The objective of task tracking is to recall what you have said, done, promised or been promised.
However it just isn't practical to track everything, so we must focus on aspects of our day that deliver the greatest benefit whilst minimising our exposure to overwhelm.
In other words we don't want to be overburdened with the management of loads of low priority tasks and reminders.
This piece illustrates a sensible approach to task tracking.
You can also see a video presentation of this material via our video gallery.
When you find something that impacts your job responsibilities directly, use your task trees to visually track progress.
Don't be afraid of having too many topics in your map, you can always create linked sub- maps if a mini- project becomes a big- project.
When something comes your way which may cause you concern at some later point, make a note of it and give it plenty of time to resolve.
This best guess time-frame approach to items at the perimeter of your responsibility, ensure, whilst on your radar, the item will hopefully stay out of the way of your primary activities.
Use "General" topics to track activities for items outside your direct line of responsibility, but indirectly linked to your ability to work productively.
An example might be receiving notice of an update to the company Holiday's policy. You may want to record a note of the change for next time you are planning some time away.
In Summary, our recommended approach to task tracking is as follows:
- Use new topics generously for aspects that directly impact your responsibilities.
- Use best guess time-frames for aspects at the perimeter of your responsibilities.
- Use topics with a Priority of 5 to capture peripheral activities.
