Task Management Tools - Foundation of Work Techniques for Improving Productivity
By acquiring effective task management methods, work priorities become clear, enabling focus on what's truly important.
The Essence of Task Management
In modern work environments, we tend to be overwhelmed by tasks rushing at us including emails, meetings, and sudden requests. However, have you ever felt that truly important work isn't progressing despite being busy?
Effective task management is not simply creating a to-do list. It's creating a state where you can select appropriate actions at appropriate times by entrusting all "concerns" in your mind to a trusted system. This enables a way of working that can focus on the task at hand while not losing sight of the whole picture.
The Significance of Learning Task Management Methods
Learning task management through books has value beyond just learning tool usage. You can understand the fundamental causes of why tasks accumulate and why procrastination occurs, and find coping methods that suit you.
Recommended Task Management Related Books
Here we introduce practical books on task management and productivity improvement.
Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity (Revised Edition)
An introductory book by GTD creator David Allen explaining the global standard for task management. By writing down all concerns in your head and managing them in a trusted system, you can use your brain for its original creative work. Read by over 3 million people worldwide, this method, which has influenced the design philosophy of many task management apps, can be learned through specific steps.
- Entrusting all 'concerns' in your head to an external system creates mental space
- Clarifying the 'next specific action to take' is the key to moving tasks forward
- Making weekly reviews a habit maintains system reliability and prevents omissions
- Completing tasks that can be done in under 2 minutes on the spot is a basic principle of efficiency
全面改訂版 はじめてのGTD ストレスフリーの整理術
デビッド・アレン, 田口 元 / 二見書房; 全面改訂版 / 2015-11-26
最強の仕事術=GTDのバイブルが時代に合わせてアップグレード...
An introductory book to GTD (Getting Things Done), which has become the global standard for task management methods. This method proposed by author David Allen reduces mental burden by writing out everything in your mind and clarifying the next action to take. Through the five steps of capture, clarify, organize, reflect, and engage, you can build a system for appropriate judgment in any situation.
Do It Tomorrow: The Manana Principle Complete Edition
A practical book explaining the British task management method 'Do It Tomorrow.' Based on the principle that 'work that arises today is done tomorrow,' you can work methodically without being overwhelmed by urgency. It provides specific methodology for reliably completing work that goes beyond the limitations of traditional prioritization.
- Postponing work that arises today to tomorrow avoids impulsive responses and allows methodical work
- Using closed lists clarifies the day's workload and provides a sense of accomplishment
- Rather than priority, the judgment of 'do or don't' is important; courage to decide what not to do is necessary
- Having buffers allows composed handling of unexpected work
仕事に追われない仕事術マニャーナの法則・完全版
マーク・フォースター, 青木 高夫 / ディスカヴァー・トゥエンティワン / 2024-01-26
「仕事は明日! 」でうまくいく 心の余裕・集中力・達成感がグ...
A book explaining methods for escaping from being chased by work through the reverse thinking of "processing tomorrow in batches." Author Mark Forster points out that the habit of trying to process newly occurring tasks immediately is the cause of work never ending. You can learn specific techniques for appropriately controlling daily work volume using the concept of closed lists.
TAKE NOTES!
This book explains how to use notes not just as records but as tools for developing thought. By using the Zettelkasten system, your knowledge will connect organically and new ideas will naturally emerge. You will be able to maximize the results of reading and learning and develop the ability to continuously produce creative output.
- Notes are taken not to store information but to develop thought
- Breaking knowledge into small units and linking them to each other generates new discoveries
- Themes and structures naturally emerge from notes built up from the bottom up
- Starting to write without seeking perfection is the first step in the creative process
TAKE NOTES!――メモで、あなただけのアウトプットが自然にできるようになる
ズンク・アーレンス, 二木 夢子 / 日経BP / 2021-10-14
★一日3枚のメモで十分! ★ ★メモはとればとるほど財産にな...
A book reviving for modern times the Zettelkasten (note box) information management method practiced by German sociologist Niklas Luhmann. It's explained not as mere note technique but as a thinking system that organically connects knowledge and generates new ideas. By integrating task management and knowledge management, you can improve both input and output quality simultaneously.
Building a Second Brain: A Proven Method to Organize Your Digital Life and Unlock Your Creative Potential
This book teaches how to build a 'second brain' that effectively organizes information using digital tools and retrieves it when needed. By practicing the PARA method, you can focus on truly important projects without drowning in the flood of information. You will gain the foundation for continuously producing results as a knowledge worker.
- Organizing becomes easy by classifying all information into four categories: Projects, Areas, Resources, and Archives
- Information should not only be collected but processed and stored in a form usable for future projects
- Creativity emerges not from an empty state but from combining accumulated materials
- Starting small and continuously improving is the key to successful system building
SECOND BRAIN（セカンドブレイン） 時間に追われない「知的生産術」
ティアゴ・フォーテ, 春川 由香 / 東洋経済新報社 / 2023-03-24
あなたが自分の頭脳の外に構築する「第２の脳（セカンドブレイン...
A book proposing methods for building a "second brain" using digital tools to survive in the information-overload era. The PARA method developed by author Tiago Forte organizes all information with four categories: Projects, Areas, Resources, and Archives. You can learn a practical system that fuses task management and knowledge management.
Summary
Task management is a skill with the potential to fundamentally change your way of working. What's important is not seeking a perfect system but finding methods that suit your work style and continuously improving. We recommend starting with one book first, trying it out, and establishing your own approach.