Task management

Task management is about taking charge of your own workload—regardless of where the tasks originate. Task management is not project management. Project tools track milestones across multiple stakeholders; a task system keeps you clear on what you, personally, must move next.

When you run a trusted task list you never wake up wondering, “What am I missing?” You capture everything once, prioritise it quickly, and time-box what matters. I refined this approach building six of my own companies and coaching dozens of marketing teams. It works whether you are a solo marketer or part of a forty-person growth squad.

Your brain is for ideas, not storage

Any request, thought, or reminder that lives only in your head will vanish the moment the next Slack ping arrives. Off-load it to a single capture inbox—Todoist, Notion, ClickUp, or even a shared Google Sheet.

One list beats five scattered notes

The inbox cannot be your email. An inbox lets anyone inject “urgent” work at the top of your pile, destroying focus. Forward actionable messages into your task app, archive the mail, and shut the tab.

Make capture friction-free

Add mobile widgets, browser extensions, or a quick-add shortcut. When capture is instant you stop memorising and start thinking.

Evening migration rule

If you scribble notes in a notebook during calls, migrate them into the master list before you clock off. Zero open loops equals lower anxiety and higher strategic bandwidth.

Use the Eisenhower filter

Ask two questions: important? urgent?

• Do next: important + urgent
• Schedule: important + not urgent
• Delegate: urgent + not important
• Delete: neither
  

Urgent trivia always finds you; important non-urgent work dies quietly unless you guard it.

Match tasks to energy

Label tasks high, medium, or low energy. Data analysis or ad strategy sit in “high”; invoice approvals live in “low”. Slot work into the parts of your day that match your energy curve.

Ask for true priority

When the list spills over your calendar, forward it to your manager: “I can finish three today—which drops?” Leaders prefer visibility over silent failure, and you learn what really matters.

Turn intentions into calendar blocks

Choose the three highest-impact tasks and book them before you open Slack. A twenty-minute “tweak copy” block and a ninety-minute “optimise Google Ads” block both get equal respect on the diary.

Pre-decide the cut-off

If the box ends and the task is unfinished, will you book another slot or park it? Decide before you start; it stops one task from swallowing the afternoon.

Reveal overload early

When tasks no longer fit into available blocks, you hold proof to renegotiate scope or deadline—rather than working late and hoping no one notices.

Put recurring tasks on repeat

Monthly performance reports, weekly paid-ad optimisations, quarterly content audits—recurring work deserves recurring calendar events. Fixed slots protect important but non-urgent work from being crowded out. Marketing examples:

• Monday 14:00–15:00—optimise LinkedIn and Google Ads bids.
• First Tuesday 09:30–11:00—build monthly KPI dashboard slide.
• Quarterly Friday 10:00–12:00—update feature pages on the B2B website.
  

Set these events to repeat automatically. When a fire drill pushes one, drag the block; never delete it.

Capture every task into one list the second it appears. Run the Eisenhower filter, tag by energy and context, and time-box the top items into your calendar. Fixed recurring slots keep routine work from hijacking strategy. When the list overruns the day, escalate for clarity instead of working late. Follow that sequence and you will ship high-leverage marketing work consistently—no heroics required.

What is task management and why is it important?

At its core, task management is about staying in control of your work. It’s the process of organising, prioritising, and tracking all the things you need to do—whether they’re big projects, recurring responsibilities, or small one-off tasks.

Without a system for managing tasks, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed or let important work slip through the cracks. This is especially true in high-pressure roles like marketing or growth, where priorities shift quickly, and there’s always more to do than time to do it.

Good task management gives you clarity. It ensures that you’re always focusing on the right things, working efficiently, and making meaningful progress toward your goals. It’s not just about productivity—it’s about reducing stress, improving decision-making, and freeing up mental energy for creative or strategic work.

The foundations of effective task management

If you’re just starting out, it’s important to build a system that works for you. Here are the principles behind good task management:

1. Capture everything. Your mind isn’t built to remember dozens of tasks at once. Write down every task, idea, or responsibility somewhere safe—whether that’s a notebook, spreadsheet, or task management app.
2. Prioritise effectively. Use frameworks like the Eisenhower Matrix to determine which tasks are most urgent and important. Avoid the trap of doing busywork instead of impactful work.
3. Plan regularly. Task management isn’t a one-and-done activity. Incorporate daily, weekly, and quarterly reviews into your routine to stay aligned with your goals.
4. Adapt as needed. No system is perfect from the start. Test what works for you, refine it over time, and don’t be afraid to experiment with new tools or techniques.

