I’ve taken to using my whiteboard as an information radiator.

 An information radiator is a way of visually representing progress – information ‘at a glance’ and for ‘public’ consumption. The latter is less relevant here, but I’ve found that having this information ‘in your face’ is a good way of checking whether I am balancing my time against the important tasks (or big rocks). Incidentally, these are big rocks ‘for the month’ – I refresh the board monthly. This is a higher level than a ‘task list’ in that many of the rocks are not ‘completed’ as such, they may be ongoing activities. I can check I am paying some attention to them (green dots). I also try to read a paper a day and that is represented at the bottom. Of course, the rocks could also include personal priorities such as fitness, reading, spending time with family and so on. Like any tool, it should be adapted to fit – and I expect my own use to evolve over time too. So far, it’s proving surprisingly effective.