scientifics

Recently, as soon as I get to work in the morning I’ve been making myself a to-do list.

I use OmniFocus to keep track of my due dates and ongoing projects, so I start with my “due today” and “due soon” perspectives. Everything that is due that day gets added along with some of my “due soon” tasks.

After that, I take a mental inventory of my research and decide what else needs to be completed by the end of the work day. I find that my research projects just don’t work well for me in OmniFocus.

I also keep track of orders placed, etc. in my daily outlines, allowing me to archive order confirmation emails and eliminating the need for a non actionable task in OmniFocus.

The least important part of my daily lists is the software I use. You could make your list on paper or in a text document — really anywhere that presents the lowest barrier for you to get started.

I started out with a paper list and then decided to use OmniOutliner (Standard, Pro). I have set up a style that allows me to simply hit F4 to grey out and strikethrough tasks when I have completed them.

A great bonus I’ve found from making these daily to-do lists — it serves as a great record of what I’ve done for my weekly progress meetings with my boss.