Happy Friday!

Things that are not tasks

As we prepare to define the word “task,” let’s first explore what a task is not.

“Bathroom renovation” is not a task. It’s probably a project—a set of tasks related by purpose, which share a common desired outcome. But it’s definitely not a task, because when you read it, you have no idea what to do right now.

“Fwd: Re: Hermanson request” is not a task. It’s probably an email you forwarded to your task app, but you never clarified what the action is. Who knows what Hermanson might have requested, at least without visiting the email. It’s okay for a real task to point to an email for additional context, but if you can’t tell by reading the task why you need to go to the email, it’s not a real task.

“Desk drawer” is not a task. It’s probably a single action, and maybe you’ll know what to do when you open the desk drawer—assuming it opens, and the task isn’t to repair your desk drawer. There’s a chance “Desk drawer” will ring a bell, but odds are good you won’t know what you meant when you read it later.

Our task: Define “task”

What could be more central to task management than knowing how to create a task? And yet, how often do we discuss the mechanics of creating tasks?

In my last newsletter, I shared a first pass at a taxonomy of types of notes. (And if you join us in Cohort 10 of Applied Action-Powered Productivity, we’ll dig much deeper into how we capture and surface notes!)

In that newsletter, I referred to tasks as notes that are immediately actionable—and that’s a reasonable stab at a definition. But now let’s specify and secure the meaning of “task,” the foundation of any productivity system.

💡 Write real tasks 💡

👆 That’s your weekend upgrade.

We’ve all used shorthand like “Desk drawer” in place of real tasks. In the rest of this newsletter, we’ll learn the mechanics to create real tasks every single time we write them down. By doing so, we will work more efficiently and waste less time wondering what we’re supposed to do.

A task is a note that…

(1) …begins with a clear action verb

This is critical. When you read a task, you have to know what to do. You don’t want to discover what to do as you ponder a vaguely-worded clause. Lead with action.

Here are a few verbs I used as the first words of tasks from Wednesday of this week: Film, Share, Create, Check, Add, Launch, Pay. The action is immediate and unambiguous.

(2) …contains within its text what that action is to be taken ON, and any additional required information

My “film” task was “Film video about extending supertags in Tana”. My “share” task was “Share a video for Tana Jump Start in the Tana Slack community”. My “launch” task was “Launch regular sales for Cohort 10 of Applied APP”.

The action verb must act on something, and it might require additional clarity as well. To explain this grammatically, your task should contain a direct object, and if necessary, an indirect object or prepositional phrases as well.

(3) …provides context

I’m using "context" a bit more broadly than it’s used in Getting Things Done (GTD) methodology. The context for a task might include the project it’s associated with, a relevant person it’s tied to like a collaborator or client, the tools required, or where you need to be to complete the task—or something unique to your circumstances.

Some context might be implicit, provided you’re certain you will understand it when the task surfaces to your attention. For instance, my “Film video about extending supertags in Tana” task did not explicitly state that I need to be in my office to film it. But the context is clear, because that’s the only place I film my tutorial videos.

(4) …is scheduled for a certain date or time, and will surface to your attention at that point

Our productivity systems often overflow with so-called tasks that are on someday/maybe lists or tagged as next actions. I’m drawing a line in the sand: they’re not tasks if they’re not scheduled.

Scheduled can mean two things only: either they’re set to be done on a chosen day or at a chosen time (though subject to rescheduling if the situation requires it), or they’re deferred to a chosen day or time, because they don’t become relevant until that point—but after that point they’re fully actionable.

Every other “task” is better classified as “potential work,” or “proto-tasks,” or something along those lines. We need to get unscheduled work off of our task lists, and instead set that potential work to surface periodically so we can decide when to schedule it as tasks. This will not only lessen your workload, but also take away the psychological bandwidth tied up by potential work we feel we ought to be doing.

(5) …includes links to required resources or materials, if there are any

This is conditional—no links are required if no external resources or materials exist. But if there are documents, or emails, or templates, or procedures, or anything else that will assist the execution of the task, these must be included with the task.

The links are allowed to be implicit, if the task is explicitly tied to a project (or some other entity) that contains the required materials. But if support materials exist, a link to them must exist too.

(6) …includes who the task is assigned to, if you work with a team

If there could be ambiguity about who should complete a task, clarifying information should be included with the task.

How I create a task in Tana

​Tana is the tool I use as my task and project management hub (among other things). Here’s how the task requirements I listed above are implemented in my Tana setup.

In the task name, I have my action verb “film,” my direct object “video,” and two prepositional phrases combined into “about extending supertags in Tana.” Together these make completely clear, at a glance, what my action is and what I’m taking action on.

The explicit context is the project “Tana Jump Start workshops,” which is not only linked via the field “Assigned Bin,” but also displayed with the task title (using Tana’s “Build title from fields” feature). The context, then, is also available at a glance, without having to expand the task and view the info below it.

There is implicit context too, as I mentioned above. “Film video” is something I only ever do in my office—or, at very least, if I wanted to film a video elsewhere I would need to explicitly state that in the task.

The task was scheduled for Wednesday, September 13, and surfaced to me on that day. I completed it that day as well.

The expanded node “Extending supertags” is a link to another Tana workspace where I had created the materials for the demo. This link to those materials allowed me to immediately get to work.

The only aspect not illustrated here is the optional task assignment, which is unnecessary for me because I work alone.

As a side note, one possible improvement would be a link to a procedure for filming videos. My setup is fairly straightforward, but if there were several steps involved in preparing to film, linking to that from the task would be valuable.

Tasks are Productivity Bridges

Several of my last few newsletters (36 - 41) have explored the concept of Productivity Bridges.

When you build a Productivity Bridge, you take action now to increase the speed, accuracy, and quality of future work. A Productivity Bridge might take the form of a template, an automation, a recurring task, a procedure—any structure that helps you work more efficiently and effectively.

Tasks are also Productivity Bridges. We write down a task now to make it easier to do the work in the future.

What’s so cool about bridges is this: they can overlap and interact. A link to resources and materials is itself a bridge, and including it in the structure of a task makes the task more valuable. Or you could automate the creation of tasks tied to a certain project, or due tomorrow, or whatever parameter you like. And then that automation bridge makes it easier to create the task, again increasing its overall value to you.

If you write down your tasks according to the prescription I provide above, that Productivity Bridge alone will make your work more efficient and effective.

What do I do next?

(1) Take 2 minutes and answer this question: What’s one thing I learned in this newsletter that I can put into practice right away?

By committing to a specific action, you make it much more likely you’ll do it.

(2) Learn the structure of a well-formed task by practicing writing tasks this weekend.

And once you’re comfortable with your understanding of it, look for automated ways to make capturing well-formed tasks even easier!

If this was valuable for you:

Share the newsletter with someone you think would also get value from it! https://rjn.st/weekend-upgrade-newsletters​

Until next time, friends:

Write down exactly what you intend to do, and you’ll be far more likely to do it.

R.J.
​rjn.st/links​

P.S. Cohort Ten of Applied Action-Powered Productivity launches next Friday (September 22, 2023)! Together, we’ll learn the skills and tools required to build the Productivity Bridges that will revolutionize the way you work and greatly reduce the time and effort you spend working. Sign up today: rjn.st/applied-app​

(Note: If you use my T4T2 app in Tana, or if you attended a past cohort, you get discounts. I’ve sent those discount links in other emails.)