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In my first year of pharmacy school, my task manager was an utter mess.

A huge spread of incomplete projects, all competing for my time, energy, and attention. It was a dumping ground: studying for pharmacy exams, student society duties, writing papers, online self-learning courses, and daily writing, all awaiting my input.

Nothing without a class deadline would ever get done. And I would rarely prioritise my own long-term wants and well-being.

After experimenting for 4 years, I eventually rearranged my task managers and note-taking system to a 3-layer hierarchy system.

And suddenly, I gained massive clarity in my priorities, eliminated the stress of thinking about what to do every day, and could progress important projects consistently. Here's how:

1. Organise your projects in a 3-layer hierarchy:

At the top: Life focuses, e.g., health, study, profession, relationships, finance.

Under each life focus (the middle): Goal(s) under each focus, e.g., for study: master the contents of the course Pharmacotherapy I to achieve an A grade.

Under each goal (the bottom): Commitments (recurring tasks) and Projects (one-off tasks) that move me towards a goal, e.g.,