Tools that I use to manage my tasks at work

I must admit that there are days that I got no enough willpower, or tasks are just plain boring, or too overwhelming — affecting my productivity. Moreover, my brain seems to also have very limited bandwidth, so I need tools to help me unload things from my mind to the physical world.

Below are five tools that I find very useful for managing my tasks, but I only use one or two tools at a time. Most of these tools are manual — only requires pen and paper; I find using software and apps limiting sometimes. I prefer if the software can adapt to my needs — not me adapting to what the software can do. I once developed my own software to manage issues. I used it for a while, but eventually went back to using pen and paper because its merits can no longer justify the time I spend for coding (plus I need to work on some other priorities).

1. Checklists — I like checklists. I use them to break down large tasks that help me focus on smaller chunks at a time. My planner, index cards, and calendar are full of checklists!
2. Index cards — each card represents a task. Since they are cards, I can easily browse and sort them. I used to use sticky notes, but they are expensive, loses stickiness over time — gets dirty, and I need a board where to stick them. Seeing all my to-do’s in a Kanban board is good, but I realized that I can only focus on one task at a time; with index cards, I get to select which cards to focus on.
3. Vertical Weekly Planners — this kind of planner has two dimensions: 1) time of the day, usually in 30-minute intervals; and 2) day of the week. I like this kind of planner because it gives a good visual presentation of how busy my week is, and it’s also easier to spot break times. I used to get my planners from stores (I like those from Moleskine and Muji.), but since last year, I just use a regular notebook and just do outline myself. It’s cheaper and more flexible as I can change the start and end times, and even days of the week like omitting holidays. Since we use a web app, Cybozu, at work, I transfer to the planner, every Friday, the schedules for the coming week. And then from time to time just check for changes.
4. Calendar — Separate from my planner is my wall calendar, I use this to keep important dates, and also use it as reference when I do month long planning of my activities. It helps me see the bigger picture. Redundancy helps me remember better.
5. Pomodoro timer — The Pomodoro technique is a time management technique wherein work and rests are scheduled in timed intervals –usually, 25-minutes of work followed by a 5-minute break, and for every four sets, there’s a 15-minute long break — with this, I need a timer. I have an app in my phone and in my laptop wherein you can set tasks for each set. I use this technique to help me focus and get into the zone, but once I’m there, I often ignore the intervals and just continue working. (Sometimes, listening to EDMs helps me go into the zone faster.)

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The tools that I use depends largely on the amount and kind of task that I have. And when the tool that I’m using already starts to feel more like a burden than a help, I change the tool or just not use any tool at all.