How Task Management Can Change the Way You Work

Task management is one of the hardest parts of developing a project. Whether you’re leading a team or going solo, it’s important to manage the workload and stay on track. Need help managing your next project? Our task management tips can get you started:

Break It Down

Start visualizing your work as a sequence of milestones.

Diving into a project before you’ve had time to plan is a sure path to disappointment. Instead, before you get started, divide your project into individual tasks. First, start visualizing your work as a sequence of milestones. What needs to happen first? How long will the project take? At what points will you track your progress, and what will your indicators of success be? You may not know exactly what you need to do right away, but if you know what your first milestone is, it’s easier to determine how to get there.

Plan Ahead

Now that you’ve divided your project into tasks, it’s time to start thinking about how you’ll complete them. Determine which tasks revolve around hard deadlines, like production dates or big meetings. Set due dates for these tasks first, and then move to scheduling high priority tasks. As you fill in your schedule, be sure to leave detailed instructions for each task. Whether you’re working alone or with a team, it’s important to have a place to track notes and individual to-do lists for each part of the project.

Start Small

Small tasks can have a big impact on your day-to-day work.

When you’re juggling a lot of tasks, prioritization is key. But don’t forget about the small things. Tasks that seem simple or unimportant at first, like ordering new office chairs or setting up your workspace, are easy to put off for another day. But often, those small tasks can have a big impact on your day-to-day work. Think of it this way: if your team is uncomfortable in those old office chairs, it’s easy to get distracted from the tasks at hand!

Zero In

Instead of splitting your time between tasks or projects in an attempt to tackle everything, focus on giving a single task your full attention, and really dig deep.

Even when you have a list of priorities, it’s tempting to try to do it all. This instinct is only human–wouldn’t it be great if you could finish everything ahead of deadline? But time and time again, studies have shown that multitasking just doesn’t work. Instead of splitting your time between tasks or projects in an attempt to tackle everything, focus on giving a single task your full attention, and really dig deep.

In our split-screen, background-app culture, it can be hard to give all your attention to just one thing. This is where technology can help: use your calendar and your task list to determine what you need to do now. Then, consider setting a timer on your smartphone and employing the Pomodoro Technique, which helps you divide your time between focused work and organized breaks.

Be Prepared

Every company has its hiccups–what matters is how they respond to them.

In spite of your hard work, things will occasionally go haywire. Some issues are preventable, but others are simply inevitable. Plan for the unexpected. If you’re working with a team, make sure everyone has a backup team member who can fill in if needed. If you’re working alone, always give yourself a day or two of buffer time. And when something does go wrong, own up to it right away. Admit the mistake and start brainstorming solutions. Every company has its hiccups–what matters is how they respond to them.

Become a Task Management Pro with Zillable

Zillable’s free task management tools help you visualize your workflow and see new possibilities. With Zillable, you can build visual process models, create and assign tasks, set manageable deadlines, and more. Zillable’s boards, lists, and cards enable you to organize and prioritize your projects in a fun, flexible, and rewarding way. Our future bots allow you to customize and automate any process with ease. The project management tools adapt to the unique needs of your team, so you can work the way you prefer. And what’s more, Zillable is free–and it always will be. Create as many boards, cards, and teams as you like and add as many people as you want to a project–we’ll be here with you every step of the way.

Zillable: where collaboration drives innovation.

About Zillable

Zillable? is the world’s first team collaboration network for innovation-on-demand. We’re where teams can make work and innovation happen. As a secured communication and collaboration hub, Zillable provides an awesome, intelligent network that bridges minds and workflows by putting all the right tools in one place for teams of any size. With Zillable, you can chat, get more done and remember everything. For more information, please visit www.Zillable.com. Try it for Free.