Planning is an art. And more often than not, we tend to overestimate what we can get done in a day. It might be that some things take a bit longer than planned or that urgent matters come up last minute. But it’s only natural that some tasks will remain undone at the end of a work day.
What’s the right thing to do with these tasks?
#1: Update the due date
Every task on Sendtask comes with a due date field. The due date is crucial for multiple reasons:
Most of our users sort their ‘Tasks assigned to me’ view by due date. Meaning that a task that is due today shows up above one that is due in a few days. And thus those that are due sooner get more attention. A task without a due date may end up so far down the list that it is never seen.
If it’s a shared task, the due date communicates when you think you’ll get something done. If someone sends you a task, they might come back to it to check if you have already had time to get it done. An accurate due date helps them get that information at a glance – all without having to bother you to ask.
#2: Leave a comment
If you’re collaborating on this task with someone, leave a quick comment with a status update if you think that’s helpful for the others. You won’t disrupt their workflow with this – they get a summary email twice a day that covers all relevant comments. That’s a super convenient way to get them updated without interrupting their flow.
#3: Delegate
Some tasks stay on our list for way too long. Often it is because we need to ask someone for help or wait for someone to make the next step. In this case – just assign the task to them and ask them to re-assign it to you once they’ve done their part.
Bonus: Is the task really needed?
Sometimes it also helps to ask yourself if this task is really important. If not, go ahead and delete it.
