To do list
The to-do list ( Engl. To do "to do") or pending list , task list , List of open points (also LOP , 2Do List ), Open-point list (also OPL ) is task management or the Task planning a list that defines which tasks are due, who is responsible for them and by when they must be completed.
General
As part of self-organization , it can be set up by individual workers , for work groups and projects . The list does not indicate when the status of a work process was changed, only the current status. It forms the basis for time management .
The to-do list differs from the checklist by the fact that the to-do list usually collects various tasks, while the checklist collects the work steps of a recurring task.
Simple to-do list
The to-do list can be written on a sheet of paper, on a flipchart , on a smartphone or tablet , on a spreadsheet , as a web application or as a normal application . The simplest form is a personal list of tasks to be done, which is ticked off one by one.
The to-do list is a simple tool for discussions , meetings , negotiations , project management and for business and agendas . This is an agreement stipulated who has to do what with whom by when . The results of meetings are also often recorded in to-do lists.
Example:
| No. | task | Process owner | priority | begin | The End | status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Determine the goal | Boss and team | 1 | 01/01/07 | 05.01.07 | done |
| 2 | Pre-project | Project team | 1 | 02/01/07 | 02/05/07 | 30% |
| 3 | Create website | Web team | 3 | 04/01/07 | 05/30/07 | planned |
Colors help to see the essentials:
- red = is still open
- orange = is in progress
- green = is done
Tasks are specifically described and a responsible process owner is determined for each . Tasks are to be scheduled in time (from - to) and sorted according to priorities (importance). To-do lists can be structured as a checklist or as a matrix (with a distinction between important or not and urgent or not). See also time management or task management .
Examples
- The shopping list is the simplest form of to-do list. It can be broken down (vegetables, drinks, meat) and structured according to goals (bookstore, hardware store).
- The notepad helps to remember important things.
- An appointment calendar puts things in a chronological order, a timetable records weekly recurring appointments.
Extended to-do list
A to-do list can also be divided into sub-tasks, over time and financial resources information, a file management provide detailed descriptions, with graphic bar indicating the temporal relationship of the individual tasks and progress, a network or work breakdown structure produce and much more - and thus can be expanded into a project management system.
Tasks that one would like to delegate can also be separated into a "do-you" list.
Digital to-do lists
Many to-do list apps, such as Zenkit or Todoist, are cloud-based SaaS solutions . For users, this has the particular advantage that to-dos can be accessed regardless of location and time. In addition, digital to-do lists support collaborative task management.
research
A 2018 study by Baylor University showed that keeping a to-do list can make it easier to fall asleep briefly . The test subjects who kept a to-do list before going to sleep fell asleep 9 minutes faster on average (16 instead of 25 minutes). The more they wrote down what they wanted to do the next day, the more sleepy they were.
Software development
When programming, places in the source text that still need to be revised are often marked with a comment that begins with the word TODO. Example:
… require_once "$baseDir/lib/beispieldb/schema.inc.php"; bubblesort(); // TODO: Sortier-Algorithmus durch effizienteren ersetzen. …
Current IDEs such as Eclipse or Visual Studio are able to find these markings and present them to the developer.
TODO comments in the code are a sign that the code is not yet finished and are therefore considered technical debts in finished modules .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ spiegel.de: Time management training
- ↑ Sleep better - from head to paper with the to-do list in the evening. In: Alexander Renner. March 11, 2018, accessed June 1, 2020 (German).
- ↑ Michael K. Scullin, Madison L. Krueger, Hannah K. Ballard, Natalya Pruett, Donald L. Bliwise: The effects of bedtime writing on difficulty falling asleep: A polysomnographic study comparing to-do lists and completed activity lists . In: Journal of Experimental Psychology: General . tape 147 , no. 1 , January 2018, ISSN 1939-2222 , p. 139-146 , doi : 10.1037 / xge0000374 , PMID 29058942 , PMC 5758411 (free full text).