From the course: Time Management Tips
How to deal with incomplete tasks
- Occasionally, people go through my time management course, Time Management Fundamentals here on the library, and they follow the instructions I give about gathering items, about processing items, about putting them on their calendar. But when the time arrives to do something about that thing that they've scheduled, it just doesn't get done. This might happen because you underestimated how long something should take, or perhaps something unexpected happened that got in the way. Or perhaps you just don't have the motivation to follow through when that moment arrives. Before we explore what to do with incomplete tasks, let's first discuss how to prevent them from happening. Imagine giving a person a bucket and telling them to empty a lake. If they begin attempting to empty the lake a bucket at a time without first damming the stream leading into the lake, then they'll be doomed to repeat themselves over and over and over again. In the same way, it's vital that we first resolve the source of the problem rather than getting better at dealing with the problem itself. So if you aren't completing appointments on your calendar because you're underestimating how long something takes, then get in the habit of overestimating everything. For example, if you say that something takes an hour and discover that it takes an hour and a half, get in the habit, when you first schedule a task, to schedule twice as much time. So schedule two hours for a task you think will take one hour. This overestimation is surprisingly a healthy thing. It gives you more room to breathe, more room to deal with inevitable interruptions that are going to happen. It also gives you the added bonus of being more focused in your day. The most successful people I know try to accomplish only a few things in their day. If you attempt to complete 10 or more tasks within the same day, you're decreasing your odds of success. Overestimating also helps with the second obstacle, when interruptions occur and get in the way. The extra time gives you room to respond to emergencies and then still return to the scheduled project and complete it in time. Additionally, if you find yourself getting constantly interrupted, I recommend checking out my course here in the library, Improving Your Focus. It will help you build systems and structure in your day to reduce interruptions. But what if your problem isn't systems-related, it's motivation-related? Recently a coaching client of mine talked about how he kept putting off a large project because it would take him too long to complete. If that's your challenge, then get in the habit of scheduling the first minute of activity on your calendar. In other words, if I tell myself that I need to create a 20-page financial report, which is going to be overwhelming for pretty much anyone, then when I schedule that on my calendar, I also want to put a note about what is the first minute that I'm going to do. And the first minute of creating that report is opening my word processor and creating the file. It makes it easier for your mind to emotionally deal with the amount of work you're asking it to do. If you follow these suggestions, odds are you're going to find that the frequency of incomplete tasks is going to dramatically decrease. But what if you follow all those steps, and you've still got incomplete tasks? It happens to the most prepared of us, myself included. The good news is the solution is simple. Put incomplete tasks back into a gathering point to reprocess. If you've been through Time Management Fundamentals, you'll remember the part where we gathered everything into the baskets before we started to process them. We want to do the same thing with incomplete tasks. Put any incomplete task or project back into the in box, and reprocess it. However, this time, process it with keeping in mind the suggestions of overestimating, protecting your focus, and scheduling just the first minute of activity. Do this, and the odds are you're going to find it much easier to follow through and complete every task that's in front of you.
Contents
-
-
-
Power tips for sending email3m 14s
-
Reduce interruptions with 1:1 meetings2m 6s
-
Positive procrastination3m 15s
-
Set voicemail and email expectations3m 25s
-
How to deal with feeling overwhelmed4m 32s
-
Make the most of an inbox and outbox3m 2s
-
Remove the "busy" tag2m 58s
-
How to respond to quick questions3m 4s
-
Follow through on your commitments2m 57s
-
Fight negative procrastination3m 58s
-
Ergonomics' impact on productivity2m 55s
-
Replace to-do lists with a schedule3m 21s
-
Establish boundaries in open workspaces3m 9s
-
Manage digital interruptions4m 19s
-
Find your productivity rhythm2m 56s
-
Craft a visually productive workspace3m 16s
-
Use background tasking to get more done2m 51s
-
Make the most of meetings2m 52s
-
Participate wisely in social media3m 23s
-
Follow up on delegated items2m 58s
-
Overcome opportunity addiction2m 51s
-
Make sound your productivity ally3m 12s
-
Embrace the power of doing nothing3m 3s
-
Implement a closed door, open calendar policy3m 26s
-
Become tech savvy4m 33s
-
The two most important hours of your day2m 40s
