “dance class,” “take out the garbage” --> I add these to my shared calendar if I have one, or simply create a reminder notification. 😇
Schedule Your Tasks for the Next Two Weeks Around Your Recurring Tasks
Now that you’ve done your small tasks and handled any urgent items, all you have left to do is schedule:
important but non-urgent tasks (project presentation, taxes, returning calls, etc.).
appointments.
meetings.
one-time events (trade shows, doctor’s appointments, birthdays, vacations with the in-laws, etc.).
Schedule Time for the Unexpected: Murphy’s Law
Now that you’re starting to get better and better at time management, I have something to confess—and you may not like it. I hate to say this, but Murphy’s Law will come for you. You’re probably familiar with Murphy’s Law, which states, “Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.”
Murphy’s Law generally accounts for 20% of a project, since tasks will often end up taking longer than anticipated. The more prepared you are, the less likely it is that Murphy’s Law will come to get you—but you’ll never be totally safe from its clutches.
You already know Murphy’s Law well:
That important call you’re expecting comes… just as your battery dies.
You go to print that crucial report and oops, no more ink in the printer.
Your computer crashes before you could save your work.
A crisis occurs that forces you to postpone what you’re doing.
You just settled into a nice warm bath and the telephone rings.
You drop a slice of toast and it lands jelly side up.
You realize you forgot your keys… just as the door shuts behind you.
And so on…
Plan Some Buffer Time in Your Schedule
We’ve all experienced setbacks like these, but when you’re working on a project, you have to factor in extra time for Murphy’s Law—think of it as a sort of offering to the time management gods.
This may sound counterintuitive, but one of the best techniques for saving time is planning to spend a bit of extra time.
Let’s take a classic example: you think it will take five hours to do something, but it ends up taking six. Here’s my advice: for a task that takes five hours, schedule six hours in your calendar, but try to finish it in four hours. Worst case scenario, it takes you the whole six hours; best case, you get a bonus hour or two for the next task. In the end, you’ll be able to deliver on time, or even early! Time will tell...
Let’s Recap!
Set yourself deadlines and stick to them as if they came from your boss (if that’s not already the case).
Timebox your day by dedicating windows of time to specific tasks (emails, Pomodoro sprint, meeting, reviews, etc.) or leisure activities (yoga, guitar class).
Find the best time in the week to do each task.
When scheduling tasks, plan for up to 20% of extra time for those Murphy’s Law curveballs.
You’ve completed another part of the course! Well done! Now it’s time for a short quiz before moving on to the next part, where we’ll learn how to create an effective working environment with others.
