You know that moment when your to-do list feels like it’s laughing at you? You start Monday with a plan, then watch everything unravel by midweek. Deadlines sneak up, projects overlap, and suddenly you’re just trying to keep your head above water.
That’s where a good system comes in, not just any system, but one that actually works in real life. Enter Steven Teskey and his ClickUp method. People keep sharing it because it takes a tool that can feel complicated and turns it into something simple, practical, and easy to stick with.
So what’s different about his approach? And how can you use it to finally get a handle on your tasks without spending hours setting things up? Let’s walk through it step by step.
Meet Steven Teskey
Before we get into the details, let’s talk about who Steven Teskey is. He’s known for breaking down productivity into clear, doable steps. No over-the-top theory. No “guru” talk. Just real strategies that make managing work and life less stressful.
His focus is on building systems that are easy to maintain. That’s key because most people don’t quit a tool like ClickUp. After all, it’s bad; they quit because it becomes too complicated to use every day. Steven’s goal is to keep things simple enough that you actually stick with them.
Why ClickUp Stands Out
ClickUp is one of the most flexible project management tools around. You can use it to plan school assignments, manage work projects, or even track personal habits. The problem? It has so many features that a lot of people get lost before they even start.
Steven saw this and decided to build a repeatable setup that cuts through the noise. His approach lets you use ClickUp’s power without drowning in it.
Step One: Get Clear on Your Priorities
The first step in Steven’s process isn’t even in ClickUp; it’s on paper or in your head. He asks you to think about what actually matters right now. Are you juggling school and sports? Trying to grow a side hustle? Managing a team at work?
If you don’t define those priorities, you’ll just end up creating random lists that collect dust. Taking ten minutes to get clear keeps you from wasting time on things that don’t move you forward.
Step Two: Build a Simple Space Structure
Once you know your focus areas, you can start building Spaces in ClickUp. Steven recommends keeping these to just a few. Think of them as the “big buckets” of your life.
For example, you might have one space for school, one for work, and one for personal life. Within each Space, you create Folders or Lists to hold more specific projects. This setup is neat and easy to navigate, with no endless scrolling to find what you need.
Step Three: Organize Tasks Into Lists
Lists are where most of the action happens. Steven’s advice here is to make them meaningful. A list should represent a project, client, or subject, not just a random catch-all.
Let’s say you’re a student. You could have a List for each class. If you’re a freelancer, you might have a List for each client. This makes adding new tasks straightforward and keeps everything organized when deadlines start piling up.
Step Four: Use Custom Fields Carefully
ClickUp lets you add extra data to tasks through Custom Fields. That’s powerful, but it can turn into busywork fast if you add too many.
Steven’s approach is to pick only the fields that genuinely help you make decisions. For most people, that means priority, due date, and maybe status. That’s enough to know what matters without spending half your day filling out forms.
Step Five: Choose the Right View for the Job
One of the best features of ClickUp is its different views. You can see tasks in a simple list, a calendar, or a board (like sticky notes on a wall).
Steven encourages experimenting with these views. If you’re planning your week, the calendar view is helpful. If you’re tracking a project from start to finish, the board view shows progress at a glance. Switching views keeps things fresh and helps you see your work in new ways.
Step Six: Automate the Small Stuff
No one wants to spend time dragging tasks from one column to another. That’s where ClickUp’s Automations come in.
Steven suggests setting up small rules that save time. For example, you can have tasks automatically assigned to you when they’re created, or have them move to “In Progress” when you change the status. These little tweaks keep the system running smoothly without constant manual updates.
Step Seven: Do a Weekly Review
Even the best system will get messy if you never check in on it. Steven emphasizes a weekly review as the glue that holds everything together.
This doesn’t need to take long. Spend ten minutes once a week looking over what’s done, what’s still open, and what’s coming up. That way, you start every week knowing exactly what needs your attention.
Step Eight: Customize Without Overcomplicating
The final step is making the system feel like it’s yours. Steven is clear about this; his method is a starting point, not a rulebook.
If a part of the setup feels clunky, adjust it. If you love color-coding tasks, go for it. If you hate notifications, turn them off. The point is to make ClickUp work with your brain, not against it.
The Result: Clarity and Control
When you follow these steps, you start to notice a shift. Your tasks stop living in a dozen different places. You know what’s due today and what can wait. You don’t spend half your time hunting for missing information.
Best of all, the system doesn’t collapse when life gets busy. Because it’s simple, you can keep using it even on your most chaotic weeks.
Practical Tips for Beginners
If this still feels like a lot, start small. Steven often recommends focusing on one Space and one List first. Add tasks as they arise, rather than trying to move your entire life into ClickUp on day one.
You can also challenge yourself to learn one new feature a week. Try Automations for one week, then switch to Calendar view the next, and so on. Slow and steady keeps you from burning out before you see the benefits.
Why This System Works
There’s a reason so many people stick with this approach once they try it. It doesn’t rely on motivation or perfect habits. Instead, it gives you a framework that makes good decisions easier.
When everything you need is in one place and easy to see, you stop wasting energy just keeping track of things. That mental space can go toward doing better work or simply enjoying some time off without worrying you’re forgetting something.
Final Thoughts
At the end of the day, productivity isn’t about doing more just to do more. It’s about creating space to focus on what matters most. Steven Teskey’s ClickUp method helps you do exactly that.
If you’re tired of juggling sticky notes, random apps, and half-finished lists, this approach is worth trying. Start small, keep it simple, and let the system grow with you.
Bottom line: You don’t need a complicated setup to get organized; you just need one that works. Steven Teskey’s framework gives you the tools to turn chaos into order and finally take control of your time.
