Why recurrent tasks don’t work for me

  • I perceive they have control over me; I feel like I am being told what to do (even if it is my past self)
  • I feel remorse for breaking the chain and it is not converted into more motivation to perform better from now on
  • Repetitive dismissals or delays of the task have a good chance to turn into a negative habit
  • At the point of actually doing them, something else with higher priority arises
  • At the point of actually doing them, they are no longer relevant to my objectives or need contextual changes

The Effectiveness of Planning Each Task Individually

Instead, planning each task individually (including repetitive ones) is a much more effective technique in bringing me closer to my objectives than recurrent tasks, despite the time inefficiency due to creation of tasks that could have been created automatically. The secret is in intentionality and relevance.

The Effectiveness of Planning Each Task Individually

With manual task creation I feel in control over the task board and over my life, as my self from 24 hours ago - the one who created the tasks, is much more alike to my current self - the one who executes the tasks. Arguably they are one and the same, therefore I don’t have the feeling of being told what to do.

The Effectiveness of Planning Each Task Individually

Manual task creation doesn’t have any strike chain, other than sitting down to plan the day, which ideally should be done every day. If I miss out a day of task management, that is the only loss I am going to face; there won’t be any strike to feel sorry for. And no, I don’t need to create a recurrent task to sit down and plan the day. That should be my innermost ambition.

The Key Role of Intentionality

Intentionality plays the key role in manual task creation, because I am always aware about creating the tasks, their details, their timeframe. I wouldn’t create the task if I wouldn’t commit to do it, right? So I commit to doing it and because of the short timeframe between creating the task and the moment of doing it, sometimes I benefit from the initial motivation I have when creating the task. This way it will be easier for me to get started. Therefore, I won’t make a habit out of breaking my own commitments by not doing the tasks due to lack of motivation.

Flexibility and Adaptability

Manual task creation is always flexible with unpredictable events. If something else more important arises, I just do that urgent thing and I don’t bother creating the task for the less important thing. Or if it’s already created, I just cancel it.

Flexibility and Adaptability

When I create tasks I am up to date with my current needs and objectives as well as the current context. I will create a precise and relevant task for what I need to do in particular and I won’t need to edit some “reusable” task template.

To conclude

Planning each task individually through manual creation has proven to be a more effective approach for me compared to recurrent tasks. It allows me to feel in control, maintain relevance, and foster intentionality. Manual task creation provides flexibility, adaptability, and a sense of ownership, leading to optimized productivity and goal achievement.