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Staying Organized with a Never Ending To-Do List

Submitted by: Julia Adler of Wayne Technologies and ATAP Marketing Committee Chair

Now that we have turned the corner to the second half of 2021, hiring is in full swing. Maybe even more so than usual, following the global pandemic! With a large influx of work, chipping through your to-do list can be daunting. Staying organized (and realistic!) is essential in order to maintain strong business relationships when you are overwhelmed. Unfortunately, I learned this the hard way. Luckily, I learned this in the 9th grade! Here are some tips that I carried with me over the years in order to manage a heavy workload:

 

Task-Tracking Tools

Keeping a to-do list may seem trivial, but without a solid checklist of what you need to do, it is easy to let tasks slip between the cracks. I’ve always been an old fashioned paper and pen type of person, but when it comes to efficiency, online tooling can speed things up. If you are open to paid tooling, I personally love Infinity and ToDoist. Both are highly customizable and keep me accountable for client check ins, sourcing tasks, email monitoring, and more. 

 

For a free tool, try out Canva! The tool is super diverse, and can be used for creating graphics as well. If you fall in love with the tool, you can upgrade to a paid version.

 

Once I have my To-Do list up, I always make sure to organize my list by the due date. This way I am able to set myself up for success when it comes to time management.

 

Time Management

This may seem like a no-brainer, but staying on top of a schedule is essential for staying organized and tackling your list in a timely manner. Personally, once I have my To-Do list mapped out I do some quick mental math to figure out how long approximately each task will take me. 

 

Oftentimes, I can over/underestimate how long I’m working on something, so I make use of the Toggl time tracker Chrome Extension to accurately track time spent on tasks. That way, in the future, I can better plan out my days. Once you do have a solid grasp of time-spend then you can block out your day accordingly. 

 

Understanding my time spent can allow me to set boundaries, and not over commit. In order to maintain strong relationships in the industry, I try to remain accountable and reliable. The combination of Toggl and a To Do list has helped me do so. 

 

Additionally, Gmelius for your Gmail can help you set reminders and follow ups for anything hanging out in your inbox. I have to admit, in particularly high volume weeks, I do find myself stressing about my workload. Being able to flag a low-priority email to come back to has relieved some of the stress.

 

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