Scott Porad

If you’ve heard me a say it once, you’ve heard me say it a millon times: when starting up time is your most precious commodity.  It is absolutely essential to put time toward the most important tasks.

Earlier today, my friend Micah tweeted that he was trying to get more organized and his first step at doing so.  His tweets inspired me to write up how I keep myself organized.  I use a system I call “The Line”.

The first thing you need to know about The Line it is based on the fact that the most important rule for startups applies to individuals as well.  Success is contingent upon focusing on the most important tasks.  The Line is all about getting and keeping focus on the most important tasks.

The way The Line system works is this:

1. I make a list of everything I need to do.
2. I rank the tasks serial order from most important to least important.  I do not prioritize them A, B, C or 1, 2, 3.  I stack rank them 1, 2, 3, 4…to infinity and beyond.
3. Next, I draw a line beneath the last item must be done today.  Everything above The Line must be done today, and everything below The Line can wait.
4. I start working until I’ve completed everything above The Line.  If the day is over, I go home.  If not, I keep on working below the line.
5. At the end of the day, I review my list and identify the things that will be above The Line for tomorrow.

Personally, I define must be done today as “if I don’t get this done today there will be a material consequence”.  For example, “If I don’t do this we will lose money” or “If I don’t do this a co-worker will be blocked” or “If I don’t do this my wife and children will be mad at me”.  This is really the most important step.  There are so many things to be done, and they’re all very valuable–The Line helps you identify which are critical.

There are lots of days where I don’t have anything above The Line.  As a result of Step 2, my items are ranked in order so I start at the top and work down. (Actually, because of Step 2, I start at the top and work down in all cases.)

There are other days where there is too much above The Line that must be done.  On those days, I either work a lot or I make choices about which of the consequences I’m willing to live with when something doesn’t get done.

Regarding Step 2, if you’re writing your tasks on paper, you may need to re-write them to get them in order.  Personally, I use Google Tasks because it allows me to shuffle them around in order in stack-rank order.  I’ve also used a system of Post-It notes on the wall which is very effective because they’re easy to shuffle and highly visible.  Regardless of what system you use, you must have a system where you can organize your tasks sequentially.

In Google Tasks, I have actually created a task called The Line that I use to separate the critical tasks.  I also use the Due Date feature of Google Tasks, but rely on it less.  Personally, I focus on the tasks above The Line.

A final thought: some people say have one master list for your entire life.  Personally, I have three lists: a Cheezburger list, a personal list and a “home project” list.  This works for me because I tend to allocate my time in chunks.  During the day, I’m going to work on Cheezburger, so I’ll focus on that list.  Outside of work, I’ll focus on the personal list.  On the weekends, when I set aside a few hours to do projects around the house–yardwork, etc.–I’ll focus on that list.

All that being said, the purpose of all these systems is to keep focus on the things that are most important.  I find that is the most effective way to ensure that I say productive.