{"id":14744,"date":"2024-07-04T16:29:12","date_gmt":"2024-07-04T14:29:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogdelarechercheclinique.com\/?p=14744"},"modified":"2025-06-11T17:01:35","modified_gmt":"2025-06-11T15:01:35","slug":"organize-task-urgent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogdelarechercheclinique.com\/en\/organize-task-urgent\/","title":{"rendered":"How to organize when each task is urgent?"},"content":{"rendered":"

There are certain moments in the life of a CRA or a CSC where the workload is high: database freeze, study start-up, etc. And you may feel overwhelmed and not know how to handle the tasks you are asked to do. How to organize when each task is urgent? How to be sure not to forget anything?<\/em><\/p>\n

Here are some tips that I was given when I was confronted with this type of situation.<\/p>\n

\"ARC\"<\/a>Written by Sophie Hammer<\/em><\/p>\n

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Define priorities<\/span><\/h2>\n

When you have a lot of work, you have to plan<\/strong><\/a>. As soon as you receive a request, check the deadline with your interlocutor. This way, you can classify the tasks you have to perform according to the degree of urgency. When you organize your days, you will have to deal with the tasks by order according to the date of the deadline.<\/p>\n

Effectively divide your tasks into your day<\/span><\/h2>\n

When you have several tasks with deadline<\/strong><\/a>s close together, evaluate the time that each task will take, its level of difficulty and the constraint it represents for you. Obviously, always deal with emergencies first, regardless of the time, difficulty or constraint that the task represents.<\/p>\n

Let me explain: we all have times when we are more or less operational in a day. Some are in the morning, others in the afternoon. If you find it difficult to emerge in the morning, plan a rather easy task, something that does not require much reflection. Seek out when you feel most operational in your day, you can take on complicated tasks and demand a high level of attention when you are in full possession of your abilities and thus be faster and more efficient.<\/p>\n

You can also plan tasks according to your fixed schedule. For example, you have a meeting at 3 pm and you come back from your lunch break at 2 pm, plan a task that is treated relatively quickly so that you are not cut off in your impulse by your meeting.<\/p>\n

If you are lucky enough to be able to work telecommuting one or more days a week, plan long or demanding tasks for that day. Far from the office, you will be less often interrupted and you will be able to devote yourself fully to your task.<\/p>\n

Similarly, I advise you to treat a relatively short task when you arrive at the office, directly, without opening your email box. This will allow you to advance on your schedule, and be ready to welcome new tasks once your e-mail box is opened. Also, it’s good for your morale, because you will be able to tick a task on your to-do list while your day is hardly started.<\/p>\n

Finally, think about whether you like it or not. If you hate doing something, it will be much harder to tackle this task than another. Here too, plan an unpleasant task after a rather easy task, this will allow you to more easily chain your tasks.<\/p>\n

If you’re having trouble to start doing this kind of task and you’re used to pushing them back as much as possible to more pleasant tasks without ever having the courage to do it, you can split them. This works mostly with repetitive tasks<\/strong><\/a>, avoid tasks where you will need to plunge back into what you have done the previous time to avoid wasting too much time. For example, you have to re-contact 50 rather recalcitrant centers for your project. Start by doing one or two and then do something you like, then re-contact a third, and so on. The task will seem less insurmountable since this will constitute the succession of small short tasks and it will be easier to complete it<\/p>\n

For very long tasks, break them down into FSA: the First Smallest Action. Method I learned during a training with Laurence Einfalt.<\/a> This is the first action to be taken to carry out this action. Again, this makes it possible to de-dramatize the task. For example, I have to submit a file to the ANSM? My first smallest action will be to take the list of documents that I have to submit in my file. Once I re-read this list, my next FSA will be to check that I have all the documents on that list. Then ask the promoter for the missing documents and so on.<\/p>\n

Use appropriate tools<\/span><\/h2>\n

Several types of tools exist to organize his time: in paper format or in electronic format, using software… Try different methods and find the one that suits you best.<\/p>\n

If you need to write on a paper format, maybe you’ve heard about the bullet newspaper, bullet like \u00ab\u00a0chip.\u00a0\u00bb This is a method invented by a New Yorker called Ryder Carroll, here is the video in which he explains his concept:<\/p>\n