Rather than working your way down your email list, or tackling problems as they appear, if you want to achieve genuine results, you’ll need a technique for task prioritization.
There are many options out there, from the MIT method to the Eisenhower matrix. Today, we’re going to explore three of the simplest and most engaging choices for beginners.
Let’s get started.
Why effective task management strategies are important
Fundamentally, effective task management strategies make you more productive. They're designed to make workflows more efficient, milestones more achievable and deliverables that meet or exceed expectations.
When team members rely on effective task management strategies, they not only become more productive. These tactics also help them to:
Manage stress
Achieve their goals
Improve focus
Boost confidence
Feel more accomplished
Deliver better work
Map career advancements
When team members feel overwhelmed, it takes a toll on their personal and professional lives. Effective task management strategies help you to build a healthy working culture that contributes to the organization's success.
#1 The GTD strategy (getting things done)
The GTD strategy is a popular strategy for many entrepreneurs and dedicated professionals. This process allows you to efficiently organize your tasks, monitor what you need to get done and reduce stress from unfinished or pending tasks.
Start by picking the most distracting task that is “incomplete” in your to-do list. Start working on that task, and make sure that you keep focusing on it until you feel comfortable saying that it’s “complete”.
To make the most out of the GTD method:
Record everything: With a tool like MeisterTask, you can keep track of everything that needs to be done in your business on a given day or week. Due to the setup of projects and tasks, to-dos can be broken down into manageable pieces so that, one by one, things are completed. This will help you to ensure that you don’t lose track of any unfinished work.
Make reminders: Ensure that you have alerts and reminders in place that show you which projects you need to work on first. If you have a hard time doing this with Agenda, try using MeisterTask’s Google Calendar integration to see your tasks represented as calendar events.
Keep track of your accomplishments: As well as tracking what you need to do, track what you get done too. This will help to keep you motivated. Try leaving finished tasks in a Done section or creating a section on your Agenda where you can see what you’ve accomplished in a given period of time.
The GTD method is an excellent choice for people who have a hard time with procrastinating.
#2 The Pomodoro technique
The Pomodoro technique is one of the most well-known task management strategies in the world. It helps you to work more efficiently while ensuring you hit your deadlines.
The central premise of the Pomodoro strategy is that you divide all of your tasks for the day into sections of 25 minutes. These intervals are “Pomodoro’s”. You leave 5 minutes between each interval, giving you time to move from one task to the next.
To make the most of the Pomodoro technique:
Organize your tasks: Know which projects need to be completed first based on deadlines and urgency. Organize your tasks based on when you know you’re the most productive, such as first thing in the morning. In MeisterTask, this means setting up your Agenda in the most logical and effective way possible.
Have a timer: Set a Pomodoro timer to keep you working according to your assigned pace.
Give yourself the right amount of break-time: Sometimes, your brain will need longer to refresh after a complicated task. In that case, you may need 10 or 15 minutes instead of 5.
The Pomodoro method is best-suited to break your projects down into more manageable tasks so you can reduce unnecessary burnout.
#3 The Eat the Frog method
The ‘Eat the Frog’ method, otherwise known as doing the worst thing first, involves putting the tasks you hate the most at the top of your to-do list.
To make the most of the ‘Eat the Frog’ method:
Make sure that you remove any tasks from your list that don’t actually need to be done. These are tasks that are unnecessary or can be delegated elsewhere.
Focus on high-value activities that you don’t want to do first. This will give you more of a sense of accomplishment.
Try to avoid putting too many high-value but time-consuming tasks into the beginning of each day. This will help you to maintain your motivation a little better.
This method generally works best for people who tend to avoid hard or challenging tasks wherever they can. If you find that you usually put off the most challenging things on your to-do list and regret it later, then Eat the Frog could be the method for you.
#4 Time blocking
Time blocking is one of many effective time management strategies that every worker can employ. Time blocking involves scheduling blocks of time on your calendar throughout the day that you dedicate to specific tasks.
Here are some tips to make time blocking effective:
Add structure to your day. When you dedicate time for specific tasks, you create a personal work schedule that holds you accountable. This makes it easier to set priorities, concentrate your energy and get things done.
Set your priorities. If you have larger tasks on your calendar, you can break them up into smaller subtasks with time blocking. Setting these milestones breaks down larger projects into more manageable targets.
Control your availability. Team members and other stakeholders may request you attend certain meetings. Using time blocking, you can show your availability and restrict how other people request your time. This way, your tasks remain the priority.
#5 Task batching
Task batching is a subset of time blocking. Task batching is an effective task management strategy to complete similar groups of tasks in “batches.”
Suppose you have to send or respond to multiple emails from team members, managers and even clients. Rather than do them in individual blocks, you can batch them all together. Tackling similar tasks all at once places you into a productive groove, making more effective task management strategies.
You can also batch groups of tasks together based on the degree of time and effort they require from you.
Low effort tasks are tasks such as sending follow-up emails, reviewing attachments, and time blocking your calendar.
High effort tasks are much larger tasks, such as building a new presentation or developing a new positioning strategy.
Find a balance by prioritizing blocks of time for high-priority tasks one day. Then, you can set time aside for lower priority tasks the next day. Using this and other effective time management strategies, you'll be more productive and achieve more milestones.
Learning how to prioritize
Ultimately, learning how to prioritize your daily tasks into a to-do list that can guide you through your day is one of the best ways to boost productivity.
Having a path to follow each day ensures that you get the most important tasks done on time and make the most of the brainpower that you have.
If you’re not sure which method will work best for you, consider experimenting with a few different strategies before you settle for one.
