Simple Organizing: "To Do" Lists Keep me Sane.

To Do List

photo: http://winweight.net/weight-loss-to-do-list/

The way I maintain my sanity and compensate for my ailing memory is by writing notes to myself. I used to laugh when I would visit my mom and she had “post it” notes by the telephone, on the refrigerator, on the door... I would say, “Can’t you remember anything?” and her reply was simply, “No.”

Now, I do the same thing. I even have a sticky notes post in my car. I have a note pad by my bed, anywhere that an idea or a “thing that needs to be done” may suddenly pop into my head. I have a note pad ready to catch it. 

I can’t wait until I am eligible for an upgrade on my cell phone. I am definitely getting the sticky pad app. I also can’t wait until I can link my phone calendar with my computer calendar. But for now I’ll make due with my old fashion system of collecting all of these notes and putting them into a basket each night. Then I sort through them. I add things “to do” to my “Master to Do” list and I put ideas for work on another sheet. It is helpful to keep about 3 separate “Master to Do” lists: home, work, and personal.

Every day I take 1-3 things “to do” from a master list and put it on to my “Daily to Do” list. The important thing to remember is to never take anything off of the master list until you have actually done it. Life is just not that predictable. We don’t always end up with the time to do everything. 

No stress, just try for another day. By keeping the item on the master list you will not loss sight of the task. I really recommend trying to keep “to do” lists. It really does help relieve stress to have everything written down. Especially on those days when you wake up feeling anxiety. You know there is something you need to do, but you’re just not sure what it is... because you didn’t write it down.
copyright 2012