-
Make investments to gain time2m 40s
-
Maximize your energy each day2m 5s
-
Focus on the person2m 37s
-
Use your email archive effectively1m 52s
-
How snacks and scents affect productivity2m 14s
-
Stay engaged in video meetings2m 49s
-
Embrace harmless distractions2m 12s
-
Find focus in an interruption-heavy environment2m 19s
-
How to check email and still stay focused3m 53s
-
Manage time before and after vacations2m 35s
-
Handling tasks that take too long2m 33s
-
Using quarterly planning for maximum benefit2m 28s
-
Clearing your mind with note-taking apps2m 35s
-
Overcoming analysis paralysis2m 41s
-
Protecting your processing time3m 18s
-
Time management for moms and dads3m 58s
-
Efficiently setting appointments with others2m 58s
-
Creating your digital-free zone2m 29s
-
Prioritizing your work to free up time3m 3s
-
Understanding virtual assistants2m 51s
-
Regaining focus with reminders2m 26s
-
Getting the most from learning opportunities2m 18s
-
Power tips for frequent travelers3m 32s
-
Staying engaged in conference calls2m 40s
-
Building transition time into your day2m 7s
-
Increasing follow-through by making yourself accountable2m 57s
-
Time management for students2m 59s
-
Handling the inefficiency of others2m 29s
-
Time management for managers and leaders2m 34s
-
Making the most of extra time1m 59s
-
When work and personal matters collide2m 29s
-
Time management for assistants and gatekeepers2m 43s
-
Avoiding less valuable activities2m 45s
-
Ending meetings with action1m 44s
-
Establishing a productive daily routine2m 26s
-
Time management for working in teams2m 32s
-
Setting achievable expectations2m 31s
-
Tips for bill-by-the-hour professionals2m 4s
-
Helping others improve their time management2m 4s
-
Make the most of your commute4m 5s
-
How to handle interruptive ideas2m 59s
-
Dealing with overlapping responsibilities3m 18s
-
Stop coworkers from encroaching on personal time4m 4s
-
Organizing and using stacking trays3m 26s
-
How to avoid unnecessary meetings4m 43s
-
How to deal with a reading pile3m 17s
-
Handling unexpectedly long tasks3m 13s
-
Processing long projects with many steps4m 21s
-
Connecting personal values to productivity4m 28s
-
Building a not-to-do list2m 46s
-
Putting news in its proper place4m 49s
-
Making peace with the truth of time4m 5s
-
Avoiding the crowd mindset2m 58s
-
Placing a value on your time3m 30s
-
Celebrating success for improvement3m 20s
-
Exploring the weekly planning session4m 8s
-
Coordinating family schedules3m 24s
-
Tracking your daily activity4m 3s
-
How to schedule a meeting3m 35s
-
Prioritizing learning opportunities3m 7s
-
Finding your optimal break cycle3m 57s
-
How to develop flexibility4m 19s
-
The trouble with texting3m 48s
-
Yearly planning to support goals3m 52s
-
Create a perhaps list4m 58s
-
How to deal with incomplete tasks4m 45s
-
Reduce attention switches4m 46s
-
When to fix, and when not to fix, a problem3m 10s
-
Make time to build relationships3m 10s
-
How to take notes productively3m 39s
-
Time management fundamentals at home5m 10s
-
How to cultivate more patience5m
-
Adapt your favorite app4m 33s
-
Make time to get more time3m 49s
-
Read vs. unread email3m 52s
-
Use typing shortcuts to save time3m 36s
-
Work across multiple time zones3m 36s
-
Make time to have fun3m 57s
-
Set boundaries with your smartphone4m 48s
-
Make phone calls more productive4m 36s
-
Prepare your schedule for emergencies4m 47s
-
Tips for the paperless office3m 45s
-
Create a nightly ritual for sleep4m 25s
-
Create a morning ritual3m 23s
-
Help others keep appointments with you2m 37s
-
Get your time management back on track2m 51s
-
Meetings and conversations that run long2m 44s
-
When to create new homes3m 26s
-
Negotiate deadlines with coworkers3m 51s
-
Take responsibility for finding answers3m 47s
-
Stop perfectionism from hurting productivity3m 6s
-
What to do with business cards3m 10s
-
Manage the rate of communication3m 51s
-
Share email with a team member3m 33s
-
When and how to use video in email2m 51s
-
How to reduce spam3m 48s
-
Why repetition saves time2m 48s
-
How to be prepared for anything2m 32s
-
How to shake off negative experiences3m 37s
-
When someone doesn't respond to your email3m 7s
-
What to do when appointments are cancelled3m 23s
-
How to leave an effective voicemail message3m 1s
-
Gambling with time for profit and fun2m 51s
-
When others fail to keep their commitments3m 21s
-
How being kind improves productivity2m 49s
-
What to do about unsolicited phone calls3m 11s
-
What to do when someone is multitasking on you3m 13s
-
How to deal with feeling overwhelmed1m 59s
-
What to do when major life events occur1m 51s
-
Productive passwords2m 3s
-
Productive web browser tips1m 51s
-
Using reply to all and carbon copy1m 30s
-
Writing a productive email1m 55s
-
What to do before sending an email1m 51s
-
Understanding why you procrastinate2m 10s
-
Use your calendar to stop procrastination2m
-
Use positive procrastination2m 8s
-
Commit to your calendar1m 54s
-
What to say instead of ASAP1m 46s
-
Set voicemail expectations1m 43s
-
Set email expectations1m 46s
-
How to use an inbox1m 41s
-
How to use an outbox1m 53s
-
Dealing with distracting coworkers2m 6s
-
How to stop ignoring recurring reminder2m 1s
-