Popular task management frameworks

Here are a few frameworks that can help you get started:

• Eisenhower Matrix: Sort tasks into four quadrants: urgent/important, not urgent/important, urgent/not important, and not urgent/not important. Focus on what’s important first.
• Getting Things Done (GTD): A five-step process: capture, clarify, organise, reflect, and engage. Perfect for those who like structured systems.
• Time Blocking: Schedule tasks directly into your calendar, assigning blocks of time to specific activities. Helps you stay focused and avoid multitasking.

Tools for task management

Whether you’re a pen-and-paper person or a digital enthusiast, the right tools can make task management easier. Here are a few options:

• ClickUp: A versatile tool for managing everything from daily tasks to big projects.
• Notion: Ideal if you want to combine task management with note-taking and other features.
• Todoist: A simple yet powerful tool for tracking and prioritising tasks.

Why task management matters for growth professionals

Growth roles are unique because they require you to juggle short-term execution with long-term strategy. Without a strong task management system, it’s easy to get bogged down in day-to-day firefighting and lose sight of bigger goals.

By mastering task management, you’ll be able to:

• Free up mental space for creative problem-solving.
• Ensure your most impactful work gets done.
• Build trust and credibility with your team by staying organised and reliable.

Start today

The best time to build your task management system is now. Whether you’re just getting started or looking to optimise your current workflow, this guide will help you take control of your tasks and unlock your full potential.

For a deeper dive, explore the chapters on doing a brain dump, prioritisation, building a task management system, and creating powerful task habits. Your productivity journey starts here.

What is task management and why is it important?

At its core, task management is about staying in control of your work. It’s the process of organising, prioritising, and tracking all the things you need to do—whether they’re big projects, recurring responsibilities, or small one-off tasks.

Without a system for managing tasks, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed or let important work slip through the cracks. This is especially true in high-pressure roles like marketing or growth, where priorities shift quickly, and there’s always more to do than time to do it.

Good task management gives you clarity. It ensures that you’re always focusing on the right things, working efficiently, and making meaningful progress toward your goals. It’s not just about productivity—it’s about reducing stress, improving decision-making, and freeing up mental energy for creative or strategic work.

The foundations of effective task management

If you’re just starting out, it’s important to build a system that works for you. Here are the principles behind good task management:

1. Capture everything. Your mind isn’t built to remember dozens of tasks at once. Write down every task, idea, or responsibility somewhere safe—whether that’s a notebook, spreadsheet, or task management app.
2. Prioritise effectively. Use frameworks like the Eisenhower Matrix to determine which tasks are most urgent and important. Avoid the trap of doing busywork instead of impactful work.
3. Plan regularly. Task management isn’t a one-and-done activity. Incorporate daily, weekly, and quarterly reviews into your routine to stay aligned with your goals.
4. Adapt as needed. No system is perfect from the start. Test what works for you, refine it over time, and don’t be afraid to experiment with new tools or techniques.

Popular task management frameworks

Here are a few frameworks that can help you get started:

• Eisenhower Matrix: Sort tasks into four quadrants: urgent/important, not urgent/important, urgent/not important, and not urgent/not important. Focus on what’s important first.
• Getting Things Done (GTD): A five-step process: capture, clarify, organise, reflect, and engage. Perfect for those who like structured systems.
• Time Blocking: Schedule tasks directly into your calendar, assigning blocks of time to specific activities. Helps you stay focused and avoid multitasking.

Tools for task management

Whether you’re a pen-and-paper person or a digital enthusiast, the right tools can make task management easier. Here are a few options:

• ClickUp: A versatile tool for managing everything from daily tasks to big projects.
• Notion: Ideal if you want to combine task management with note-taking and other features.
• Todoist: A simple yet powerful tool for tracking and prioritising tasks.

Why task management matters for growth professionals

Growth roles are unique because they require you to juggle short-term execution with long-term strategy. Without a strong task management system, it’s easy to get bogged down in day-to-day firefighting and lose sight of bigger goals.

By mastering task management, you’ll be able to:

• Free up mental space for creative problem-solving.
• Ensure your most impactful work gets done.
• Build trust and credibility with your team by staying organised and reliable.

Start today

The best time to build your task management system is now. Whether you’re just getting started or looking to optimise your current workflow, this guide will help you take control of your tasks and unlock your full potential.

For a deeper dive, explore the chapters on doing a brain dump, prioritisation, building a task management system, and creating powerful task habits. Your productivity journey starts here.