Which Task Management Technique Is Best for You?

Can you sit down at your desk for extended hours and tick away your to-dos uninterrupted? Or is your productivity more sporadic with a project here and a call there? Maybe you even change the way you tackle your tasks on a daily basis. Task management strategies are not a one-size-fits-all concept, as everyone works through their duties differently. There are dozens of techniques you can choose from to help you and your team work more efficiently.

But how do you know which one is right for you and your business? Read our descriptions below to find out.

Pomodoro Technique¹

Named for a tomato-shaped timer Francesco Cirillo owned as a university student, the Pomodoro Technique focuses on timed intervals of productivity. Each work sprint is followed by a brief break. Cirillo believed that extended studying leads to a dull mind. Mental breaks keep the mind more pliable and, as a result, more productive.

The Pomodoro technique has five steps:

1. Identify the task that needs to be completed.
2. Start your timer. Traditionally, a “pomodoro” (an individual interval) is 25 minutes long.
3. Get to work!
4. When the timer goes off, stop whatever thought you were on and mark your place.
5. If you have less than four checkmarks, take a 3 – 5 minute break and return to step one. If you have more than four, take a 15 – 30 minute break, reset your checkmark count and return to step one.

ABC Prioritized Planning²

Originally used as a tool to categorize large pools of data, Prioritized Planning ranks task importance as well as urgency. Importance is labeled with a letter, and the number reflects urgency (one being top priority, two the next and so on).

Letters Defined:

• A task: The highest priority in the pool. This is something that would effect your superior or a high priority client.
• B task: An important but not dire task. This is something you could potentially put off a few days without consequence.
• C task: A very low priority. This is something that doesn’t have much importance and won’t negatively affect other tasks if it goes incomplete a while.

Example

• A1: Write payroll checks
• A2: Write schedule for next week
• A3: Order T-shirts
• B1: Call meat vendor
• B2: Take inventory of to-go supplies
• B3: Place order for low stock
• C1: Brainstorm new promotions
• C2: Respond to Yelp reviews
• C3: Sweep walk-in

The 6-Box Method³

As a small business owner, your to-do list may be never ending. The 6-Box method accommodates just that! Instead of assigning a specific value to everything on your to-do list, you pick the top five priorities for your day. Everything else? That’s the sixth box.

Example

1. Place order for T-shirts
2. Call meat vendor
3. Take inventory of dry goods
4. Respond to Yelp reviews
5. Write payroll checks

• Sweep walk-in, take inventory of to-go supplies, place order as needed, set up team event, write schedule, go through applications for host, brainstorm new promotions, contact graphic designer for posters

POSEC Method⁴

The POSEC method, or prioritizing by organizing, streamlining, economizing and contributing, suggests that in order to be your most productive self, you must consider all of your daily responsibilities. The method is derived from and mirrors Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, incorporating the natural connection of the personal and professional psyche. POSEC helps you break down your big daily tasks into digestible, easily accomplished sub tasks, defined by the categories described below.

• Prioritize your responsibilities by overall significance and urgency.
• Organize your needs that need to be achieved on a regular basis to maintain your success (e.g. financial security).
• Streamline those tasks you loathe but must complete.
• Economize the tasks you would like to do but that do not have as much urgency or significance.
• Contribute to others.

Elimination Method²

Julie Morgenstern, author and professional organizer, estimates that as many as 30% of people who regularly use lists spend more time managing their lists than completing the tasks on them.⁵ In fact, some people use task management as a means to procrastinate when they feel overwhelmed by the tasks at hand, effectively sabotaging their own success.

The elimination method encourages you to do two things:

1. Remove unnecessary tasks from your list or proactively say no to meetings or commitments that do not add to your overall goals.
2. Spend less than 5% of your time on your to-do list.

¹Wikipedia. (n.d.). Pomodoro technique. Retrieved June 9, 2016, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pomodoro_Technique

²Wikipedia. (n.d.). Time management. Retrieved June 9, 2016, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_management#ABC_analysis

³Mueller, A. (April 30, 2012). The 6-box to-do list. Retrieved June 9, 2016, from http://freakishlyproductive.com/2012/04/the-6-box-to-do-list/

⁴Planet of Success. (n.d.).   Effective time management tips. Retrieved June 10, 2016, from http://www.planetofsuccess.com/effective-time-management/

⁵Sandberg, J. (September 8, 2004). To-do lists can take more time than doing, but that isn’t the point. Retrieved June 10, 2016, from http://www.wsj.com/news/articles/SB109460145618411891