Google Tasks: A Simple Tool to Start Your Productivity Journey
And how I use it to get things done.
There are hundreds of productivity apps in the market, but most of them are full of clutter and bloated with unnecessary features. Also, they appear to be designed for people who are already productive and want to squeeze out more juice from their time.
But, what if the person just wants to start doing things, not manage the time? What if the person is at level 1 of productivity? For him/her, most of these features are useless and irritating.
Then comes the Google Tasks app. Simple yet most effective productivity tool. No clutter. No useless features. Just straight simple lists with some basic useful features. Add Task. Delete task. Mark Completed. Add details. Multiple Lists. Due date. Repeat specific tasks. And most importantly, with Google’s high-end security.
I use this app with one simple strategy to get things done and overcome my procrastination habit. The strategy focuses on mainly two things: No pressure & split up. And it suits best to my psychology and behavior.
How do I use this app and what problems it solves for me?
1. Put everything in the default list
I dump everything I’ve to do in the default list called “my task” list, no matter how small it is.
Have to call someone? Add it. Have to wash something? Add it. Have to put something on charge? Add it. Want to get a haircut? Add it. Have to buy anything? Add it. Have to do some research about it? Add it. Even if have to think about something? Add it.
Many times, you might feel that this task is so basic and silly, and also very small. Should I really add it? Does it deserve to be on the list? But believe me, just add it.
If you’re not comfortable adding something directly then just add a hint of it.
We don’t always know everything we’ve to do. But we do it right at the time when it clicks into our head either while doing something or when certain circumstances occur. But as we’ve done it, we must add it to the list and mark it as completed.
Therefore, this list is not just a “to-do” list but also the “I have done it” list.
Also, If I fail to complete any added task and have to do it again, I just mark it as completed and add it again. Why? Because every single failed attempt should be counted as well.
How it helps me
I feel I accomplished something every time I checkmark the completed task. The more tasks I checkmark, the more confident and productive I feel.
The increase in the number of completed tasks always reminds me of my self-worth and how many things I’ve done. It makes me feel worthy, confident and encouraged.
Also, as I dump everything in the list and have developed the habit of checking it regularly, I don’t forget important things anymore.
I know it’s one of the very obvious pros of to-do lists but it is worth acknowledging.
2. Split it up
The second thing I do is — split up big tasks into as many smaller tasks as I can.
For example, if I’ve to go somewhere for some work, I create an individual task for every small thing I’ve to get ready for it. I create a task for everything I’ve to collect and bring there.
How it helps me
It solves the second big problem — the perception and fear associated with big tasks.
When we see any big task, we become fearful and start thinking that how and when will we complete it?
Hence, we even hesitate to pick that task and procrastinate again and again.
Whereas we could have completed any task or at least some part of any task in the free time we got between other things, we just keep waiting for the perfect time because of the perception associated with it.
But by breaking it down into many smaller pieces I always have something small to complete whenever I get any free time.
Because it kills the fear that originated from the wrong perception — “too big to do now”, and now I don’t have to postpone the whole task again and again.
Also, when you complete a big task, no matter how much effort you have put into it, it counts as only one. Even after spending a lot of your time, you have only one task to checkmark.
But by splitting it into many smaller chunks it increases in the number and I have something to checkmark every time I do something, and also It helps me track the progress in the task.
3. No pressure
I don’t put due dates on my tasks.
I mean, I put only when it’s inevitable and there is some huge loss associated with it for not doing it on time.
Due date warnings from those tasks generate panic and stress in the mind and some meaningless anxiety gets associated with the task. And if any task gets associated with pressure, it turns me off from doing it.
I like doing things with a happy, relaxed, and inspired mind, not with a forced and pressured mind.
Hence, I create tasks when anything clicks inside my brain, but with no pressure of completing it. Instead, I focus on completing as many tasks as I can and focus on reducing the overall size of the list.
How it helps me
If you fail to complete any task on time it can make you feel like a loser and also discourage you from doing other things as well.
Whereas to become productive, you should focus on how much you’ve done, not on what you failed to do, or what is left undone.
Many people start doing a lot of things, but only a few can keep it going. And why does it happen? Because of the pressure of doing something consistently, and disappointments from those failures of not being able to do/follow things 100% accurately.
Slowly the frustration builds over time from all of those disappointments and dissatisfaction and it eventually leads a person to give up on that thing entirely.
So, if you want to keep doing something for a long time, you shouldn’t be too strict with it. Instead, you should take a liberal approach.
Do how much you can. Focus on how much you’ve done. If you feel exhausted, then relax. If you feel overwhelmed, then take a break. If you feel stuck in the loop, then take a pause, re-figure out things, and come back.
Remember, you’re yet at the initial stage of being productive. Here you just have to focus on doing more and more things, not much on time management.
Additional tips
- Change the name of the list to “just do it.” to apply a little psychological force to yourself.
- In the “Add details” column of the task, add reward points based on the complexity and fear level associated with the task, and whenever you feel low just add those numbers to realize your potential.