My Quick and Easy Time and Task Management Tool

“As you get older; you’ve probably noticed that you tend to forget things. You’ll be talking with somebody at a party, and you’ll know that you know this person, but no matter how hard you try, you can’t remember his or her name. This can be very embarassing, especially if he or she turns out to be your spouse.”
― Dave Barry

I used to have an amazing memory. I always remembered birthdays, phone numbers, names, anniversaries. I was the person that people used to say “please remind me to…” to. Now I am the person asking to be reminded. I am not quite as bad as Dave Barry, but I seem to be well on my way to getting there.

What is extremely weird – although I am told not at all unusual – is that I remember some things and not others. I hold onto everything that is discussed in sessions with clients. Even if I haven’t seen a client for years, the second they walk through my office door I remember every conversation we have had, every detail they have ever shared, every emotion they have felt in my presence.

Yet I have to set my phone to remind me to buy bread.

I have turned into a compulsive list-maker. A thought strikes, and I write it on a list. I write to-do lists in journals, in my diary, on random bits of paper.

And then I forget all about it.

I often happen upon an abandoned list of Very Important Things To Remember from days, weeks, months or years ago. It’s sad, really, because those lists really do contain very important and interesting things. If only I’d done them at the time….

The problem, aside from age of course, is that if I can’t see something I forget about it. Any visual cue is enough to remind me of something (I write on the back of my hand a lot) but I really do need to see it to do it.

So, in the manner of all good coaches, I came up with a solution to my problem. It has helped me so much I wanted to share it with you in case you, too, are having issues with forgetfulness.

You will need:

• A pile of post-it notes (preferably in different colours)
• A pen
• A large, flat vertical surface that you look at often (I use the door leading to the bathroom in my home office)

Divide the wall/door/window into three columns: left, middle, right. Left is for all the things that need to be done TODAY. Middle is for THIS WEEK. Right is for SOME TIME SOON.

Write one task or to-do per post-it, and you can colour code them into themes if you are feeling fancy and creative.

Stick the post-its in the relevant column. Every morning you can shuffle the tasks around; add more, remove the completes ones, move what needs to be done today into the left column…

It’s a nice way to start your day gently with a little bit of creative and visual planning. It probably won’t help you to remember your spouse’s name at a party, but it will help you to bring all those Very Important Ideas to life and to generally be more productive.

I’d love to hear if it helps you as much as it helps me?

Tags: coach | forgetfulness | managing time and tasks | memory | remembering tasks | task management | time management | to-do lists