The Art of the To-Do List

One of my very first posts in my first year of blogging was on to-do lists. I still adore the to-do list; while it’s definitely not a new idea to stay on top of life and stay organized, there’s something to be said about making (and keeping) a to-do list on a daily or weekly basis. Keeping lists, at least for me, is crucial since I work from home.

Now, I definitely feel like there are different methods to keeping lists. In today’s post, I want to share some methods I’ve discovered with you, and you can modify them for your needs as you see fit. I’m going to also rank them from simple to more elaborate.

Good ol’ Notepads

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, right? The notepad is a good way to keep daily lists running, especially since you normally toss a sheet of notepaper (and by notepaper, in this case, I mean tear-off pads and sticky notes) once it’s done.

Plus, there are some cute notepads out there.

Like this one.

So, in short, notepads are good for:

• Short-term, day-by-day tasks
• Grocery/shopping lists
• Quick reminders and notes (stick them to your mirror or nightstand)

A Dedicated To-Do List Notebook

I consider this a step up from the traditional notepad in that you wouldn’t tear out these pages. Instead, you would keep track of your lists in a dedicated space.

When I was in middle school, we were actually required to keep one of these for homework. I actually wound up keeping this method through my college years, just because it was awesome having a list specifically for these tasks. For college, what I would do is go to the library, outline what I would do, and then highlight each task as I got it done. It kept me productive during my dedicated study sessions.

This one I bought for my last year of college was from May Designs.

I guess the 2013 me never got around to Labs 5B and 7B that day, ha!

The to-do list notebook is good for:

• Student things (homework, tasks, meetings, etc.)
• Keeping track of what you did during a given week

Within Your Agenda or Planner

Like to keep everything condensed in one spot? The planner method is for you.

I currently keep to-do lists in my Erin Condren planner. I use the vertical layout and dedicate one box to to-do lists. And it’s been a wonderful thing to see what I’ve needed to do not only during a given day, but within the context of a week.

Also, you can use this method in weekly and hourly layouts, too. It’s all up to you.

So, use the planner method for:

• Keeping both calendar events and to-do list items in the same place
• Keeping track of items throughout a week
• Making lists of things to get done during your week without assigning them to a specific day (Erin Condren planners have a sidebar that’s great for this, but other planners have space for this, too…shop around and see what you like.)

Bullet Journal!

Do you like to get creative? Say hello to your new little friend: the Bullet Journal.

The Bullet Journal, a system created by Ryder Carroll, pretty much turns your calendar and to-do list items into a huge listing system, and it’s a phenomenal tool for tons of people. A quick search on Pinterest for bullet journaling has some of the most beautiful artwork and layouts I’ve ever seen.

I’ve dabbled in this system before, and while it’s not the best system for me to use as my only planner (since it’s tricky to plan ahead with it), I will say that it’s amazing for keeping lists and tracking habits, as well as itemizing collections and things you want to do. Plus, I recommend using the bullet journal system if you’re a writer (for more info, check out my post here).

Bullet journaling would be a great fit for you for:

• Simplifying your planning and list systems into one notebook
• Keeping track of habits and things you want to see and do (especially on a monthly basis)
• If you love being creative with your listing, planning, and tracking (especially if you love the idea of a blank canvas to do it all in)

How do you keep to-do lists? Let’s talk about it! :)