Method
Write the task. Draw a circle in front of it. That’s the whole setup.
The inside of the circle shows how far the task got. A sign above it says where the task went. The two never get in each other’s way, so you can add a sign at any point. A task you started and then handed over keeps its half-filled circle.
Markers
To do
An empty circle. Draw it when you write the task down.
In progress
Fill the bottom half. You started, and it isn’t finished yet.
Done
Fill the whole circle. Nothing left to do.
Moved
An arrow above the circle. The task goes to another page. Write it there again.
Dropped
A cross above the circle. You decided not to do it. That’s a decision, not a failure.
Handed over
An initial above the circle. Someone else has it now, and the letter says who.
On paper you draw them. On screen they move like water.
The rhythm
Evening · three minutes
Go through today’s page. Every open task gets a sign: moved, dropped or handed over. Write the moved ones on tomorrow’s page. If a task isn’t worth writing again, it isn’t worth doing. Moved three times? Drop it, or break it into smaller tasks.
Morning · one minute
PriorityRead the page once. Pick the three tasks that matter most today and draw a short line to the left of their circles. The line stays, whatever happens to the task. The page is small on purpose. When it’s full, the day is full.
During the day
Only the Markers. Fill the circle as you go. Nothing else is required.
Once a week · fifteen minutes
Same day, same time. Read the week’s pages. Tasks that are alive move forward. Tasks for someday go on the someday page at the back of the task insert. The dead ones get a cross.
Once a month · if you like
Ask whether this rhythm still serves you. If it doesn’t, make it shorter.
Nothing to count
No streaks. No timers. Nothing to count. A dropped task is not a broken chain. The page is a record of what happened, not a score.
A page, filled in
- Oil change — Scrambler (done, priority)
- Call mum (done)
- Burnish edges, card holder (in progress, priority)
- Return library book (to do)
- Write back to Tomek (to do)
- Book the dentist (moved, priority)
- Fix the old printer (dropped)
- Pick up parcel, post office (handed over to K)