Well, it's been a couple of years since your post, but I came across it in a web search looking for my own solution to managing (mostly remembering) multiple projects in my lab. My use case may not be exactly the same as I manage a team of about 10 people in a research laboratory, but like you I am currently using pen and paper. I find my notebook currently works well for short-term and medium-term projects, but is severely lacking for long-term projects. How has your experience with software solutions been? Have you found a solution that has worked for you?
Since I wrote this post, I've changed my system up a bit. Right now there are three pieces: google calendar, the Todoist app, and a notebook made Passion Planner. Google Calendar is where I block out actual meetings and schedule time for certain kinds of tasks. I keep track of projects and to-do items, including projects involving other people, using Todoist. It's simpler than something like Asana that I know other folks use and love but Asana is just too much for me and my lab is a relatively small operation. The Passion Planner I just started this year. I use this to prioritize and I plan my time for each week at a time, transferring my meetings from my google calendar and then filling in the gaps with what I've prioritized. I think using that book actually works much better for me than a blank moleskine and doing it on paper has a tangibility that works for me.
Thank you, Terry, for replying to my comment on an older post. I really appreciate your update. I think I've been trying too hard to fit things into one tool. I like your method of using multiple simple tools for various pieces of your projects and task management. Keeping things simple seems the right way to go, lower the friction and the amount of time spent managing the system. It's giving me some ideas of directions to go. I'll try to post an update after a while and let you know what's working for me.
Well, it's been a couple of years since your post, but I came across it in a web search looking for my own solution to managing (mostly remembering) multiple projects in my lab. My use case may not be exactly the same as I manage a team of about 10 people in a research laboratory, but like you I am currently using pen and paper. I find my notebook currently works well for short-term and medium-term projects, but is severely lacking for long-term projects. How has your experience with software solutions been? Have you found a solution that has worked for you?
Since I wrote this post, I've changed my system up a bit. Right now there are three pieces: google calendar, the Todoist app, and a notebook made Passion Planner. Google Calendar is where I block out actual meetings and schedule time for certain kinds of tasks. I keep track of projects and to-do items, including projects involving other people, using Todoist. It's simpler than something like Asana that I know other folks use and love but Asana is just too much for me and my lab is a relatively small operation. The Passion Planner I just started this year. I use this to prioritize and I plan my time for each week at a time, transferring my meetings from my google calendar and then filling in the gaps with what I've prioritized. I think using that book actually works much better for me than a blank moleskine and doing it on paper has a tangibility that works for me.
Thank you, Terry, for replying to my comment on an older post. I really appreciate your update. I think I've been trying too hard to fit things into one tool. I like your method of using multiple simple tools for various pieces of your projects and task management. Keeping things simple seems the right way to go, lower the friction and the amount of time spent managing the system. It's giving me some ideas of directions to go. I'll try to post an update after a while and let you know what's working for me.