What Categories of Things Do You Track in Trello?

Summary of "What Categories of Things Do You Track in Trello?"

Short Summary:

The speaker, Cal Newport, discusses his method of organizing tasks using Trello boards, a project management tool.
He uses separate boards for different professional roles, with standard columns for processing tasks, upcoming deadlines, waiting on feedback, and meeting agendas.
This system helps him manage multiple projects, prevent anxiety, and reduce unnecessary communication.
He emphasizes consolidating tasks into single cards to avoid overwhelming the board with too many items.

Detailed Summary:

Section 1: Introduction and Board Structure

Cal Newport explains his use of Trello boards for task management, highlighting their flexibility and adaptability.
He utilizes separate boards for each professional role, such as researcher, professor, and writer.
This allows him to compartmentalize tasks and focus on specific areas of work.

Section 2: Standard Columns and Their Functions

He describes common columns used across his boards:
- "Processing": For tasks that require initial understanding and clarification.
- "Definitely Due This Week": For tasks with immediate deadlines.
- "Waiting to Hear Back From": For tasks pending external feedback or action.
- "Meeting Agenda": For collecting discussion points for regular meetings.

Section 3: Reducing Asynchronous Communication

Cal highlights the "Waiting to Hear Back From" column as a key to reducing unnecessary back-and-forth communication.
He emphasizes that instead of immediately emailing colleagues, he adds tasks to this column, ensuring they are addressed during the next meeting.
This minimizes context switching and prevents email chains from becoming overwhelming.

Section 4: Managing Large Projects and Ongoing Initiatives

He mentions using dedicated columns for large projects or ongoing initiatives, such as a "Podcast" column for his writer board.
He suggests a "Back Burner" column for tasks that are not yet categorized or prioritized.

Section 5: Consolidating Tasks for Efficiency

Cal advises consolidating multiple small tasks into single cards, using the card description to list sub-tasks and track progress.
This prevents the board from becoming cluttered and helps maintain a manageable workflow.

Notable Quotes:

"I don't believe in just saying well they'll email me back at some point and that's when I'll remember to work on this."
"This is obligation hot potato throw tag you're it."
"It's out of your head and there's no asynchronous back and forth."
"I don't want 500 little cards in these task boards."