How to manage tasks. Separate Notes or one big one?

[Kelemvor 4]

So I'm looking for a way I can keep track of all the tasks I need to accomplish and thought maybe Evernote could help.  It seems I have a couple options.

 

1) I can make one Notebook called Tasks (or whatever) and then just have one Note called Task List.  I could then just list out all the tasks with checkboxes and check them off when I'm done.  If I wanted to keep the old ones so I could refer back to them I'd eventually end up with a huge list but could see what I had done, what was next to do, etc.

 

2) I can make one Notebook called Tasks and then create a separate Note for each Task.  I would then probably have to make a second Notebook called Completed Tasks (or something like that) and then I'd have to move them from one notebook to the other when it was done.  (or maybe I could just use a "completed" tag when they were done. hmm)

 

I'm just wondering how most people use this and what you've found works better or worse than other solutions.

 

Thanks for any input.

[JMichaelTX 4,117]

IME, you would be much better of putting each task as a separate EN Note, and assign these notes a Tag of "Task".

• Easier to provide details of each task, as well as any subtasks that might be needed
• Can assign Tags for the status of each tag, like
  • ST.Open
  • ST.Closed
  • ST.Canceled
  • ST.Hold
  • etc
• You could also use Tags to assign the Task to other people

 

[jefito 5,589]

How to manage tasks. Separate Notes or one big one?

Both. Either. Depends on your needs -- there is no right answer.

I often use a mix. For "large enough" tasks (in my work world, that's bug tickets), I make a separate note for these (I have a note template for it) with a fair amount f detail, often including a due date. In my planning, I might have a single master note with checklists, and I create note links to the individual tasks. As I schedule tasks for the week ahead, I populate a checklist in a weekly journal note with links to the tasks. At that point, as I finish a task, I check it off in the task list, and then retire the task note itself by marking it as done. There are some tags associated as well, a "Task" tag and a "_Todo" tag; the latter gets removed when I complete a task note, so it won't show up in any of the saved searches that I use to find extant tasks.

But there are any number of ways that you can approach this.

[CalS 5,280]

I'd say it mostly depends on how you work best.  If you like to see all of your tasks in a concise list, then tasks in a "living" note makes sense.  If you like a lot of detail with your tasks then a task per note makes sense.  If you want to take advantage of the reminders functionality, then a task per note makes sense.  I am a task per note type since I think it is most flexible, but sometimes I will build a table of contents note comprised of notes that comprise a project, trying to get the best of both.  A task is done when I mark the reminder as complete.  I don't put simple lists into EN (grocery, trip packing or the like), since apps like Wunderlist are free and so much easier to use.

 

I don't list the above to confuse, just to emphasize that understanding your own use case is key to you creating something in EN and then being successful with it.  If you like do a search on GTD or task management and you will find even more information on how folks set up their own systems.  Then just start out and be ready to adjust as you go.  Don't get caught up in the holy grail of task management, take what you like and make something that works for you.  Good luck.