This is a tiny Python script to help you determine what to do next. You supply a list of tasks, and it asks you to make pairwise comparisons between tasks until the most important task is identified. The comparisons are then stored in the task file.
Add tasks to a file (mytasks.json):
{
"names": ["buy groceries", "fix dripping tap", "do laundry"],
"preferences": []
}Then run the script:
> python prioritize.py mytasks.json
Is buy groceries more important than fix dripping tap? [y/n]
n
Is do laundry more important than fix dripping tap? [y/n]
y
Your first task is: do laundry. Go!Afterwards your mytasks.json file contains:
{
"names": ["buy groceries", "fix dripping tap", "do laundry"],
"preferences": [
{
"better": "fix dripping tap",
"worse": "buy groceries"
},
{
"better": "do laundry",
"worse": "fix dripping tap"
}
]
}If you run the script again, it remembers your previous comparisons:
> python prioritize.py mytasks.json
Your first task is: do laundry. Go!To add or remove tasks, edit mytasks.json.
pydantic
There's an infinitude of things we could do: errands to run, books to read, videos to watch and comments to write. This tool is meant to reduce load on your attentional system in situations in which
- speed matters,
- it's not obvious what to do next,
- and there are more options than you can hold in short term memory.
I run a start-up, so there are always new things coming up that could be done. When one does, I put it on my task list and return to what I was doing. When I'm done, I run the script again. Answering the questions only takes a few seconds. I find the script invaluable, and maybe you will too.
(Please let me know if you're aware of other similar tools. I'm particularly interested in finding a similar tool that works for teams.)