When your kids are out of school, things can feel a little haphazard. A lot of parents I know are racing to cram the April school break with Family Days Out. But the assumption that you, the mum or dad, are solely responsible for planning activities doesn't really help anyone.

It puts the pressure on you, and it plops your children into the proverbial backseat. They shrug and assume that someone else is responsible for the joys and disappointments of their lives.

For everyone subscribed to the philosophy of GTD, myself included, task managers are essential to managing the process digitally. Of course, they're only useful if you actually use them, as evidenced by the trail of task managers I've left in my wake as I search for one with the right combination of cross-platform access, easy task management, and a little bit of sharing functionality. It would also help if it were in a place I wouldn't forget about (or avoid) such as my web browser.

Sometimes (or maybe all too often), you have to churn out work to tight deadlines. The Done Manifesto is a set of working rules based on a sense of urgency. There's no time for careful deliberation - the key is to get it done and move on.

You don't hear a lot of people talk about the Getting Things Done productivity system any more. It isn't as colourful or Insta-friendly as the Bullet Journal, and although various apps have claimed to "work with GTD", they have all fallen slightly short -- because, at its core, GTD is analogue.

It's a system that works less well if you let Gmail automatically sort your email into categories, or if you let an app scan your docs to pull out to-dos or calendar items, since the whole point of GTD is that you are actively tracking and collecting every task, responsibility or concern (AKA "Open Loop") that comes your way. You have to review every email and write down every appointment, because if you spend any time worrying whether an app has neglected to auto-schedule something, that's an Open Loop that's taking up space in your mind and preventing you from getting something else done.

As more of us are working remotely these days, more digital task managers are offering collaborative features like sharing specific tasks, commenting on tasks and making shared to-do lists within your team.

One of my favourite things to do on a lazy Friday afternoon (when I should be working, but I have a few posts already done in advance and my mind is wandering a bit) is to do a "brain dump."

Everyone struggles with procrastination now and then, sometimes because the stress about starting a task keeps us from acting. David Cain points out at Raptitude, however, that the moment you start acting is the beginning of the end of that anxiety.

Trello is an awesome project management tool that makes collaboration easy and, dare I say, even fun. But this visual list tool can do so much more, whether you're organising work projects, family chores, travel plans or just about anything else. Here are some ways to put Trello to use for managing your entire life.

RestartGTD's Bill Meade obviously thinks a lot about GTD (Getting Things Done), and so his workspace has been adjusted and updated over the years for the most productive workflow. This is the latest iteration.

When you're playing a video game, you become completely absorbed in what you're doing, and you're completing tasks while time is flying by. Using some of the principles game designers use, you can apply that same concept of flow to your work.

Unless you're very lucky, chances are you have some work you want to do and some work you have to do. Break each hour into 45-minute and 15-minute slots to do your creative assignments and get through your must-do work items.

Web: GTDNext is a to-do list web app that makes it easy to manage your tasks based on the principles of the Getting Things Done (GTD) productivity method, especially if you're new to it.

Android/iOS/OSX: If you prefer the GTD Philosophy, 2Do might be the best tool to help you organise your time. It's both a calendar and task management app, with some powerful features that make planning easy.

Our brain can fool us into not being as productive as we should. To counter that, you should trick your brain. So, when you have a long-term project, set a deadline for any task that has to be done in the "now".

It's common to reach the end of the day and realise you've hardly accomplished anything. This object demonstration shows why you should tackle the big tasks first thing in the morning.

We all have tasks we don't want to do, from getting out of bed to an inordinate amount of paperwork. One way to force yourself to do the deed is to set up a mental trigger: count to five and do it.

Disorganisation can waste a lot of time (and cause a lot of stress). Productivity consultant Ann Gomez suggests adopting the "one-touch rule": process that task the first time you touch it.

Everyone has a backlog of work they need get done at one time or another, but actually getting to it can be a daunting task. One way you can help yourself take it on is by imagining you're preparing for holidays and you need to get it done before you leave.

The Pomodoro Technique can help you power through distractions and get things done in short bursts. If you have a job that expects you to meet deadlines, it's a great way to get through your tasks. Let's break it down and see how you can apply it to your work.