Ah - this is my work life indeed. My task list, printed, is 4 pages long and has never gotten any smaller. But that right there is the secret - using the Task List feature in MS Outlook.

Admittedly, it takes some discipline - rather like getting in to the swing of working out after shunning the gym for oh, I dunno…ever? But once you get into the habit of using it, you’ll find that it really does help manage your time and organization skills.

I don’t know what mail client you’re using, but the list in MS Outlook features start and due dates, hours worked on the project (which can be updated each time you work it for a good running tally for you and your manager), a category list (color coded!) that you can edit and it will remind you when you’re coming due or overdue, depending on what you tell it.

It’s been a lifesaver. The trick, of course, is making sure that you populate and update it in a timely fashion. ; )

Good luck!

White board and Sticky notes come to my rescure. On the white board, i draw the time line of the projects. Generally there are 2 to 3 lines in parallel for me! Put colored dots for my milestones. Then i put sticky notes of the high level tasks needed to be completed for my interim milestones. As i continue working, the sticky’s fall off.. and tada.. i know i am doing multiple project at the same time without criss crossing in between and having a handle on things!
The negative of this approahc.. whoever comes by my office space would know exactly how much is done and where i am at!!!

I personally suggest you look into time-blocking. Set each day up into a manageable number of work and personal blocks. Account for time needed to eat lunch, take a short break or whatever. Then look at how many work blocks you have and schedule your projects into those blocks. Set a timer and stop when the block is over - then move onto the next block of time. This can help keep you on track instead of over-focusing on one particular project to the detriment of the others.

Good luck - and don’t think of it as multi-tasking where you work on too many things at the same time. You are still only working on one thing at a time and giving it proper attention, you are just stopping before you are finished and coming back to it later.

So, I am the only communications person for a huge organization, and I always have at least 5 (if not more) projects going at once. I have 4 tools I use regularly:

#1 is Excel. I use Excel to plan out every single step of every single project and give it a due date. So, X axis is: Task, Deadline, Status, Notes. Y axis is each task in a given project.. Status always equals Not Started, In Progress, Delegated, Waiting On Someone Else, Backburnered, Complete. Notes includes more information about status usually, or contact info, or whatever. This is my master plan for each project. I use a separate worksheet for every project, but keep all projects in one file for easy finding.

#2 Outlook calendar. I hate using the Tasks function of Outlook. Instead, I block out specific times to do the tasks outlined in the Excel sheet. I’ll make appointments for myself in my calendar to write, interview, organize meetings, call people, do research, etc. If I have a hard deadline (which is rare, most of mine are arbitrarily set by me), then I give myself a reminder two days before and the day of. Sometimes my appointment says: Project Name, and I’ll see what needs to be done and do it. This also protects my time, because people really like me to come to their meetings, and I don’t like to go to them at all.

#3 White board. I keep a list of all of my projects and the major categories of steps (select content, set up interviews, write main story, etc.) for each. This is my at-a-glance. Sometimes when I’m really busy I add due dates next to those big categories. The whiteboard helps me keep track of the big picture, so I know if I need to say no to a new request. It also helps me gauge, at a glance, what I need to do this week, because I update it on Friday before I go home. Finally, anyone who comes into my office sees how busy I am.

#4 colored folders. I suck at filing and tend to live in piles. In fact, I don’t actually put a project file into my file cabinets until its done. Instead I have an on-desk filing system that uses colored tabbed folders for each project. All of my publications folders are yellow. i have a folder for every regular meeting, and meetings are blue. Special projects are orange and background information/research folders are green.

My system isn’t simple. Sometimes I get too busy to actually use it. But when I do use it religiously, especially the spreadsheet/Outlook combo, I feel a lot less stressed out and do a better job of remembering all the finer details of every project — and meeting those deadlines.

Finally, I block off Friday from any meetings and use it as a catch up day.