034 • I quit task management apps

For the last month or so, I've not been using a task management app.

Cue the gasps of horror.

However, I've not struggled in the same way that you might have expected, and I'll give the argument for abstaining from these apps long-term in the rest of this issue.

First, I'll tell you the story of how I decided to quit these apps...

I'd been working hard leading up to Christmas, with a project launch in the pipeline for early this year. However, I was struggling with creating anything new that would set this new launch apart from the last one.

Researching generated a lot of ideas, and I was capturing points that popped into my head as I was going about my day-to-day life.

That was where the problem started.

Instead of being greeted by a list of next actions whenever I opened Todoist, I found a mound of new tasks in my inbox that required processing. I couldn't help but think about the time that each one was going to take to complete as well.

So in the end, I decided to change.

I've always been a large user of physical notebooks, and I had the perfect notebook lying around for what I had decided I was going to do.

Almost a year ago, I wrote an article about how I built a habit of bullet journaling. I loved the tactile feel around the process. Around six months after this again, I wrote another article about why I stopped bullet journaling. It became too strict to keep up with monthly views and lists.

For my new method of managing tasks, I simply added a date at the next free point on this page, writing underneath what I wanted to get done shortly. I'd tick them off once done or copy them to the next day if they were incomplete but still relevant. Almost like a dumbed-down version of bullet journaling, just for task management.

Simple right? And it seemed to work for me.

I noticed that I wasn't getting bogged down with tasks as much, because the less important ones got left in pages past if I didn't reiterate them under the current day's date.

Because of the slightly higher friction to taking out a notebook and writing a line, I was only capturing the most important things too.

There was an auxiliary app that I used in this process too - this was to solve the problem of making sure I didn't forget non-negotiable events and tasks. This was a simple calendar. That's all.

I only added the absolute minimum to this calendar, and still do. I'm not one to time-block my day away and place the pressure of conforming on to every waking minute. If I was required at a certain place and time, it went into my calendar. If I wasn't, it didn't.

There's always the effect of trying harder when you put a new system in place, so I used this method for over a month in real-world situations before coming up with a conclusion.

I don't think that what method you use to manage tasks matters. I didn't see much change in my productivity using either one of these methods, although I felt slightly better about my workload when I used paper.

What's more important in your task management is that you have a very good idea of your goals and priorities. You must know what you want, as the incessant listing of tasks that don't aim towards a common outcome is going to get you nowhere.

Will I keep using pen and paper for my task management? Perhaps. I am for now. However, I don't think this will last forever. I'm willing to go where I think will complement what I'm working on most at the present moment.

Remember, direction beats having a good app to capture your tasks in.

I'll see you next week!

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What I've read this week...

It was only a month or so ago that I came across Cole Schafer's work, but I've been enjoying every email he's sent out. They're normally short, expressive pieces that give you some food for thought whilst being able to enjoy some excellent and engaging writing.

Schafer has a copywriting agency too, Honey Copy, whose website I literally bookmarked for how good it was.