What ways do you guys find most effective in prioritizing and organizing tasks? I'm a recent development analyst and I'm starting to get sent and copied on a lot of emails. As development deals are coming, under DD, or under construction, timelines are different. Setting follow ups, reminders, etc are more important for me now.
A few ways I was told was either using the task function in Outlook or maybe Evernote. Any other ways?
Thanks
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This is a super important topic for a young developer. It took me a couple months to really get the hang of and not just flat out forget things.
I used to put real effort into utilizing to do list software and apps (like the Things app) but it ended up just being more work and I wouldn’t keep up with it.
The notes app on my iPhone or a literal piece of paper with a to do list have always served me well for tasks. Also, when I have an email that I need to respond to, after reading it I put it back on unread. Having unread emails drives me crazy, so Outlook then serves as another checklist. Finally, I make sure that if something is high priority, I schedule time for it on my calendar with a reminder pop up. That way, nothing else gets scheduled there and I don’t run out of time for it.
Eventually, this won’t be a problem for you. You’ll have enough reminders from other people and just a better feel for being the puppet master of every task. But starting out - writing everything down is absolutely key. So many things happen and you can’t let any of them slip.
Thanks for the reply! I think Outlook is a great tool and can be utilized a few different ways as you mentioned.
As of right now I am using various sticky notes for different topics and subjects (the one from Windows 10). Seems to be good for me as its a reminder of the tasks I need to get done when I see it on my desktop everyday
My handy dandy notebook has always been my go-to for creating checklists. I find Outlook helpful for reminding myself to follow up with people (which occurs often).
Evernote is also good when you want to quickly scan some of your notes and have it readily available on any of your devices. There are other tools out there that have the same function.
In my previous firm I've seen folks who would have a color coordinated checklists on excel. This works well when you are dealing with projects/deals that have a uniform process. I have been looking to integrate this in my current role in development but I haven't due to how disaparate my projects/tasks have been. Maybe after getting enough reps in I'll be to set one up.
I use to use software and it just became a hassle. Hard to keep up with and update. I have shit coming in all the time, I literally sit with my notebook right below me and when something comes in I write it down so I don’t forget. Also, flagging emails when they come in is a huge help as well. Basically just reiterated what the others said above.
You can go deeper with using Sharepoint, etc to collab with your team.
Having highly organized folders in the corporate drive is so important. I've seen folders from past deals that were organized haphazardly, and it gives me second hand anxiety.
Nothing like your co-workers frantically trying to reach you while you are on (much needed and deserved) vacation halfway around the world because some important piece of paper was on someone’s desk for a few months and not on the sharedrive.
True story. Happy ending. But I wasted 3-5 hours worrying and searching emails when I could have been relaxing in my private suite onsen (Hakone, Japan) that I paid $600 per night.
Do you also have shared email folders? When I worked construction we had a shared email drive as well, so all email communications (incoming and outgoing) we're filed away. It made it so easy to trace back when you asked a sub to get something done or if my boss asked and I was following up either of us could just go back to the shared folder. Additionally, I'd use my inbox as a to-do list, once I finished the task at hand I would file the email so only the items in my inbox would need attention. It was great leaving the office on a Friday afternoon with only like 5-10 emails in my inbox.
I don’t have shared email. I think that really works if you’re on a shared team with many multiples of parties and that anyone of you can execute the task. Keep track of multiple subs, I think that would be a good instance.
For instance I use First Republic Bank and my emails requesting stuff from my account rep goes to a shared email system so someone on the bank team can respond.
The filing method is really useful in that instance.
I’m not on the construction side so don’t know how common.
I do create unique email addresses for projects / businesses. I can share the login.
Not sure if you use OneNote at work, my current team likes it a lot and we have a tracker template for the week that's easy to follow and update on an ongoing basis.
I've become a big fan of Microsoft OneNote, which is similar to evernote (but its part of our firm's MS 365 IT package, so it's what we have). I keep notes, files, and items to save. I will create to-do check lists in there from time to time.
Beyond that, I like 'sticky notes' that I put by my monitors and if something is important or far off and will be important, I will place a calendar reminder at the date/time I want to be reminded. Good way to not lose track.
For major projects, whiteboards with tracking details are great, and even excel sheets. Really just depends what works with your work flow.
I'll have to check OneNote out since we are big on Microsoft 365 as well. Thanks!
We are also starting to us MS Teams, its for chat/collaboration, but also has organizing functions and works with some of these tools. Can't say too much about it, but if you have 365, you probably have it already.
Should add, OneNote integrates with phone, tablets, everything, the sync capacity is great! and you can have personal notebooks and company ones, if you set it up right, it can be great.
When I was building high rises I had a big whiteboard in my office in the trailer and would write literally everything I needed to do on it. It’s very satisfying getting up and physically erasing something off your to do list and worked well for me.
I'm old fashioned - I keep a handwritten to do list for immediate tasks either on a sticky note or in my notebook (i.e. stuff that needs to be done this week). Anything longer-term I typically use my Outlook inbox as a to do list. Any emails with outstanding tasks or that I need to follow up with someone on sit in my main inbox (and flagged if its more urgent), anything else gets filed to its respective project/sub-folder.
I also keep an EXTREMELY detailed filing system in my Outlook inbox.
Step 1. Point the fire hose at the biggest fire until it’s no longer the biggest fire. Step 2. See step 1.
All jokes aside, being purely reactive is incredibly inefficient unorganized
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