Tips & Tricks Tuesday: Remodeling with subtasks and the new Remember The Milk
Remodeling your house can be a long project. This week’s tip, shared by dillo99, shows how to break down those large projects using lists, and then how to prioritize the smaller steps.
I do lots of house remodeling type projects and I have come to rely on RTM as the best way to organize those projects. I used to use Excel but RTM gives a much more flexible and comprehensive planning approach. I start with a list created for the project and begin by just brainstorming everything I have to do. Let’s say I am remodeling a bathroom, this might include a starting list like:
• Rip up the old tile
• Paint Vanity
• Paint Walls
• Order new towel rods
• Pick out new tile
• etc.
I don’t worry about order – I just do a capture of everything I can think of. Later I will go through and organize the tasks into an order that makes sense. This is also a great way to address future projects and ideas. I’ll sometimes plan a project for a few months and just collect ideas and thoughts on my project list.
When it comes to organizing the tasks, the new RTM gives me many options. I can use priorities, dates or even drag tasks into the right place. Subtasks can also be used to move the tasks quickly and easily into the right place. I tend to go the priority route plus use subtasks. For priority, I just start by marking those that need to be done first – that way I don’t get overwhelmed with my planning. I also will use tags to mark things for follow-up. For example, I have a tag called “hardware” which is for whenever I am at the hardware store (Example: Buy new toilet seat #hardware). You can also make this a location tag if you want RTM to remind you when you get near your hardware store. I also have a tag for “on-line” that is for things I want to do when at my computer.
Each day when I am planning my work for the day, I prioritize the things I want done and make sure they are a “1”. This sets a goal that I strive to reach by completing all the priority items on a given day. It is very satisfying to check those things off as I work!
Thanks for sharing this tip, dillo99! You’re our Tips & Tricks Tuesday winner this week.
Do you have a suggestion for our weekly Tips & Tricks post? Got an interesting set-up or idea? Head over to the Tips & Tricks forum, add a new topic, and let us know how you use Remember The Milk. Each week we’ll give away a 1 year Pro account to the user whose idea inspires the Tips & Tricks Tuesday blog post for that week.
