I use an analog system that requires nothing but half-sized white index cards, laid out in a grid on a table. No lists, no piles!<p>Every task has a separate card, described simply in a short actionable phrase, written in pen, in the center of the card. The corners have optional notation:<p>- top left: a location or '*' if the task must be done in a certain place (eg, grocery shopping)
- top right: the date/day/time the task needs to be performed
- bottom right: short text describing some dependency or other note, or an arrow indicating that I've written long context (eg, a shopping list) on the back of the card
- bottom left: contextual area (project name, 'home', etc.)<p>Often I shuffle the cards around as an organizational method. Sometimes I gather them and then put them out again, especially if they've sat for too long. Or I'll walk around the house (or a project) with a handful of blank cards and do a 'brain dump,' writing down all the things I've been thinking about.<p>When the task is done, I rip a card in half (and recycle it) — it's a wonderful psychological release!<p>I've used this system since I read Allen's original book 20 years ago, and it continues to work very well for me.