Software comes third or fourth here. Collecting too many ‘tasks’ along the way may be adding more to noise and distraction by other people than to signal or direction for yourself.
I have used Taskpaper strategically for so many years that I can’t recall when I started. I tend to use Taskpaper when I have multiple specific projects to track. I’m an academic so during an academic year, I can have 8-10 projects to manage. In the summer I often have just three writing or research projects to brainstorm and accomplish as tasks. I keep my workflow simple:
Project One:
task 1
task 2
perhaps a note, perhaps not.
Project Two:
task 1
task 2
perhaps a note, perhaps not.
Project Three:
task 1
task 2
perhaps a note, perhaps not.
The colon following the project name is important.
I set up due dates, defer dates, soon tags and someday/maybe tags (if it’s just a stray idea).
The flexibility Taskpaper affords is why I use the app so often. Taskpaper doesn’t constrain me in the way some of the larger task managers do. This little workflow is simple and neat. I like the way that I can focus in on the project I’m working on in the moment so that I’m not distracted by other projects.
At the top of my file I have goals, some in the form of tags.
I also have a special project at the top called Navigate with collection of tags for one click access. Of course I could type them in search bar but this makes like a pseudo tool bar.
Navigate:
- tag @top
- tag @today
- Status @followup @resist @15min @5min
- People @lac @ash
Others @christine @sam @sarah
Intentions @expressive @create
@silab @delivery
I don’t personally think that the choice of the particular tool is the key issue.
Bike is clearly a more general-purpose (and Moby Dick capable) instrument – TaskPaper has some specialisations for tag processing, dates and project naming once a project takes more shape – but the gathering and ordering of thoughts can be done in either. Whatever comes to hand.