Our long-term memory is the repository of our accumulated knowledge, experiences, and skills that are kept in our brains. We have to learn only once that stoves are hot. People's short-term memory struggle to retain information effectively for long periods of time. Our brains recognize this is temporary data and strives to free our minds from this mental clutter as soon as possible, sometimes too quickly. A helpful visualization is that of a clown juggling a variety of items, representing our temporary thoughts. As the number of mismatched items the clown juggles increases, so does the anticipation of an imminent mishap. Like our brains, the clown aims to remove as many items being juggled as possible before experiencing a failure and dropping everything. In this process, reducing the number of items being juggled becomes more important than the specific items themselves. Consequently, we often forget what we're supposed to do as we prioritize grasping and juggling new thoughts.
To emphasize the risk of relying solely on our brains for data retention, here is another way our brain operates, using an autopilot analogy. When deeply engrossed in thoughts, conversations, or physical activities, our brain’s resources can exceed their limits. To enable crucial tasks to continue (like escaping danger in primitive times), our brain activates an autopilot mode, handling secondary activities. In today's world, one of the best examples of using our brain's autopilot is driving a car. Ever arrived at a destination without recalling the route you took? It's a common occurrence when absorbed in thought or conversation, as our brains (autopilot) take over the less dominater task of driving.
Autopilot mode can handle routine or secondary processing - like driving. Relying on our autopilot has drawbacks for sure. When driving, it can make wrong turns, following familiar roads instead of the desired route. Our autopilot performance is generally poor, and we often unconsciously depend on it.
To excel at data management, it's vital to adopt a reliable system for greater success. To effectively manage data or tasks, selecting the best method for storing information from our short-term memory is vital. It's evident that smartphones surpass other options in terms of convenience and versatility. In the past pen and paper was the best we could do, today, our ever-present phones offer a real solution. We are never far from our phones; this makes it perfect for having lists of To-Dos or To-Buys at the exact time the list is needed. And it is also great for those exact moments when you think of something you need to keep track of, enter whatever you need to remember in the App as soon as you think of it, do not wait.
Now you need to know how to best use these two tools, the App and smartphone.
1. Don't wait when a thought or task arises. Record the data immediately. The enfohub App offers a convenient Quick List feature for this. Open the App, choose the Quick List icon, select the Home or Work category and input the task’s name. Details and categorization can be added later. The Quick List securely holds the task until you have time for better management. Record it before you forget it! And, if you make your brain hold it until you want to put it in the App, you are filling your brain with clutter it doesn’t need, limiting the App's impact on your business and life.
2. Simplify data entry for speed. Mastering this increases consistency. Use the dictation tool for improved spelling and faster input. Speak slowly, and clearly enunciate to avoid errors. Verify the text is correct, editing a few errors is easier than typing a lot. Dictation can be very quick, prevents shortcuts and ensures clear understanding later.
3. Enter task details and categorize them later, when it is a better use of your time. If you're busy, quickly dump tasks into the App and improve the details for it later. Record thoughts in the App immediately, to develop good habits of consistent use.
4. Utilize idle moments to expand your task’s details, including deadlines and priority levels, placing them in categories or groups of similar tasks so they will be found when needed. Complete the job of organizing the tasks. Take advantage of free time while waiting or watching TV.
Categorizing and prioritizing tasks empowers the system. For instance, with a shopping list, open the Grocery Store category to find everything you need to get there. Not forgetting an item saves future trips. Select the filter to have similar items grouped further, making the act of getting those items easier, and faster. Entering essential work and home tasks into the App, right when they come to mind, reduces the risk of forgetting when it's time for these tasks to get done. Big businesses and governments know this, they have teams of people making sure their organization is efficient. Now, you can be more efficient too!
The enfohub Task Management App is working on many exciting future features, like when you arrive somewhere, the App will know it and notify you of what needs to be done there. The reminders can be location-based. A similar feature will sense you are leaving your home and ask you if you remembered to take something with you. How nice would it be to never leave home or work forgetting something!
Another feature that will be coming soon is Teams, where you can allow others to join in a specific project or task. Great for small businesses, where a group of the business's staff all work towards the completion of a single project.
But to get to that level, you have to download a task managing App and get started.