Organization Tips for Multi-Taskers

From my IBM blog.  I've since become less of a fan of "multi-tasking" -- but the organization tips remain.

Self-described "management consultants" are seemingly everywhere, but I still find personal management ideas fascinating.  There's something creative about rote organization of "stuff" in our lives.  Maybe it's the notion that time is increasingly valuable -- the more technology enables us, the more important it is to prioritize our work and our lives.

For the past few years, I've been drawn to David Allen and "Getting Things Done" for several reasons:

• Simplicity
• Emphasis on delegation (the right person for the right task)
  
• The concept that there are slices of time throughout the day that go unused -- and using them to do the right tasks can improve your productivity dramatically.
• The psychological benefit of following a methodology is as important to productivity as the organization itself

While Allen's methodology is great, it is rooted in paper-based methods and manual work flows.  Much of your day consists of executing tasks, and you must know which tasks to execute and their priority.  For example, if I spend 15 minutes in a taxi, I'm in a place where I can make required phone calls.  But I have to have a list of what calls to make and their priority to use that 15 minutes effectively.  In addition, if I one of those calls is to one of my employees, I should have a list in front of me of delegated tasks, so I can use that phone call to quickly go over status or answer questions.

Given the number of projects, clients, employees, and other strata in our lives, lists will quickly grow large and tasks will need multiple categories.  Allen's company has released some software products to help you manage, but I found using the Outlook plug-in to be cumbersome:

• I'm not always in front of my computer.  In fact, when I travel, I may use my Blackberry as much as my computer on most days.
• Categories in Outlook are difficult to manage, but are the only feature that can implement the methodology.
  
• I don't run my business, or manage my day, using Outlook (or Lotus Notes, for that matter).  And there's no single  medium that can serve that purpose.

About 12 months ago, I started using a little Web 2.0 site to manage my tasks, and it's now invaluable in my daily organization.  RTM is nearly perfect, since it has the key functions I need to get things done:

• Tags replace the concept of categories.  Simply associate any number of tags with a category.  For example, if I need to call a client, I can tag the task with the client name and a tag for "calls" -- so I can quickly find it on my taxi ride.
• The ability to add a task from anywhere as you think of them.  The Web interface is quite good (I particularly like the keyboard shortcuts) and has a nice adaptation for the Blackberry browser.  Tasks can be added via email via an address you receive when you register.  I've also started using integration with Jott, which allows me to add a task via a voice message.  This is important when I need to add something, but can't type it in (driving, for example).
• Due dates, reminders, and priorities associated with every task.

Some other good ideas can be found in various blogs, including Allen's site and GTD Times.