Time and Task Management

I feel like this past week could be held up as a standalone example of the ultimate point that I want to make in this article. It was a week filled with competing priorities. There were important and not-that-important and urgent and non-urgent tasks to be completed. However, each day, task fires constantly flared up, disrupting all my carefully considered and developed plans. Each day, I would repeat the process of making lists and plans, and each day things would fall short of my expectations. The result was a constant state of frustration, with my motivation slipping away, and any satisfaction that I might have felt for tasks being completed (and done well) eroding away.

Does any of that sound familiar to you? I know that I tend to be a bit spastic, flailing merrily around in my world, but I am not that unique, so maybe this might fit with you.

The growing season (starting months before things actually get really rolling) is a constant stream of things to do, with a flurry of tasks clamoring for growers’ time and attention. There are a lot of tasks that need to keep track of and remember from year to year. Some tasks need to be done immediately or at a specific time, with little margin for error. Some of these can be predicted and planned for, whereas others may depend on other factors. Some tasks do not have a specific date on which they have to be carried out but are important to be completed prior to a certain point, such as maintenance activities. Many tasks are part of a sequence of events, with one task producing another, subsequent task. For example, in a greenhouse operation, seeding likely precedes potting up. In a field operation, soil preparation might precede laying mulch, which precedes transplanting, and so on.

The natural question that follows is “What are some strategies to manage the many demands on time and the tasks that need doing?” The following are some possible strategies for you to consider.

Strategies

Many of the strategies that come to my mind also come with epic military-related clichés. We might as well run with that.

Failure to Plan is to Plan to Fail

It is hard to keep track of everything that needs doing each season, especially if you have the complexity of many crops or work areas to keep track of. I am a list guy. I love a good list. I also love good supporting resources, since I find it almost impossible to keep everything I know fresh, front and centre in my head, all the time, all year round. So, don’t. Make seasonal recurring task lists to help you keep track. Adjust and amend them as required but start with a plan and go from there.

One of the best things that I ever “inherited” from a former colleague was a list of things to keep track of monthly, for various crops. I have refined and built on these over the years, drawing on them to keep rough timetables straight in my mind.

Here is the link to these lists on my webpage. I fully intend to keep refining them over time.

Pick the hill to die on (a.k.a. Prioritization)

There have been many books and articles written on prioritization, otherwise known as the art of time management decision-making. There is a finite amount of time (putting aside the eerie wormhole effect of watching farmers pull 40 hours out of 24-hour days, 7 days a week…). Every task that we do has time associated with it. Every time we choose one task over a different one results in the displacement of that other task’s time. It is a lose:lose battle, most of the time. The only way to win this particular fight is to do several things.

First, you must sort through the tasks, deciding which ones are important, and which ones are urgent. At the same time, you identify which ones are not important and which ones are not urgent. Tasks that are urgent and important take the top slot in prioritization.

You also need to let stuff go. Ditch the non-urgent, unimportant stuff (at least temporarily). If you want to know what is probably on this non-urgent/important list, think of The Critical Thing, and then see what floats to the front of your mind as distractions. For example, have you ever had a really important assignment, but was suddenly overcome with a desire to clean your keyboard? That’s letting non-urgent, unimportant tasks distract you from important/urgent things.

You also need to accept that sometimes today might not be the day that something gets done. Weather happens. Machinery breaks. Things don’t grow at an exact pace. Stuff happens. That hill will be there tomorrow.

People make prioritization decisions constantly, and the world does not end. Pick the hill that you MUST take at all costs, and then make it happen. Then move forward to the next one. And the next one. You get the picture.

Do you want to know the best part of this? You already do it.

Rally the Troops

One of the biggest mistakes that we often make when facing a mountain of tasks is thinking (deciding) that there is only one person that can complete those tasks? Can YOU complete those tasks? Yes, of course YOU can. Does it HAVE to be YOU completing all those tasks? No, certainly not.

Just as you need to prioritize tasks by urgency and importance, you also need to look at what can be delegated to team members that surround you. If you didn’t think that they could work or help, why are they there? Either select specific tasks to be assigned to someone else or bring the crew together and see who jumps for certain things. By letting go of the reins a bit, you will find that those around you respond positively and you will get more effort than you might from assigned tasks.

Recognizing that you need some help takes a bit of humility and can be challenging, especially when you are competent and independent. In my experience, when you invite others to share your burdens, it is liberating. Suddenly, tasks seem smaller, lighter, and more possible. You may find more energy and enthusiasm. And, shockingly, you get more done, faster.

This week provided me with an excellent example of this. I found myself with a monumental, outdoor physical task, rapidly declining weather conditions and basically no window for deferring or delaying that work. Typical of me, I initially started out deciding that I was just going to dig in and get it done. Alone. And it would have taken me hours and hours and it would probably have been done poorly (or at least, less well). And I would have been in rough shape afterwards. Fortunately, I took a different route, reaching out to those around me and asking for help. We did the job well, in short order and none of us was overburdened. It was a poignant reminder for me.

So, suck it up and accept help (no, actually, look for help) from those around you. Build strong teams and then use them.

Call in air support

This is a bit like the previous concept; however, it differs slightly. Sometimes we need to recognize that occasionally we have tasks that we CAN do, but maybe there is someone outside of our organization (beyond yourself) that can complete that task quicker, easier, and better than we can. That is why professionals exist. Investing in the expertise of someone can save you in the long run and will allow you to focus your talents and expertise on the things that only YOU can do. Hire the web designer, the plumber, the consultant, or the trucking company to do the things that they are uniquely qualified to do and do the things that you are good at.

Conclusion

In the end, the way I see it, often the biggest hurdle or barrier keeping us from moving forward and addressing those time and task management challenges is US. When a task list is one person versus a thousand items, it is overwhelming. When that list is pruned down, divided between qualified people, supported by experts, you can’t fail. Take it from me, you are not alone, and you do not have to be.