In David Allen's book, Getting Things Done, he suggests that tasks be tackled by context. Translation? If you are running errands, run all the errands. If you are doing housework, do all the housework at the same time.
I never fully bought into all of Allen's theories as I find them to complicated for all but the most busy executives, but I do steal a lot of his wisdom and apply it in my life (and in my planner). In particular, I use context codes all the time.
I certainly don't believe that I have to have separate lists or get all things done in a particular context at once. Instead, I simply add the codes to my task lists so that, if I happen to be at the computer, I can try to knock out a couple of extra computer tasks. The context codes help me identify computer tasks quickly. TIP: If you really are doing all your errands in one day, jotting them all on one sticky note is a great idea. Remember, your planner needs to work for you, not mindlessly follow someone else's plan (even if that someone else is me :) ).
Today, I hope to help you set up your own list of context codes and to teach you how to use them. 1. Choose a simple list of context codes that cover LOCATION or TOOL NEEDED to get things done.
Choosing your context codes is the single most important step to help you organize your tasks.
Some people suggest that you choose by role (as in employee, boss, student, parent, etc.). I completely disagree. The reality is that your roles might not coordinate with the locales where you are doing your task or with the tools needed to do your tasks.
For example, I am a parent at work (when I have to return an email to the teacher) or when I am running errands (and need to get uniforms hemmed at the tailor). I am a lawyer at work, but also when signing up for a continuing legal education class at home from my computer. Basing your list on your "roles" will only confuse you about what you should be doing.
Instead, think about where you will do the task and what tools are needed to do the task.
For example, taking out the trash tonight can only be done at my home. Home makes sense as a context code. If I add that task to my list and am working at a coffee shop, I certainly can just ignore that task until I get home. Sometimes, a tool is needed. Most commonly, for me, that means a computer or my cell phone.
Here's the list of context codes that I currently use (typed neatly at the end of this blog entry)...
2. List the context codes in your planner.
I put my context codes in the Notes or Files section, since the list is more of a reference than a working project. I have a Note called "Planner" (which also includes things like measurements, the inserts that I order every year, links to free printables...basically anything used in organizing my planner).
TIP: When first starting with context codes, put them on a sticky note as a reminder to yourself and move it from week to week with your page marker, until you learn them and how to use them.
3. Superscript a context code in front of each task.
Context codes need to jump out at you, but not distract you. I assign my tasks in two lists: Must-Dos (on the left) and Should-Dos (on the right). There is no need to actually divide the list by context. Instead, I simply put a tiny raised context code in front of each task. That way, if I am at my computer, I can do all of my computer work at once...or just do the must-do computer tasks, if pressed for time.
4. Use the most restrictive context code. My legal work is done, 90% of the time, on my computer. However, I don't do non-work related tasks while on the time clock for work. So, for me, W (work) is a more restrictive code than C (computer). If a work project must be done on the computer, it gets the W code. While working, I try to do all tasks with a W code each day.
5. Have a catch-all code.
A (anywhere) is my code for anything that can be done with no particular tools or locations. Since I always have my planner and my purse with me, most of the A tasks have actually changed to PL (planner) for me lately. I'm still trying to decide between the two.
6. Use the codes for all task entries.
Get into the habit of putting codes to tasks as you write down the tasks in the first place. If you forgot, go back and add them.
7. Be flexible.
If your codes aren't working and need to be tweaked, tweak them!
8. Use the context codes.
If you find you are on the computer anyway, look for a couple of computer tasks that you can knock out quickly while you have wi-fi access.
Sitting in the carpool line? Get those phone tasks done.
At the doctor's office waiting for results? Do those anywhere tasks!
Codes:
A = anywhere PL = with planner PH = with phone E = errands C = at computer W = at work
Bonus Codes (not really context codes, but other codes that I use with planner entries):
@{initials} = waiting on someone else to do FYI = for my information only CP = carpool KAR = karate
I have two pen holders in my planner. One holds a pen and the other holds a highlighter. (Yes, I use Frixion highlighters as well as ink pens.)
Mostly, I just write in one color - usually a blue, purple, or green. This week, I've been experimenting with using a highlighter on my task list. But I'm cranky and sickly (seriously, I need some soup), so I decided to be ornery about it and reverse highlight.
A reverse highlight is when I highlight things that are complete instead of highlighting in the usual way of marking things that are important to complete.
Here's how it works...
I make a task list for the day.
As I complete tasks or reschedule them (with an arrow pointing right meaning rescheduled to tomorrow and an arrow pointing down meaning moved to another day in the future), I highlight the complete and rescheduled tasks.
The important benefit of reverse highlighting is that the stuff that still needs to be done jumps out at you.
See?
I got this idea when I was teaching. I would print out a class roll and highlight names as kids turned in a big project or turned in a permission slip. It was a quick and easy way to tell who was missing their assignments.
