Putting tasks in order

Recognising that you need some order is already a step. Plenty of people are organised in their way and will tell you they "have their own method" or "know where everything is in the mess". That can hold for a while — but what happens when the workload doubles? Tasks also differ in kind, so you have to decide what matters most. Rank them, and do the ones that genuinely cannot wait. Then the day does not end with the most important thing untouched, or pushed to tomorrow because it was the one you did not fancy.

Other people's work often lands on our desks too. That ranking is exactly why saying no matters — you cannot take on everything. Which is not to say you should refuse to help a colleague. Just weigh whether the task fits the day you have, with the list's own goals in view.

Time

Time waits for nobody, as the song has it. So be decisive about how you carve up the day, and work out how long each task actually takes. As above, you cannot do everything at once. Divide the hours efficiently — and humanely. Leave yourself room to breathe. Why not a coffee and ten minutes away from the desk, if the day allows it?

If you are already spending time and effort getting organised, do it properly. Otherwise you lose the time twice over.

Leave room for the unexpected as well. It arrives without warning — and forewarned is forearmed.

Getting organised with a to-do list

With all that said, Manáry Digital wanted to go beyond building websitesand offer a few pointers for building your own list. There is no right or wrong here: what matters is doing it in the way that suits you and that you will actually keep up.

Our CEO, for instance, writes the day's tasks in a notebook and crosses them off as he goes. A colleague prefers sticky notes as reminders. A few suggestions:

- Write down every task that has to be done.

- Set priorities. Put the urgent ones at the top, or mark them out somehow — a different colour of ink, say.

- Take a few minutes at the end of the day to redo the list, so anything outstanding is remembered and finished tomorrow.

Those are a few ideas to start with, but do not be afraid to go further. If the volume of work is large and the deadlines scattered, a paid tool is worth considering. From our own team's experience, we would suggest Monday and Agendor. Both charge, but both offer a short free trial, and either can lift how organised you are.

That is it — we hope this has been useful. One last suggestion on the way out: try extending the method to your life outside work, in whatever corner of it needs the help.

We have strayed a little from our usual subject here, but we would still be glad to help you put your digital presence in order. Need a site, or a digital set-up? Fill in the form below and talk to one of our specialists.