Getting a lot done without getting stressed about it is hard. Most of the stress I see comes from one place: a long, flat list where a five-minute errand and a three-month project look exactly the same. This post is about organising your tasks so that doesn't happen, using the task tree in Tatask.
Tasks inside tasks
Tatask is built around a hierarchy. Any task can hold its own subtasks, a bit like folders on your computer, so the structure will feel familiar straight away.
That lets you break a big project into small steps, see how each step relates to the rest, and look at one part of the work without losing track of the whole.
Building the system
Start with the big areas
List your main projects or areas of responsibility. These become the top level of your tree. For example:
- Work projects
- Personal development
- Home
- Health and fitness
Break them down
Under each area, add more specific tasks. You can nest as deep as you like, so each part gets as much or as little detail as it needs.
- Work projects
- Project A
- Research
- Literature review
- Market analysis
- Development
- Testing
- Research
- Project B
- Prep for client meeting
- Draft proposal
- Project A
Keep it simple
A system you have to maintain is a system you'll eventually abandon. Tatask doesn't have much in the way of settings or workflows to learn. Each task can be expanded or collapsed, so you only see the part you're working on.
Prioritise
Once your tasks are in a tree, deciding what comes first is easier. You can drag tasks to reorder them, tag or star the important ones, and collapse whole sections you're not working on today.
Review and adjust
Every so often, look over the tree and change it. Projects change shape, new ones turn up, and finished ones can be cleared out. Moving a task (and everything under it) is a drag and drop.
Why it helps
When a project is broken into small tasks, you don't have to hold it all in your head. The next step is sitting there in the list, so you spend less time deciding what to do. Small tasks also get finished more often, and ticking things off is good for motivation.
It suits both kinds of planner. If you like to think at a high level, stay near the top of the tree. If you like detail, go as deep as you want. Either way you only have to look at one level at a time, which is a lot less stressful than seeing every task you've got at once.
Setting it up in Tatask
- Create 3 to 5 top-level tasks for the main areas of your life or work.
- Add subtasks to each one with the + button.
- Keep breaking tasks down until each one is something you could actually sit down and do.
- Drag tasks into the order you want to do them.
- Work from the top of each area, expanding sections as you need them.
The point is a system that fits how you work, so change any of this that doesn't suit you.
Tatask is free for 30 days if you'd like to try it with a real project.