In today’s episode of ‘From the eLearning Trenches,’ we asked one of our learners, an experienced bookkeeper, to consider what they could do better to manage their task list and stay focused on client priorities.
Learner Reflection
I rarely look at the goals between sessions. I sometimes have them firmly enough in mind that I have made some progress, but often just looking at them is the catalyst for action. So, I must admit to a lack of follow-up and of consistent effort.
What has worked:
- The fact that I have written them down at all.
- The fact that I revisit them seriously when I am prompted to.
- The fact that they are SMART.
- They are real – I intend to follow through with them.
- They are potentially beneficial – they are linked to genuine medium- to long-term objectives.
What could be improved:
- Follow up and follow through.
- Review regularly – on a schedule.
- Making them part of my weekly, and daily routine.
I have a long list of “to-dos”, varying in importance and urgency. My goal is to link these to basic strategies (based on balanced scorecard) and choose from the list weekly to give me short-term goals.
I know that these challenges are common, all but universal, so my clients will have similar challenges. I have trouble even meeting with some of my clients as they have so many more pressing priorities. By leading myself more effectively, by communicating better, and by building trust, I hope that I will be able to influence my clients more effectively.
Feedback from our experts
In a busy professional service environment, it can be really challenging keeping on top of urgent and important tasks, projects and goals. My observations suggest that individuals will, over time, develop a process for managing and monitoring tasks that works best for them – there is no best practice approach other than making the time for reviewing and updating tasks lists on a regular basis. It’s critical to make time for important, not urgent tasks, as these are the actions that will generally reduce or prevent a ‘reactive’ mindset in dealing with internal and client demands.
Personally, I use key elements of David Allen’s ‘Getting things Done’ (GTD) approach to time and task management. Firstly, try to delegate what you can. Next, decide whether a task or action needs to be addressed now or whether it can wait. Next, consider if the task or action has any real importance, perhaps it can be filed for a ‘rainy day.’ If none of these applies, then go ahead and plan to complete the task. For small tasks, complete them as you go if they take 2 minutes or less to complete.
Review these 5 key steps to improve productivity and manage tasks more efficiently:
- Capture
Collect all things that command your attention. The first step is to gather everything that needs your attention or action—emails, ideas, tasks, projects, etc.—into a trusted system outside your mind. This could be a digital tool, a notebook, or any other collection tool you prefer. The key is to capture everything without trying to process or prioritise it at this stage.
- Clarify
Process what you’ve captured. Once you have everything gathered, you need to make decisions on each item. Ask yourself, “Is this actionable?” If no, you can trash it, incubate it for later, or file it as reference. If yes, decide the next action required and whether it’s a single task or part of a larger project.
- Organise
Put it where it belongs. After clarifying, organise these actionable items into categories or lists that make sense to you. This might involve creating lists for different projects, actions that can be done in specific contexts (like calls to make, errands to run), or actions that need to be done as soon as possible. Use calendars for time-specific tasks and reminders for tasks that need to be done on specific days.
- Reflect
Review frequently. Regular review is crucial to the GTD method. This involves checking your lists daily to choose actions to take and doing a weekly review to update your lists, clear your mind, and ensure nothing is slipping through the cracks. During this review, you’ll reassess your priorities, update your next actions, and ensure that your system aligns with your goals and responsibilities.
- Engage
Simply do. With your tasks captured, clarified, organised, and reviewed, you’re now ready to engage with them effectively. Choose tasks based on context, time available, energy levels, and priority. The goal here is to trust your system and focus on executing the tasks without worrying about what you might be forgetting.
Key takeaway: Always stay focused on long term goals when deciding what actions you need to take now to move things forward. Use a task management system that works for you and ensure you review it daily.
This assessment task and response is taken from the Business Coaching for Bookkeepers eLearning course (assessment task 6.1). Click here to explore this course
Also, take a look at the Getting Things Done eLearning Course
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