The Most Effective Solutions Are Often The Simplest

Scott Belsky’s session at SXSW didn’t just get me fired up about how to ‘make great ideas happen’ he also got me thinking about how I manage projects and how I use to-do lists.

For any Juggler, lists are a must. I have a series of to-do lists - authored in old and new media - that I use to manage my business. I have played around with different systems and ideas for capturing that project overview of all my different project to-do’s. I love having a one pager that does that for me.

And then a slide in Scott’s presentation caught my eye. He was talking about the importance of tracking progress and actions on projects in a workspace where co-workers could get an idea of what was going on, and what the priorities were.

And then I realised what my overview needed to be. No amazing project management software, no iPhone app, no complex spreadsheet. Just a corkboard, a jotter pad, and a marker pen. A column for each client/ project with key actions/tasks. Now, when I’m back at base I have that overview of what needs doing across all my projects.

A reminder that – of course – the most effective solutions are often the simplest.

* image has been blurred to protect client confidentiality