As a lawyer, I highlight each citation as I Shepardize it. (That meant something to my lawyer friends.)
I hate cleaning the house. I like a clean house, but I am allergic to dust and I get grossed out scrubbing bathrooms. Also, I'd just generally prefer to watch Netflixreadgo to the dentist do anything else!
So I put some Magic Minimums in my planner that keep my house from getting too filthy. The idea between Magic Minimums is that if they are ALL that you do, it should be enough to get by, as if by magic. (They work, too. Well, as long as 1) you do them at least 4 or 5 times a week and 2) you also erase the evidence of whatever you are doing throughout the day, including swishing toilets with a toilet brush and wiping down the sides of the tub daily.)
I use a sticker on my weeklies, normally, as a checklist, but I am redesigning the sticker, so you get the handwritten version in the meantime. (After all, done is better than perfect.)
Sweep (5 minutes) - This does NOT mean to sweep the floors. This means sweep around your house (every room, every bathroom, every closet) and quickly put away anything out of place.
This should not take more than 5 minutes, if you are erasing the evidence regularly.
Sometimes, if I am really pressed for time, I only sweep the public areas. Another shortcut is to jot down in my planner if I come across a pile o' stuff and schedule to deal with that pile later. (You know you have a pile o' stuff somewhere in your house, right?)
Food Prep (1 to 15 minutes) - Early in the day, I check that we have food for dinner. The important thing here is that I make a decision about what's for dinner and defrost anything needed from the freezer.
If I am going to be around all day, this might mean making some salsa for the fridge, throwing some chicken in the crock pot, and putting some rice cooking on the stove. On a work day, however, this basically means getting some hamburger meat out of the freezer to defrost for dinner.
Laundry (2 - 10 minutes) - I have two goals with laundry. One is to get a load started in the wash. Sometimes, this doesn't happen until right after work.
The other is to put away any laundry lingering from yesterday. That's when laundry takes a full 10 minutes. If you do a batch most days, laundry really doesn't take as long as you think it does.
15 Minute Quick Clean (15 minutes) - Once a day, for fifteen minutes, I clean the house. I set a timer and stop (and put away cleaning supplies) when it goes off.
Obviously, I do not clean the whole house. Instead, based on my sweep, I clean in the following order:
1. the highest impact areas (often, that means wiping down counters in the kitchen or sweeping/mopping the floor),
2. the areas that need cleaning the most (which is how grimy toilets ever get cleaned), and
3. spaces that have gone the longest without cleaning or organizing.
The 15 minute quick clean is not a science, but an art. You only get 15 minutes, so prioritizing matters. But if you do it daily and really do erase the evidence as you go, your house really will stay pretty clean.
Right now, my 15 minute quick clean would likely focus on my kitchen floors, which take the whole 15 minutes to clean. But, tomorrow, I could dust the kitchen and living room. The next day, vacuum all rooms. (It's a tiny house.) On the next day, since the high impact areas (where we mostly live and see the mess) are clean, I'd move to places like bathrooms, that NEED cleaning the most. If the whole house is clean (say, because a house guest is over), I might spend that 15 minutes organizing the junk drawer. Dishes (10 minutes) - All dishes should be in the dishwasher (since we usually run it at night) or clean and put away before bed.
It is especially important that handwashed dishes are clean and put away.
Prep (2 minutes) - Take a minute, look at your planner, put things to leave the house in the morning on your launch space (lunchbox, tote bag, purse) and list things that you need to get from other places (like lunch from the fridge or cell phone from the charger) on your planner. Pick out clothes or write down what you plan to wear.
TIP: If none of this works for you, just invite a house guest over or throw a party. That'll force you to clean.
BONUS TIP: If you can afford it, hire someone. I can't right now, but when I could afford it, it was such a blessing to my family.
This entire cleaning system takes about 35 to 57 minutes a day, maximum. In barely more than a half hour, you can keep your life in order and avoid EVEN marathoning housework.
And if you really dedicate to this, it will take even less time, since your house will be straightened and cleaned. Do you know how little time it takes to clean a bathroom when NOTHING is out of place and it was cleaned last week? Under 15 minutes!
35 to 57 minutes might seem like a lot, but in order to save time, I generally do a lot of it while cooking supper. So pasta water goes on the stove and onions go in the sauce pan, and I sweep the house. Pasta goes in the water and meat goes in the sauce pan, and I throw laundry in the washer and put away a sweater from yesterday. Pasta gets drained, and, while tomato sauce warms, I spend five minutes cleaning the microwave.
I also do a good bit either first thing in the morning (while the kids eat their breakfast, since I eat after they are at school) or right when arriving home from work. I also clean during tv commercials. If you have kids, spouses, partners, or roommates, it takes even less time. (My kids do some of the laundry and my husband does a lot of it. My kids do all of the dishes except the cast iron pan. I don't do their rooms, except for a quick check about once a week, so I can spend time sweeping or cleaning other areas.)
