Tracking what you're doing

[jenett]

So. I have a lovely new job, and I am at the stage of the lovely new job (this is the end of my 4th week) where I am beginning to figure out what I want to do going forward.

In particular, I'm looking for a good way to track ongoing projects. I have a todo list I like (Todoist, which I use for both work and home stuff), and I have a tracking method (inherited from my predecessor) for tracking actual reference requests (an Excel spreadsheet).

But I also have a bunch of other things (right now, the list includes rearranging the office shelves and piles of things, creating some handouts and materials for researchers, shelfreading, reading through the annual reports so I get a sense of what's in them, building a knowledge base document with things like "What are the names of the bells in the bell tower" and "why is this particular sculpture unusual". Lots of stuff that is long term but has segmented bits, in other words)

And I'm trying to figure out the best way to track "Made X handout" or "reviewed Y materials and edited" or whatever, so that later, I can figure out what I did when, or so that if my boss asks what I've been up to, I can summarise quickly.

I'm reasonably open to technology, but my work computer has less memory than it might, and complains with more than about 10 open browser tabs.

So. What do you all do? What have you tried that didn't work for you?

(This is a public post: feel free to invite people to drop in and comment. Same requests as my previous Salon posts, namely assume people have reasons for what they're doing, comments that improve the conversation or ask questions are entirely welcome, if you do not have a DW account, please put a name we can call you in your comment.)

Comments

[sine_nomine]

I have to admit I go decidedly low-tech with such things... I keep both a "To Do" list and a "Done" list and they are both handwritten on (horrors!) paper. MUCH faster for me to pick up a pen and jot down stuff. Too, when I get interrupted, it's easy to look back at the done list and see what task I was working on so I can get back to it more quickly. I also found that, at the end of the day with only a To Do list, it felt like I had done nothing because only a couple things were getting crossed off... but with a Done list I could look back at two very full sheets of lined paper and realize I accomplished a lot.

Additionally, one thing I do when playing Admin (which means it may or may not work for you) is that EVERY task I did got a folder. Didn't matter if it was a complex PowerPoint presentation or a one-off photocopying of an article. On the tab of the folder I wrote the task and the date assigned. On the front of the folder, I wrote the date I worked on something for that project and a precis of what it was. When the task was completed, I wrote Completed with the date and filed it in my filing cabinet. Kept them, generally, in date order unless there were lots of tasks that went well together. This way it gave me a visual tracking device. Further, I stored the in-progress tasks (and it didn't matter if I hadn't done anything yet on it; the minute it got assigned it got a folder) in angled file sorters... which meant I could rearrange priorities on a moment's notice, could see what all had to get accomplished quickly, etc. And, finally, I used the folders to store my work product both in-progress and final so that if I had to go back and make another copy of the article, for example, it was already there to hand.

I found that the combination of the physical reality plus the act of writing helped me both stay on task better and then, at the end of the day, week, month, whatever I had VERY visual proof of what all I'd accomplished in case anyone said "What do you do all day?!?"

YMMV, of course, but on-line tracking of this stuff wouldn't work for me in the slightest.

[jenett]

I've been thinking about paper, but I find it very easy to get overwhelmed in it really fast.

(I am about to work up a reference question worksheet form, so I can make notes quickly on where I've tried, which terms, etc. and then have a space on the back to write call numbers for things I want to go look at.)

My predecessor kept complete records in both paper and electronic versions, but I really hate dealing with paper (and also, we will eventually run out of filing space, and 95% of what we do goes in email now)

The done list, though, is a thing. Maybe also a quick tally sheet for things. (I do not need to print out "Referred person to X for image rights" but it'd be nice to have a quick record of how many of those we have when.)

[sine_nomine]

Understood re overwhelmed; I guess because I don't use my done lists for data collection (and let my folder system speak for itself) I haven't found that to be an issue but, of course, YMMV. :-)

(did she intend to hand her records to anyone with visual issues? Because, depending on the person, one medium may be much easier to read than the other, as you likely know)

Done lists, I found, were critical to my sanity because I'd get to the end of the day and feel exhausted and like I'd worked non-stop and yet it looked like nothing was accomplished.

Yes, re tally sheet. Makes a good deal of sense.

Good luck with whatever you end up doing!

[jenett]

Yeah. The thing about the emails is they get filed by person, not by time. (which is really handy in some cases, because of course we have some people with multi-year projects, or who are regular contacts, and it's very handy to see what the other things you said to them are.)

In terms of the records no - and for the electronic stuff, if someone needed paper copy, it'd always be possible to print. (Some of it is question of visual quality, too - part of our collection is things like pamphlet and clippings and magazine files, where the originals are not always printed or duplicated well.)

[sine_nomine]

This all makes sense.

Too, I think it will be easier on you building on your predecessor's work; you don't have to make your own system... just see how it all fits together.

Good luck with it all! I am so thrilled that this really seems like an ideal fit for you on so many levels.