Git-R-Done!
Larry the Cable Guy
First, let me properly acknowledge the stand-up comedian Larry the Cable Guy for the quote referenced above. I don’t want to get sued or anything . . . However, I feel like this phase captures a key aspect of management of self, the ability to get things done.
I’ve looked to technology to help me out in this area. By nature, I am not incredibly organized. I also experience a fair amount of anxiety when I see an email inbox with thousands of unread items . . . even if it is someone else’s email! It feels like a giant, unorganized list of things to do that has no clear starting point.
Here’s where technology has come in to help me tackle all of those emails on top of all of the other things that I need to get done. For the last several years I’ve been using a task management tool called Todoist. According to the Todoist website, Todoist is “the best to do list app and task manager.” I agree and I’ll explain why.
Science has proven that writing down your goals increases the likelihood that you will achieve them. “People who very vividly describe or picture their goals are anywhere from 1.2 to 1.4 times more likely to successfully accomplish their goals” according to a recent article on Forbes. The act of writing them down allows you to store them somewhere that is easy to access and review at any time. Additionally, writing down goals also helps encode the information in our brain, making it easier to remember in the future.
I use Todoist to write down my goals on a platform that lets me access them across multiple devices, including my computer, phone, or Google Home. The free version lets me organize tasks into specific projects (I have separate projects for personal and work tasks), as well as set recurring due dates for tasks that I need to complete every day, week, month, or other interval.
The paid version of Todoist (Premium) takes task management to the next level allowing me to send tasks to Todoist via email, automatically back up my tasks, set location based reminders, and even tracks my daily productivity via “Karma” points. I’m currently at the “Expert” level.
Having a tool is great, but I’ve found that the way that I use it is what really makes me more productive. In order to get the most out of Todoist, I convert everything that I need to get done into a separate task with a due date. There are several ways to do this. I can tell Google to talk to Todoist to add or read tasks. I have a shortcut on my phone that lets me quickly add tasks when making commitments to others on things I’ve agreed to do. Remember that stressful email inbox that I mentioned earlier? That’s where Todoist performs the real magic that allows me to go home each day with an empty inbox.
Here’s how it works. First, I’ve installed the Todoist plugin for Outlook that allows me to convert emails into tasks directly from my inbox. As I read each email I either delete it, respond to it, or convert it to a task. Obviously, all of those spam and unsolicited sales emails just get deleted. Emails that can be answered quickly like requests for information I just respond and delete. The emails that require a bit more time to complete get converted to a task using the Todoist plugin where I set a project (Work or Personal) and set a due date. Then I move the email to an archive folder where I can find it later when I need it. Todoist also creates a link that I can click on to go directly to the email when I want to complete the task.
If I can be disciplined enough to make one of those three decisions (delete, reply, or create a task) for every email that comes into my inbox, it’s easy to go home with it completely empty. This has the effect of greatly reducing my anxiety about what I need to get done each day because I’ve either done it or decided when I’m going to do it later based on the priority and/or deadline.
Want to check out Todoist Premium for free? Go here and you can get two months of Todoist Premium for free. Full disclosure . . . if you sign up at the end of the trial, I’ll get two months for free as well. However, I really believe in this tool and think that if you make it work for you it can change your life!
