Once you are working as usual, sometimes you are in time, sometimes you are late, but no doubt you are not lazing about. And out of the blue, you get a message:
– Tell me about all your tasks, please
This request is not ordinary, it is special. It reads: “it seems there are some important tasks we are missing out while doing something else; let’s check what tasks we are not doing”.
You should react to such a request quickly. We do not mean that you should stop right away and rush to make a list of your tasks, but you should reply within an hour and either make a list or set a deadline for it. Keep in mind that this is not a formal request, it is a sign of a possible problem.
The reply should be full and detailed. The question implies that you might have lost some task. There is no sense in listing only the tasks you remember. You should think it over and find the tasks you forgot or are not doing at the moment.
Here is an example of such a reply:
Project 1. Making a new version by Thursday, going to be in time.
Project 2. We agreed to have a concept by tomorrow, it is the second time we’ve asked for more time, and I am not managing to finish it. I don’t like the name and do not know how to get to it. I need help, I will send you an email regarding this.
Project 3.
—
Task A is ready, published in Dropbox, everyone is happy.
—
Task B should be ready by Thursday, we are not managing it, the illustrator slows it down, I am pushing him.
—
Task C is clear, but we haven’t started yet.
—
Task D is I don’t know what. I see the “Write down the business rules” card. Let me know!
Project 4. We showed the variants yesterday, they liked one of them, we decided to tune it. We haven’t set any deadline (I am making a note to set it today).
Project 5. We are waiting for a reply, but they are being slow. I believe it is hard for them to make it clear and write down. We should arrange a call with them, right?
Project 6. Fuck! It’s been three weeks and I cannot get to it. I will make it the first task on my list for Monday.
Before you sent the reply, it makes sense to look for tasks that can be lost:
– in your inbox (you must have only current tasks and things there);
– in the recent communication in messengers;
– in all the boards in Trello or whatever we are using right now.
You can also name all the clients in your mind, it helps to remember what you talked about.
And send the reply only after that.