We have all felt the elusiveness of time. It is hard to find the necessary time to get things done. This is especially noticed if you have obligations tied to your financial well-being. People will tell you, “you have to make the time.” What they don’t tell you is what you have to give up to do that. It doesn’t have to be this way with one simple time management alternative.
The Time Management Alternative Structure
People have been making lists to help remember things – milk at the grocery store, to clean the gutters, take out the trash, how to make that shrimp linguine everyone loved last week. But with the growing amount of life-hackery necessary to manage the growing demands on our time organization has become a key ingredient in getting things done.
With a little more structure, lists can do more than help keep your refrigerator stocked. There are free tools to help like Trello. It super-charges lists and offers a way to keep your to-dos organized. By leveraging the free version of Trello you can keep yourself organized and on track to accomplishing everything you need or want.
There are four features from Trello that make this possible. They are all offered for free.
Cards
Cards in Trello are your to-do items. Each item is represented by a card. Cards allow elaborate descriptions so you can write exactly what needs to be done. They also allow checklists to break down your tasks even further. While upgrading your plan will allow special Power-Ups that give cards even more power, I’ll focus on the free version for this article.
Lists
Lists in Trello are simply collections of Cards. Each list can be named, archived, and rearranged on a Board.
Boards
Boards in Trello are collections of Lists. The free version of Trello allows you to set background colors and images, have the recommended number of lists per board and allows you to have multiple boards.
Teams
Teams in Trello are a way to organize Boards. It may not be the best name for you. I find it helpful to think of it as a category for Board collections. The free version of Trello allows ten boards for each team. I find it helpful to create separate teams for my main priorities. For example, I have a team for managing this site. I also have teams to help manage my life at home.
These organization structures built into Trello provide a lot of potential for managing a growing to-do list. Leveraging these features effectively is important to make the most of them. I will attempt to describe a handy template I use for accomplishing goals with the help of Trello without needing calendars, reminders, or alarms.
Leveraging the Time Management Alternative
Your goals can be achieved with help from the power of Trello. The following sections will describe how I have done that and how you can too. I will start with Lists and what kind of Cards they would include. I’ll then move on to Teams and what kind of Boards they would include.
Brainstorm Lists within the time management alternative
This list contains thoughts and ideas. Each card is an item in a brainstorm. The list is a space for creative experimentation. The cards that come out of this list are then further categorized as Undecided, Not Doing, or Backlog. This is one of the most important lists. This is where all future activity begins.
Undecided List
When there are items that come out of a brainstorm that you are just not quite sure of, they go here. These would be considered later. The cards in this list are in a Trello-fueled limbo state. They may be completed later, or later it will be decided that they will not be done. The idea has been captured and we’ll decide later what to do with it.
Not Doing List
Items in this list are most likely not going to be done in the future. Each card came from a brainstorm or undecided list and was deemed unworthy to complete any further. This list is to preserve your ideas and offers you a chance to reconsider the worth of the items or fuel better ideas.
Backlog List
This list contains items that we are expecting to do in the future. When you decide that an item from the brainstorm will be done, it goes here first.
Prioritized List
The cards in this list represent items you have decided to do before others in your lists of ideas and backlog items. When you complete your current tasks, these are next. The cards in this list can be prioritized too. For example, you could order the list from top to bottom by importance. When a new item moves to in progress, it would be the card at the top of the list. Often, I would create a Proposed list placed before the Prioritized list. I would fill this list with backlog items as I prepare to prioritize them.
In Progress List
You have tasks that you are currently working on. They should be on this list. Keeping this list short is important. If everything is in progress, nothing is. Multi-tasking is a lie. I would recommend no more than three items at a time.
Complete List
Move your completed tasks to this list. You can track your progress towards your goals and celebrate each achievement along the way. Each card in this list can be reviewed or removed. I often add another list called Review to capture items that are completed but still await further analysis. This is an opportunity for continuous improvement. I recommend taking advantage of that.
Priority Teams with the time management alternative
Each priority team should represent a significant area of your life that you want to manage with the power of Trello. This could be long-term relationship goals or how to get rid of that collection of old dishware. Anything important enough to you should be made a team.
Each team would have at least two boards. One board is for ideas. This contains the first three lists: Brainstorm, Undecided, and Backlog. The other board would contain the other lists: Prioritized, In Progress, and Complete.
Notice throughout this article I haven’t set a date in Trello. While it is possible to add a date to cards and each card has an Activity log with a timestamp, there is no need to specify a date unless absolutely necessary. Keeping away from deadlines is one advantage of using Trello. I recommend using your best judgment and specify a date if it makes sense.
But couldn’t I just ignore my items?
A. Of course. You could ignore your board of items, forget your priorities, and choose not to organize your to-do items. None of those things encourage the completion of your goals.
This is a lot to set up! Is there an alternative?
A. Absolutely. What I described here works well for me. With the free version of Trello, I encourage you to experiment and find what works for you.
What if my number of free teams and boards meet the Trello maximum?
A. You can recycle any of the items in Trello. Teams, Boards, Lists, and Cards can be modified or archived and created anew. As your goals are accomplished, recycle your Trello teams.
Why Trello?
A. It is a free way to get organized and get things done. There are others that are less conducive to day-to-day activities, personal flexibility, and budget. After the year’s Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping, why not try something that’s free?
How do I get Trello?
A. It is quick and easy. Follow the simple instructions provided by Trello to get started!