Well, I thought this post had already been done; I’m not sure what happened. (Browser crash, perhaps.) Anyway…
Previous posts talked about my daily pages and my monthly pages. This post will describe my “long-term” to-do list.
For these lists, I use some self-adhesive to-do list sheets from Day-Timer. These can easily be moved around as needed, and I don’t mind throwing them out when one gets really marked up and needs to be replaced. I stick the sheet to the first page in my daily booklet (the one with the “if found, please return to…” section at the top), so I can refer to it easily. “Long-term” is a loose term, because some of the list items are things which need to be taken care of very soon. What this really is, is a list of things I need to do which have not yet been scheduled for a particular day. When I schedule one onto a day’s page, I check it off of this “long-term” list.
To add a few details about my marking:
-If an item requires two lines, I shade in the “check mark” column for the second line. This just helps me to see at a glance that it isn’t two separate items.
-If an item requires a purchase, I put a dollar sign in the margin, so I can see at a glance that it requires money. I know I can just overlook these items when no extra cash is available.
-If an item involves a telephone call, when possible, I jot down the telephone number, as well.
Product used in this post:
I really like the idea of self-adhesive “to do” lists. However, lists can be difficult to manage as important items tend to get lost in the middle somewhere.
I’ve found that lists were not working for me, so I switched to mind mapping for task management. There is a planner that uses a spatial design called The Bubble Planner that I use. It’s laid out more like your desktop, which is an expression of how we think.
This bubble planner looks pretty neat! I think it’s important to note that NOT everyone thinks in pictures, so the bubble planner is probably not for everyone. (I, myself, am a very words-based, linear thinker.) However, it looks like a very important innovation for those who do. Thanks for bringing this to my attention!
I read a book right after starting my Day Planner series which has actually caused me to revamp the way I do some things with my planning, including my long-term to-do list, and I will write about it soon. I thought I needed to finish explaining my then-current system first, though. 🙂