⏱️ The Best Minute: How to NEVER miss a task
💡 1 IDEA FROM ME
We've all experienced the frustration of forgetting a task we were supposed to remember or hoping our brain will recall something we need to do. Equally annoying is knowing something you need to do, and hoping your brain remembers to do it when the time comes.
Our brains are fantastic at creative thinking, but not so good at storing one-off tasks that need to be remembered. And a big reason we often just try to remember things is because we don't have a quick and trusted system for collecting our tasks.
Here's a simple tip to stay on top of all your tasks; keep all your tasks in one place.
The best way to keep things from falling through the cracks is to keep all your tasks in one place. The more places you have to go looking for what you have to do, the more likely something will be missed. And the less likely you'll trust your system, the more likely you'll try to keep everything in your brain. A never-ending cycle of not getting things done.
I use (and recommend) Todoist as your task manager. This doesn't mean everything I have to do is added to my task manager right away, but it does mean it will end up there. For example, sometimes things get filtered through my email first, and I then archive the email (so it is out of my inbox) and put a task on Todoist (with a due date) so I know it will be dealt with.
Sometimes I write something down on a sticky note, but then I keep that sticky note with me until the task is put in Todoist. Typically though, I input everything in my Todoist app right away. I use the Todoist app on my phone, and the hotkey function (Command + shift + A on my Mac) to quickly add a task to my list right away and get it out of my brain.
Having sticky notes for some things, a journal for others, and a task list app for everything else takes more mental energy to keep up with and won't be accessible to you everywhere you go. Keep all your tasks in one place and they will be easier to stay on top of.
Next week in The Best Minute I’ll share why you should assign a due date to all of your tasks, no matter how small, and how I use Todoist to make that happen.
💬 2 QUOTES FROM OTHERS
I. Alex Lowe on how to be the best:
“The best climber in the world is the one who’s having the most fun.”
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II. Paul Graham on deciding what to do:
“If you’re trying to choose between two theories and one gives you an excuse for being lazy, the other one is probably right.”
📖 1 BRIEF BOOK REVIEW
Death by Meeting by Patrick Lencioni
The book is an enjoyable read. Most of it is written in the form of a fable to teach how to run better meetings and the type of meetings you should be holding.
While it was a fun read, I would have liked for the fable not to take up so much of the book, and a little more of it dedicated to giving more insights into running the meetings. Written in 2004, it also suffers from being unable to address a lot of questions that come up with so many people working remotely these days.
That's not the original book's fault, but an updated edition I think would be even more helpful to read.
Even still, I would still say this book is worth reading if you lead meetings.
7/10
🤔 1 QUESTION TO LEAVE YOU WITH
What daily habits do I have that are prohibiting me from getting the results that I want?
