Task and Project Management: a course

Having a neat filesystem and notes is just the start.

So in our latest video course, I'll show you how I use my system to manage my own life and business.

Turns out, having a highly-structured system where everything fits into a category is an amazing way to organise the stuff you need to get done. Here's how.

Tasks

I think of this as a monster with two heads: first, there are tasks. That's all the day-to-day stuff that you need to stay on top of. Whether you're at home or work, you've got a bunch of one-off stuff that just needs to get done. This is keeping on top of life and it's boring, but unavoidable.

Projects

And then there's the longer-term stuff that drives life forward. These projects are the things you want to spend your weekends doing, or the things that make your business better. The more of this you can make time for, the happier you're going to be.

I'll show you how to use the same tools, techniques, and mindset to manage them both.

Comfortable awareness

I won't pretend to have a solution for getting it all done. You won't get it all done. I have 542 tasks in my system: I won't live long enough to get them all done! I'm at peace with that.

Instead, what I'll give you is a comfortable awareness of it all. Because much of what's in there is just ideas for the future. It's stuff that you'd like to do, when you get time. But if it isn't ever done, life will go on. Trust me, it will.

My system is pragmatic and utterly practical. It ensures that you can't forget the really important stuff, while helping you make time for everything else. It's designed to never be overwhelming.

We stick to one of the themes of Johnny.Decimal: reduction of stress. Because at least if you're aware of it all, there'll be no nasty surprises.

I've been using this system for a year now. It's a really nice feeling.

I use Things for Mac a lot

I didn't set out to make a 'Things for Mac' course. But Things is the app I use and I use its features heavily.

And so, at least in this initial release, this is very Things-heavy. I'd like to generalise it over time, but at last count there were over 815 productivity apps, so I obviously can't cover any meaningful fraction of them.¹ I had to choose one app, and it's Things. It's a great app.

That said, I spend a lot of time explaining why I'm doing things a certain way: you'll see my thinking. I'm not just clicking buttons. So you should be able to adapt this for your own setup.

I felt it only right to make you aware of this.

Here's the first episode

Rather than record a trailer, here's the first episode where I tell you about the course.

How much is it?

It's part of Johnny.Decimal University, so you get this course, the Johnny.Decimal Workshop, the Life Admin System, and more, for just $200. No subscriptions, with updates for life.

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Human, guaranteed

Lovingly crafted by two humans. No AI here. If you don't like it, let me know within 14 days and you can have your money back. No questions asked.

People like it

Ellane wrote a lovely review over on her blog. And on Discord, Chris wrote:

I've taught GTD courses for 20+ years, teach Project Management to seniors studying CS and information systems, and consider myself pretty dialed in on productivity methods and tools. I loved the course!

You'll find other nice comments in that Discord channel. (You need to join the server first.)