There’s no need to complicate things.
I love simplicity. That’s why I’m sharing this with you.
Projects vs Tasks vs To-Dos
First off, I’d like to tell you how I organize things conceptually.
From the biggest concept to the smallest.
These are my levels of granularity:
- Projects.
- Tasks.
- To-Dos.
Projects are the biggest container. They give me the bird’s eye view I need to prioritize, seeing “the big picture”.
To-Dos are the smallest ones. Those tiny little things that you know they appear everywhere.
Tasks are an essential concept. They’re between projects and To-Dos. They allow me to plan my day.
Consider them as micro-projects, things I can do in just a few hours.
They’re the perfect fit to give me the perspective I need between “huge” things (projects) and “tiny” things (To-Dos).
My Russian Dolls
The previous organization allows me to see my life from many perspectives.
I can zoom in and out in a matter of seconds.
I don’t lose the focus. I perfectly know what I’m in.
I get into a project and see all the tasks. I get in a task and see all the To-Dos.
I can move up and down effortlessly without any friction at all.
My Obsidian’s Planning Dashboard
This is the dashboard I use to plan my day.
I’ve been polishing it until it’s the simplest I’ve ever had.
It has 3 sections:
- This Week’s tasks.
- All tasks pending.
- All To-Dos pending.
1. This Week’s tasks
It shows me the tasks I’ve planned for this week.
The list shows me the priority and the day I’ve planned to do that task.
I can see my whole week’s planning within seconds by just opening that section.
I can decide if I’m ok with that or start replanning things.
2. All tasks pending
It shows me all the tasks in my system with the minimum information needed:
- Week I’ve planned to do it.
- Priority.
- Day I’ve planned to do it.
This hasn’t to be an overwhelming experience. Remember: tasks are not To-Dos. They’re a bigger concept.
This view allows me to review everything quickly.
If something seems important to me, I move it to “this week’s tasks”.
3. All To-Dos pending
It’d be enough with the 2 previous sections, but following the same principle I use with tasks, I do the same with To-Dos, even faster.
I consider this just a “back-up” to feel safe and sound.
I view everything rapidly and, if something really surprises me, great. If nothing happens, no problem. It’s just a 1–2 minutes fast process.
Last Thoughts
- Simplicity organizing things leaves you time to focus on your most essential task: doing.
- Today, I spend as little time as possible organizing things because my dashboards and reviews leave everything “done”.
Photo by Dose Media on Unsplash.