May 2, 2012<\/p>\n
If you’ve read my books, or taken my classes, then you know that I do not recommend you use the Outlook reminder feature on Outlook tasks, even when the tasks have a future deadline. People question me on that, wondering if I am really sure. So in this post, I want to tell you a little bit more about why I think using reminders on tasks in Outlook is wrong.<\/p>\n
Reminders on appointments are good<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n First of all, remember that the recommendations of the 1MTD and MYN<\/a> systems state this: if a task must be done at a certain time of day<\/em>, then make an appointment out of it\u2014put it on your calendar; don\u2019t rely on the task list. A good example is a phone call that must be made at a certain time\u2014put it on your calendar.<\/p>\n Then, any time you create an appointment, using Outlook\u2019s appointment<\/em> reminders<\/em> is perfectly fine. Why? Because they pop up just before the event is due. There is no confusion about whether you need to act when they pop-up or not; for example if it is that phone call, and the agreed-to time is upon you, you must make the call\u2014no question.<\/p>\n But don’t set arbitrary task appointments<\/strong><\/p>\n In contrast, if a today-deadline task can be done at any time today, then put it on your task<\/em> list; don\u2019t schedule it on the calendar. The task list is a much better place to list tasks that you will work on when you can\u2014working off a list is ideal for that. Why? Because such tasks have no appointed time. If you try to schedule<\/em> tasks like this on your calendar, then you will be scheduling them at arbitrary<\/em> times that have no teeth. You\u2019ll find that when their time comes, since each task is not really due<\/em> at the scheduled time, you\u2019ll just keep working on something else you are focused on; or you\u2019ll favor something else that seems more urgent in the moment. The result is you will be endlessly skipping scheduled tasks; and as a result, you\u2019ll often be dropping them.<\/p>\n So use the tasks list for this instead, set aside time to work tasks in general, and just work tasks in priority order.<\/p>\n Why task reminders don\u2019t work<\/strong><\/p>\n And this helps explain why reminders on tasks<\/em> don\u2019t work. Like above, task reminders are appointments for things that in reality have no appointed time. If you use a task reminder and the reminder pops up, you will likely be focused on some other activity that is more appropriate at that point\u2014and the reminder feels like an interruption. Because of that, you will usually ignore the reminder, either dismissing it or snoozing it to later. And then when it pops up later, you are likely to be focused on some other activity again and ignore it again. Soon you get in the habit of immediately dismissing or snoozing all task reminders and they become useless.<\/p>\n In 1MTD and MYN you don\u2019t need task reminders<\/strong><\/p>\n And using task reminders just doesn’t make sense in MYN and 1MTD anyway, for one major reason: if you are using the system correctly they are not needed<\/em>. Using the rules in MYN and 1MTD, you will be checking your Critical Now list as often as every hour. And you will be checking your Opportunity Now list at least once a day; hopefully in the morning. So you will clearly see tasks that are due today, likely noting them quite early in the day. Since they are due today you\u2019ll make sure they are highlighted in the Critical Now list. And as you repeatedly check your Critical Now list and see the item there, you’ll be consistently reminded to work on it. You don\u2019t need a poorly timed popup reminder to do that.<\/p>\n Even more important is this: when you decide to look at your task list, it is usually because you are open to taking on a new task; that’s why<\/em> you’re looking at the list\u2014to see what to do next. So you are more likely to be in a frame of mind to start a new activity when you see it there\u2014it won\u2019t feel like an interruption in the way that task reminders do.<\/p>\n So, the MYN and 1MTD systems handle the need for a reminder without using them, and the systems do it in a better way. You don\u2019t need reminders.<\/p>\n Task reminder feature unreliable in Outlook with MYN<\/strong><\/p>\n Finally, the reminder field on Outlook is unreliable when used with MYN. Why? Because if you set and then change the start date of the task, which I recommend you do often in MYN, then the reminder date will change by the same number of days\u2014you probably will not notice that or set it back. The result? The reminder will not trigger when it should and you\u2019ll miss the deadline. So when consistently using the task start date (as in MYN), the task reminder field is an unreliable field and it is best to avoid it.<\/p>\n So use the MYN and 1MTD systems in Outlook as they are designed, and you’ll never need a reminder field on a task. Things just won\u2019t slip by!<\/p>\n Michael<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" May 2, 2012 If you’ve read my books, or taken my classes, then you know that I do not recommend you use the Outlook reminder feature on Outlook tasks, even when the tasks have a future deadline. People question me … Continue reading