I currently run my whole life from a single todo list with scheduled reminders for when to take care of each task. Everything goes on one todo list. It’s a process I call “single-streaming.”
Recently though, I heard an interesting concept on the What Is It All For? podcast with Jason and Caroline Zook. In the podcast, Jason said that he has different roles during different parts of his day, so he has separate todo lists for each role. It’s a great idea. I’m not sure if it would work well for me, but it sounds worth trying.
During weekdays, I wake up at 6:15AM and immediately take on the role of “shepherd” for my three children. My job from 6:15AM-8:15AM is to shepherd them all to school.
At 8:15AM, my wife is at work and the kids are at school, so I begin work. I work from home as a “patent examiner,” so my role from 8:15AM-2:45PM is as a patent examiner.
From 2:45PM-8:45PM, I’m sort of multi-tasking between work, parenting, and cooking and eating dinner. I guess this role is “father and husband.”
From 8:45PM-11:45PM, I help clean up the kitchen, perhaps go to the gym, wrap up my work, and do clerical duties. Let’s call this role “night watchman” (because it sounds cool).
So the idea is, perhaps I should split up my single big todo list into four todo lists. The kinds of tasks I can and should do as a “shepherd” may be different from the kinds of tasks I should do as a “patent examiner.” And those tasks would differ from the tasks I perform as a “father and husband” or as a “night watchman.”
What roles do you play throughout the day?
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