Repeating tasks are important as they are frequently the small tasks that help make our lives run smoothly, e.g. reviewing project finances, tidying the house and phoning friends. However, they are also annoying when it comes to organisation systems. They do not need to be done every day so shouldn’t go on the next action list, but equally they don’t need to be done on a specific day (although it would be nice to maintain the routine) so shouldn’t be added as a day specific task on the calendar. So how do you deal with them?
I’ve struggled with repeating tasks and tried a variety of methods. I thought for a long time that digital was the solution, because the software knows when the task should be done next. However, when I used my Palm for this I found it frustrating because it converted the task into a date specific task which frequently went overdue and reduced the priority given to real date specific as they were off the bottom of the screen.
I have also used a paper based system, where I had a reminder chart with 31 space and added all the tasks that couldn’t be done before a specific date, for instance reviewing bank statements. This system was cumbersome as I ended up with several places to look for tasks and it didn’t work for tasks which had a defined duration between them for instance 1 week between weekly reviews, or 4 days between vacuuming the house.
I looked around for inspiration, but it seems to be an issue that hasn’t been discussed and resolved in many places, however I finally found an article that helped on DIY Planner. Matthew Cornell writes his repeating tasks on his calendar (separately to the date specific tasks) including a description of the task, the duration before the task should be done again and two check circles, one to show the task has been complete and one to show the task had been rewritten on the calendar after the included duration.
I liked this approach, but it still didn’t get round the fact that I frequently don’t complete my repeating tasks on the allocated day (hey, my life won’t be ruined if I don’t balance my credit card statement on the day it is released).
My solution
- write task on calendar separately to the date specific tasks (mine go in the space before 7am)
- include description
- include duration between tasks e.g. 1w for should be completed after a week, 17 should be completed on the 17th of the month
- draw a circle after the task to symbolise it is a repeating task
- during calendar review, as part of the daily planning, add the repeating task to the inbox as well as the day planner including the description, duration and circle
- if the task is completed in the day add the task on to calendar the correct number of days in the future
- if the task is not completed in the day transfer it from the inbox to next action list
- review the next action list each day for any outstanding repeating tasks shown by the circle and give these tasks priority
- when the repeating task is completed add it back to the calendar the correct number of days after the day of completion
I find the step of transferring the task on to my inbox means I can’t lose the task if I don’t complete it that day and this has been the missing stage for me when dealing with repeating tasks.
Great post, interesting question. I wanted to clarify: The repeating tasks are *information* for me on the calendar. When the day comes and I see the task, I then decide what action to take. It’s like the “calendar+holding file” equivalent of the tickler file. So, for example every Wed I feed the cat, and every other week I clean the shower. When I see those items, the essentially go onto my actions list. Then, when I review the list I see them and (usually) make them a higher priority when deciding what to do.
Does that help?
For Palm users, you could use BlueMoon to take care of repeating tasks:
http://www.palmgear.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=software.showsoftware&PartnerREF=&siteid=1&prodID=3979
It automatically creates repeating tasks on a specified or floating date.
Matthew,
Thank you for the clarification and the original post.
It sounds like we use the notes in a similar way. At work just having a reminder tends to work well. However, I have to admit at home I rarely do repeating tasks on the day I expect, but this way I manage to capture them which didn’t happen with my previous methods.
Vince,
Thank you for the link. Somehow I haven’t come across that software before despite plenty of time spent on palmgear in the past. It looks very interesting and probably exactly what I was looking for before I went analogue!
However I can’t resist downloading it and trialing it, so you never know if I like it I may decide to go digital again.
This is the kind of thing for which a Circa-type system is helpful. I write repeating tasks on indivdual cards and tuck them next to the appropriate day in my planner. When I’ve done it, I can move the card to the next day that it needs to be done. Until I get it done, I can keep moving it to the next day. I find it much easier than re-writing it over and over.
Andrea,
That sounds like a really good idea, it would mean I could remove the calendar section from my organiser completely as my appointments now go into a blackberry.
Unfortunately, there is one problem, which is the difficulty of buying Circa type products in the UK. However, fingers crossed, I may be about to have a breakthrough on this problem.