It’s not OK to forget the milk and bread

A few ideas for organisation beyond a list 

A colleague told me a few weeks ago that it’s not OK to run out of both milk and bread.  You can run out of one or the other but not both. Which got me thinking. This is a problem. How does one remember not only to keep the weetbix juice flowing but also to have a backup plan in the form of vegemite holder and remember everything else we are meant to remember in our lives?  How can I help my colleagues and my students organise not just what they have to do, but what they need to do first, how to look at big tasks and how to organise efficiently to get things done? Here are some ideas to help you keep track of those important things to do. both of these can be set up by one person and used collaboratively or used by individuals. 

Gmail Tasks – most requests to do things for and with colleagues arrive to me via email.   Requests for help, meetings requests etc are all daily occurances. In Gmail you can create tasks lists – using the email so saving time in transferring info to a new list. You can have multiple lists (eg urgent work, not urgent work, weekend plans etc) and you can also share these lists. For example you may be working on a team project and you can break down tasks and share it with your team mates. 

Priority Matrix (free) – this App is useful for both teachers and students. It allows you to organise a larger task or range of things to do into categories that you can drag around. It promotes students and teachers thinking about time management and helping them manage their own learning and thinking visually.   It’s also doubles as a thinking tool and can help students reflect on their time management! 

Pros & Cons

Pros 

• Simple interface
  
• Can nest items below topic to create organisation 
  
• Links to Google Calendar 
  
• Can add notes to items
  
• Easy to learn
  
• Can share with others 
  
• Set reminders 
  

Cons 

• Can be frustrating to switch between task lists rather than single view model 
  
• Works with Gmail, not edumail or other email unless routed through Gmail    

Pros & Cons 

Pros 

• Excellent to break big tasks into smaller aspects or to establish priorities
  
• Easy to move items around with drop/drag 
  
• Can be used to reflect on progress and effort 
  
• Can be shared with team
  
• Can add notes to items 
  
• Highly personalised
  
• Can use for thinking and planning as well
  
• Can share with others
  
• Set reminders and gather summaries’ of weekly activity 
  

Cons

• Need an account (with email) 
  
• Lots of buttons to distract  - not suitable for younger primary learners 
  
• Takes time to learn how to use it (not as intuitive as a list)