Workflow: TODO methods and tools

> BeerW0lf | 2021-07-28

The first important productivity tool in any work is a fast and easy todo list. Most collaborative projects have their own methods for assigning work. Most notable keywords are:

Scrum

Kanban

Jira

Trello

Project management tools are great, but they might be too unwieldy for smaller tasks or personal todo lists. Lighter tools can work better. If you have a todo list thats longer than you would like, you should split by priority. GTD method is perfect for that.

Todo.txt

Todo.txt is just what it sounds. A text file, with some formatting rules. todotxt-cli can be found on most linux repos. Terminal based and fast to use. Dead simple to set up. If you sync it via Nextcloud, Seafile, Dropbox or any other cloud drive, then you have a todo system accessibe from multiple devices. And you can access it even with a text editor if needed.

I've added an .bash_alias to make the use even faster.

On Android I've found that Simpletask works best for my Nextcloud synced todo.txt list.

todo.txt

Simpletask Nextcloud

The GTD method

Getting Things Done, David Allen, ISBN 13 9780143126560

TLDR; You split your todo list to multiple categories and priorities. The categories might be @work and @home or @some_project. Then you split them even more to priorities that you need to todo: Now, Next, Later, Delegate or Scrap.

The basic idea is that you have all your tasks written down, but you only need to look at the Now and Next tasks at hand. Everything else is on some other list, that you don't need to worry about right now. When your done with the task you move stuff up the ladder from Next and Later priorities. You might even move some items to Delegate or Scrap if you don't have the time for the tasks.

The GTD book talked about a paper filing system IIRC. However, you can use more modern methods for categories and priorities, such as todo.txt's @work and +project and priorities.

Adopting the GTD method years back helped alot with my mile long todo lists. It helps to keep the focus on the job at hand and reduces stress a bit.

> "Much of the stress that people feel doesn't come from having too much to do. It comes from not finishing what they've started. ~ David Allen"

☑️

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