(Please excuse the lack of pics on today's post, but I was out of time. Hope you will still read it, though.)
Sometimes a system that was once infallible, will stop working. Just like life, I guess.
When I used my Filofax, I had a separate section dedicated to my To Do lists. It was a glorious time for I was able to tick around 98% of the items listed in a timely fashion.
After a while though, I would forget to check that section, which resulted in many tasks not done. So I resorted to writing them on the day spaces of my diary section. This was probably the method that best worked, as I would see each day what had to be done.
But that also stopped working, or should I say, I slowly grew undisciplined that I stopped doing them, and eventually I even stopped writing them down.
For what seems to me an eternity I allowed myself to slack. I only pencilled in very important tasks, such as paying the rent and house bills. The other stuff I would just remember to do them - and DO them that moment, or as soon as I re-remembered them. It was chaos. The house started to get messier, I stopped planning my stationery projects, lost contact with online peeps.
I knew I had to tackle this, but wasn't sure how. So I took the 'one step at a time' approach. In my sidekick notebook, I would write down a couple of things or chores I had to do, and really work towards getting them done. Slowly, slowly, I started to feel more encouraged to do those tasks, and without even noticing, I'd be adding more items to the list.
Now I suddenly find myself wanting to prepare my list the day before. Yet I find myself undecided as to how to do this! Should I write them on my daily spaces inside my planner? Or inside my sidekick notebook?
The problem I see in both choices:
Planner: I might not check it daily, and thus not get things done.
Sidekick: the tiny OCD part in my brain doesn't allow me to use it for future stuff. Every day I start by writing the date and then listing what I have or want to do on the day. Not tomorrow, not next week. If I haven't done all the day's tasks, I write an X next to them, and they are added to my list on the next day.
But I think the main reason I don't prepare my list the day before is because I do not want to be overwhelmed by the stuff I need to do.
Huh? What do you know! I think I just answered my own question! I guess I'll just keep with my current system for a while.
2 comments:
This is exactly why I have to write my to-do lists on my weekly planner pages (in the notes space, not on particular days). If I write them in a separate section, I forget to look. If I write them on a particular day and then don't do it that day, it falls into The Abyss.
When I have my To Dos on my weekly spread, they are in front of me all the time so they don't get forgotten. I can see when during the week I'll have time to slot them in.
The exception, of course, is when I have to do a task on a particular day. Then it does get written onto that day's space.
It took me years, literally, of trying dozens of planner formats before I finally accepted that I must have my To Dos on my weekly spread! Once I accepted that, everything worked better!
Hi Laurie!
I remember how you always said you're an "out of sight, out of mind" person, and I think I'm starting to become one myself. I haven't even opened my planner today! I know it's not the planner, it's me. I guess I just need to be more disciplined :)
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