Maintaining Organization as a CIO - The Todo System - Part #3

Toodledo?

The workhorse of my system is my daily task/todo list. So many things crop up during all hours of the day that any "todo" goes into a product called Toodledo. When I say any todo, I really mean any todo. I have a pretty good memory, but I'm also thinking about 1,000 things during the day. When I'm walking down the hall and something comes to mind, if I don't get it down somewhere, I could be interrupted or think about something else and completely forget about that one item.

Every task in Toodledo has a due date and I manage my todo's by due date. I have everything from follow-up reminders (e.g. FUW Greg = follow up with Greg), to picking up gifts or oil changes. Toodledo allows my to keep small notes about my tasks as well.

If I follow-up on an outstanding question and it isn't resolved I'll note my conversation in the task notes with the date. This keeps a running history of todo items that are not necessarily resolved for the day. If something can't be completed today I put a new due date on it. If I get an email with a task embedded in it I quickly forward the email to my Toodledo account.

Being Realistic

While it is easy to get the todo's in, being realistic about daily management of those is important. Many day's I cannot complete every task and therefore I either have to move it or it shows up as "OverDue". On a daily basis I review the overdue list for anything that is urgent that I missed. On a weekly basis, if I have not had the time to clean up overdue items, I will ensure that all overdue items are moved to a new, realistic date.

Organizing My Todo's

I use folders in Toodledo to organize major themes and people. For example I have a "Cerner" folder that lists all of the tasks related to our Cerner software that I need to follow-up on. I also have folders for specific people on my team. For example, I have a Greg folder that I use to track all of the todo's that I need Greg for. I have a 15 Year Anniv folder that lists all of the things I need to do for my 15 year anniversary with my wife.

While I could use Tags in Toodledo I don't. Toodledo is my quick hit list. While I have over 100 items they move so quickly I don't want to type more than I have to. I can find things in folders or just by searching. I rarely go back and search completed todo's so the quicker I can enter them, the better.

I do have the Toodledo iPhone and iPad app and I use them every day.

My next post will outline daily notes and non-task related information. I will outline how I process information flow during the day. This is also the part of my "system" that has undergone the most change. I'll highlight how I reconcile my belief that I'll always use paper and my G2 pen in meetings, but I keep my notes electronically. (and I don't scan them)