How do you keep track of recurring tasks?

[oscardelben]

Hello, I am a huge fan of lists and I currently have one todo list where I write everything I have to do. Unfortunately my system does not provide a way to keep track of recurring items, like write for an hour every day, make backups every sunday, etc.

I'd like to know how you manage this. I know that some of you are probably using the 43 folders system. I'd like to get feedbacks on it as well.

Oscar

[Daffy Duck]

Joesgoals.com seems built to handle recurring tasks by default.

I personally just have a digital "daily todo" list for recurring tasks.

[ssandra]

I once read about somebody who kept a private blog in which they would record per month their todo things. The appropriate blog would be scheduled to publish on a certain date.

Maybe that is an idea?

[Talkofthatown919]

Having something set up to handle those tasks that are recurring more so doing something to make the task less of a problem

[freewheelnat]

I do my lists by hand - somehow writing it down myself, as opposed to typing it up on the computer or using copy/paste, means that I feel even more committed to the tasks at hand.

I've got daily, weekly and monthly lists in my notebook and I copy portions of them onto my to-do list for the next day as appropriate.

[oscardelben]

All awesome ideas, thanks. I used joesgoals in the past but I like to have only one program to manage my goals. I think I'll go again with that website for now.

[VIPFaktor]

I have one central mindmap with various mindmaps linked to it. One of them is called "Daily". That's the map that I use every night to review my goals for the next day, set new ones, etc.

Inside that map, I have tasks categorized by type and priorities, where some of them are valid for every day. For example, I use BrainWorkshop and EyeQ for every day and I do some aerobic exercises every day for 30 minutes, these are my recurring tasks. In addition to that, I want to rob a bank tomorrow.
My mindmap might look like this:

Daily
|- Mind training
|---- BrainWorkshop - 20 sessions
|---- EyeQ - 1 session + 20
|- Health
|---- Do some aerobic exercises for 30 minutes
|- Financial
|---- Rob a bank (borrow a gun from Mike)
| etc...

As you can see, I have a simple task organization and categorization system where order of items signifies their priority in particular category, and order of categories might signify their priority. Some of those tasks are recurring, and I simply mark them differently (or you can mark the non-recurring tasks differently) from the new tasks. Then I simply delete or archive finished one-time tasks, and leave the recurring tasks in their respective categories.

I use MindManager for my mindmapping, but FreeMind or some other free alternatives can be good, too, if you want to try this approach.

[oscardelben]

Originally Posted by VIPFaktor

I use MindManager for my mindmapping, but FreeMind or some other free alternatives can be good, too, if you want to try this approach.

Wow this is a cool method! Tomorrow I'll try to develop a mind map system similar to your to integrate my daily activities, and hopefully more. I learned mind mapping in the past and I know it's a powerful tool, so I'll definitely try it.

[Kaspian]

I've been using Toodledo for regular, recurring tasks.

[freewheelnat]

Originally Posted by VIPFaktor

I use MindManager for my mindmapping, but FreeMind or some other free alternatives can be good, too, if you want to try this approach.

I've used FreeMind in the past and it did the job well (I was using it for my songwriting actually). Your method sounds great actually and I would be tempted to do it, except that I know that for me handwriting my goals is a very important step for committing myself.

[FreelanceWanderer]

There's a free service called memotome.com (Memo To Me - Free Reminder Service) that sends reminders to your e-mail or cell phone of birthdays, etc. That's what I use it for, but you could easily use it to get reminders of recurring tasks.

FW

[VIPFaktor]

Originally Posted by freewheelnat

I've used FreeMind in the past and it did the job well (I was using it for my songwriting actually). Your method sounds great actually and I would be tempted to do it, except that I know that for me handwriting my goals is a very important step for committing myself.

I understand that, for some people, goals written in the virtual world are far less constricting and efficient that those written physically on the paper.

But you can combine them if you think this method might contribute somehow; use mindmaps to organize your goals and subsequent tasks and todo lists, and then just summarize daily list on a paper.

[Iggy K]

I use LeaderTask,its a great program with lots of customization available,categories,assigning colors to them and stuff and you can see your goals in monthly view and also daily hour by hour which is a great way to organise a day,I write and arrange my tasks and then print it and hang on the wall

[oscardelben]

Originally Posted by freewheelnat

I've used FreeMind in the past and it did the job well (I was using it for my songwriting actually). Your method sounds great actually and I would be tempted to do it, except that I know that for me handwriting my goals is a very important step for committing myself.

You should try to do mind mapping by hands at this point.

[Acting Like Godot]

Originally Posted by oscardelben

Hello, I am a huge fan of lists and I currently have one todo list where I write everything I have to do. Unfortunately my system does not provide a way to keep track of recurring items, like write for an hour every day, make backups every sunday, etc.

I'd like to know how you manage this.

Most electronic/online calendars should have a feature that allows you to handle recurring items. Eg Google Calendar allows you to specify something, plonk it onto a date, and then make the selection for this task to recur every day, week or month etc.

[Charly]

I created an app years ago that handles recurrent tasks (daily, weekly, month, annual) and task breakdown for projects. I still use it. I think it's great but I may be a bit byist

[fun2bme]

Just writing stuff down in a notebook works for me. Or sometime times I'll enter into my day planner. I also use my MSN calendar on my computer which I find great for reminding me of recurring stuff. Also use the calendar on my cell phone to remind me of appointments. Sometimes we all just experiment to find what works best for ourselves.

[Charly]

Originally Posted by fun2bme

Just writing stuff down in a notebook works for me. Or sometime times I'll enter into my day planner. I also use my MSN calendar on my computer which I find great for reminding me of recurring stuff. Also use the calendar on my cell phone to remind me of appointments. Sometimes we all just experiment to find what works best for ourselves.

Fun2beU, you need something for blog posting

[caseyg]

I use tadalist.com, it's lovely - not so good at describing things, but I'd recomment checking it out!

[whitehatblackbox]

There are two types of recurring tasks that I encounter:

chores: for tasks that I need to do and recur periodically (such as clean the house, wash the car, pay bills), I put each one on a different index card and use a tickler file to schedule when I will attend to them. This helps keep the work load manageable, because you can visually see how the tasks are distributed throughout the month.

things I'm working towards: for things that I need to do consistently and will get me somewhere (like working out or studying), I created a form that I print out and it helps keep me focused on my objectives for the month. You can check it out here

[sr2008]

I use a to do list application called Anxiety for the Mac. I've found that it's tremendously simple and useful. I also find that if you don't multi-task then you get a thousand times more done. Once you get into a routine of finishing tasks, it becomes easier in my experience.