Also, as long as I do it pretty regularly, I can skip a day or two (or, lets be realistic, three) and still get by with a fairly clean house.
Sometimes, it's better not to post pictures in my blog post.
Oh, I tried. I really did. I sat on the couch, coughing (bronchitis, yippy), and trying to catch a picture of the mess surrounding me. But it's too bad, seriously. And because I've been off of work all week due to my illness, I have to work double hours this upcoming week, so I need to tackle the mess before my house guest arrives on Friday.
Dirty dishes, stacks of clean laundry, gifts and gifts bags from last week's birthday party, tissues, empty coffee mugs, Legos...the list could go on forever.
An overwhelming mess can linger for days or weeks. Often, it's not picking up the mess that is the problem. It's knowing where to start.
So I thought I'd share my strategy for tackling an overwhelming mess in your living space. The order matters. It is chosen to give you small victories with the least amount of work and the biggest overall effect!
1. Throw out the trash.
Generally, I start by throwing away any trash. The reason I start there is because it's easy to accomplish. Everything else needs a home. But trash just goes away.
2. Bring dishes to the sink and dirty laundry to the hamper.
Note that I don't do the dishes or laundry at this point. I'm just getting them out of the messy areas. (Actually, my eight year old actually does the dishes and the six year old puts laundry in the washer and dryer.) It's sort of the same concept as the trash. You know the home for dirty dishes, so it doesn't take much effort or thinking.
TIP: Assign this task to a partner or your kids to do alongside you while you skip the step 3. It's an easy task, but having help will make everyone accomplish more. It's hard for them to tell you no if you are working alongside them.
3. Pile other people's stuff on their chairs at the kitchen table.
My husband and kids' stuff (and, honestly, sometimes my stuff) can be put away by the responsible parties before they eat dinner. The chair is the really critical part of this tip. If everything is put on the table, it looks messy. On the chair, you can barely see the mess. And they can't sit without putting stuff away. {evil chuckle}
4. Choose the most visual mess and clear that one completely.
For me, the island is the kitchen is generally the cluttered area. But in your case, it might be toys scattered about the living room floor or piles of grocery bags still full on the kitchen table. Whatever is the worst looking mess, deal with that completely. This one small victory will make a visual and psychological difference.
5. Make a choice - finish cleaning or make a list in a planner.
At this point, things should look much better in the space that you've chosen to clean. (For me, with an open floor plan, that means my kitchen and living room. But sometimes, it's the bathroom or a bedroom.) You might want to go ahead and finish clearing out the mess. That is fine!
But if not, as long as you've done steps 1 - 4, just dedicate to yourself that you won't make more mess and make a list of what you still need to do to get the house in order.
For me, the list looks like this today (except all with H in superscript between the circle and the task to show "home" context)...
O Create homes for birthday presents and put them in homes O Put away pillows O Fold and store gift bags O Move files to new box O Unload clearance Frixion pens into pen holder O Do 2 loads of laundry
Each item is then assigned a day on my daily (if doing it today) or weekly pages (if during the week).
It's okay not to finish. Knowing that you have that option will make an overwhelming situation doable. The idea is to make things much better so that you can handle it.
I'm home sick. I've actually been sick all week and had already mostly rescheduled my paid work for next week, but today it was "get myself to the doctor" time.
I still used my planner a ton.
I used the planner to look up the doctor's name and number and call for an emergency appointment. (If you call the nurse, you get an appointment if you have underlying medical issues, even if no regular appointments are available.)
I used my planner to schedule the appointment. A glance at my calendar told me what times were not okay.
At the office, I used my planner to give the nurse my updated medication list. I keep it in my Notes section.
I also took notes on my dashboard about what medications I should take.
I made note of follow-ups on my calendar and task list.
Then, I rescheduled or delegated all my previously scheduled appointments and tasks. (The little dash means move it to tomorrow or whenever I am well.)
Planners really can be useful when your brain is fuzzy from illness. And, oh, is it ever fuzzy today!
Anyone who uses a monthly or weekly spread exclusively knows what happens when he or she puts a list or any other paper between the weekly spread. Some of the information disappears from sight (and, in my case, at least, from mind). There is a simple planner hack that is working for me to solve the problem of out-of-sight out-of-mind weeklies. In particular, it lets me look at my daily insert and the current upcoming days/days of the week. I did a video about the hack with additional examples here. I simply hole-punch the daily sheet on both sides of the daily page.
That way, no matter if it is the first half of the week (Mon - Thur)...
...or the second half (Fri - Sun)...
I can see the upcoming days.
TIP: Use this same hack with anything in between your pages, including task lists or homework lists.
TIP: To make the holes perfectly even, fold the paper in half vertically and just hole punch the outside edge all at once. Unfold for perfect edges.
