Waiting for Others to Get Back to You?

What You Need to Know So You Can Be More Proactive, Keep Tasks Moving Forward, and Make Progress More Quickly on Projects

Do you have a “Pending” pile or a “Waiting for” file that contains all of the things you're expecting to receive from others, such as responses, emails, calls or paperwork?

Looking back twenty years ago, I actually had a “Pending” pile on my desk when I worked in corporate <<Gasp!>>  However, it was not an air-tight, sure-fire way to keep track of the items I was waiting for. And if you have one of these, too, it isn’t going to work well for you either.

When items sit in a “Pending” pile or in a “Waiting for” file, tasks are at HIGH risk for stalling. As a result, this can reduce progress, delay projects, and cause deadlines to be missed or forgotten.

There’s a MUCH better method for keeping track of these items that will ENSURE they stay in your vision and guarantee you will never overlook or forget them, so you can keep tasks in motion and stay on target for progress and completion.

The Dangers of “Pending” Piles and “Waiting for” Files

It all starts when you’ve left a voice mail, you’ve sent an e-mail or you’ve made a request by some other means. Now you’re waiting to receive what you have requested.

OK, now what?

You put these items aside in a “Pending” pile or a “Waiting for” File. And you wait.

But what if you DON’T get what you expect?

Without a system or a process to manage these items, you’re unwittingly leaving progress to chance, which now rests on someone else. This will reduce your efficiency and productivity in the long run. Plus, other negative repercussions can follow, like missing deadlines, opportunities, events and information.

Here are the main scenarios that lead to negative outcomes when using a “Pending” pile or a “Waiting for” file.

1. If you forget to look at the pile or the file, tasks and follow-ups will slip through the cracks.

2. If you look at the pile or file every day, you can certainly stay on top of things, but this process is a HUGE waste of your time. You’re thumbing through the SAME things over and over again when they may not need your attention OR action today, tomorrow or anytime this week.

3. If you look at the pile or file only once a week, you could miss something that needed action sooner.

4. If you only wait on others and you don’t get what you are waiting for, you will forget to follow up and miss these tasks entirely.

5. No matter how little or how often you look at the items in the pile or file, you may not remember the last time you reached out to make your request. This will leave you guessing as to when you should follow up instead of truly having control of the facts and your progress. It’s too easy to lose track of time, when staying on time with these tasks and follow-ups REALLY matters.

6. When all of these items are in a pile or a file, they all reflect the same level of importance. There’s no level of priority OR a plan of action, which means your highest priority could be in the back or at the bottom.

What is necessary to stay on top of pending tasks and things you’re waiting for is a reliable plan of action.

The Big Picture for Task Management

The challenge of keeping track of items you’re “waiting for” goes deeper than just managing THESE items. The trouble lies with not having a centralized digital task management system for ALL tasks.

There are more than 10 different sources of tasks in the typical workday, such as email, phone calls, meetings, hallway conversations, social media and more. And when a to-do list is created on paper, that becomes yet another source.

Most professionals still try to manage dozens of tasks from their actual sources: flagging emails in the Inbox, writing and re-writing to-do lists on paper, using the papers and files on their desks as reminders of things to do, using post-it notes and more.

But here’s the pitfall: it’s actually IMPOSSIBLE to efficiently and effectively plan, prioritize and accomplish tasks—while trying to manage them ONLY from their sources—without missing, losing or forgetting something—or a LOT of things. 

Therefore, when you DON’T have a workable, centralized task management plan, it is EXTREMELY difficult for you to be efficient and productive, or to achieve a high level of progress and sustain it.

Then, when you add “pending” items to the mix, you’re adding ONE more source of tasks. They’re kept in a file or a pile that you must continuously reference, just as you would the email Inbox, your voice mail, your desk, etc… and they DO represent tasks and follow-ups that need action at some point in the future.

The Solution

When you REALLY want to stay on top of your tasks, be productive and get results, you can’t rely on others to get back to you when they’re supposed to or when you think they should.

You’re in charge, so you need to be responsible for your next steps, no matter what you need to do or when you need to take action.

First, start by building a centralized, digital inventory of tasks from the many different sources of tasks in your day, and get AWAY from using paper to-do lists. Identify what you need to do and when you want to take action for each and every task. And please don’t use a little task app on your phone, which is no better than a to-do list on paper, because they’re all “stand-alone” to-do lists. Use the Task List in your computer, because it’s connected to Contacts, Calendar and Email. This is where it *is* possible to create a COMPLETE inventory of tasks.

In addition to adding all of the new tasks you identified, incorporate ALL of the pending tasks and things you’re waiting for into the list. Identify what you’ll do if you DON’T get what you’re waiting for or what you expect, and then add a target a date of action that gives the other person a little time to do what they promised. Make a note each time you reach out so you never forget what you did and when, and if you don’t get what you expect by the date you selected, THEN you can take action.

You’ll remember to do so, because you’ll have a task on the Task List that not only reminds you, but it states EXACTLY what you’ll do next. You won’t have to rethink what to do or how long it’s been since your last reach-out or how you reached out. When you track the facts and make a plan, you’ll have everything you need to take action and keep tasks and projects moving forward.

They key here is that YOU are in control of your tasks. You will take action when YOU think it’s best. You will stay in control of your progress instead of waiting for others to do what they said they would do, because sometimes… they won’t!

When all tasks—including the pending items and things you’re waiting for—are all part of the same task management plan, you’ll be able to…

• Manage ALL tasks in one system, no matter their source.
• Plan action on each task, no matter how near or far into the future that is.
• Prioritize tasks most accurately with 100% awareness of all tasks and all facts.
• Be more proactive on tasks and stay in control of progress on tasks and projects.
• Avoid missing or forgetting deadlines, tasks, follow-ups, events, opportunities and information.
• Take action on the right tasks and follow up at the right times.
• Save time and energy, work more efficiently and be more productive.

The minute you make a request in a conversation, on a phone call, in a voice mail or in an email, add a follow-up step on your digital task list that tells you what step you’ll take and when you’ll take it if you DON’T get what you expect by the date you expect it. Then you’ll always stay in control of the progress of pending items and things you’re waiting for.

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Leslie Shreve is a workload management and productivity expert, and the Founder and CEO of Productive Day?. Leslie is also the creator of Taskology? The Science of Getting Things Done, a simple, logical and easy-to-use system that shows professionals how to increase efficiency and productivity by up to 300% in as little as 4 weeks, while reducing stress by up to 90%. Client previously frustrated or overwhelmed with too much to do, too many emails and too little time now claim to have a secret—a strategy they can use to get things done faster and easier, and make more meaningful progress on the projects and initiatives that matter the most to them and to the future of their company.