How To Make To-Do Lists That Aren’t an Art Project

Keeping a Notebook: Week Six

Published in

Startup Grind

5 min readApr 12, 2018

I've mentioned before that I love the idea of a bullet journal, but I really struggle with the execution. Not because it's difficult or not awesome, but because it's so artistic. I don't want to make bullet journaling with fancy layouts, or even basic layouts, my hobby.

Not only do I not have time for that, I don't have the inclination for it.

So here's what I do instead.

In my Everyday Notebook, I keep a running to do list. By running I mean running. Anytime I think of anything at all that needs to be done, that I just want to do, that I don't want to forget, whatever it is, it goes on the Running To Do List part in my notebook.

Then, when I'm filling out my daily docket for the day (which is basically just a daily to-do list), I look at my running list and transfer whatever I need to. Then I cross it off. With a pen. No color coding or hand-drawn symbols for me.

But if that's your thing--if bullet journaling if your hobby and you've got an artistic bent that I just don't--then by all means, color-code away. Make those symbols. Draw those layouts. But the running and daily to-do lists (I call them ta-da lists, because they really work like magic) will work for you either way.

Here's how to get started:

Get out a notebook and make it your Everyday Notebook.
Obviously, I'm partial to ours, but really any notebook you already have will work, or a fifty-cent composition book. It doesn't matter. I like a three-ring binder, because I'm less likely to get don't-want-to-ruin-my-notebook-paralysis if I can add and take out pages easily.

Label a page or a section "Running To Do List."

Dump your brain.
Just all the stuff that you know you need to do, that you want to do, that you keep forgetting about. That phone call you need to return. The bill you need to pay. The appointment you need to make. The research into how much it costs to fly to Paris. Whatever. All of it. Just write it on your list. One item per line.

If you have a very big item, break it down.
Let's say that you've got "paint the bathroom" on your list. You're probably never going to do that in one day. But your brain will see it and keep skipping over it again and again because you can't do it all in one go. So add things like taking everything off the walls, washing the walls, choosing the paint color, taping off the mirror, etc.

Now get yourself a daily docket.
Again, I'm partial to ours, but just a piece of paper with today's date on it will work, too.

Make a ta-da list.
Just a list of everything you need to get done today. What's for dinner, what work you need to do, appointments, soccer practices, writing, whatever. Again, all of it. Look at your Running To Do List and add anything from that list that you'll do today.

When you've moved something to a daily docket, cross it off your Running To Do List.

If you don't actually DO the thing today, that's okay.
No guilt. No shame. When you make tomorrow's docket, just start by moving over whatever you didn't get done today. Write "make a dentist appointment" down every day for a few days and you'll finally get it done. I promise.

And if you really aren't going to do it for a while, maybe one of those “paint the bathroom” steps, you can just add it to the bottom of your Running To Do List again.

That's it. This is how creative, right-brained people actually get shit done.

"Sometimes the very best of all summer books is a blank notebook. Get one big enough, and you can practice sketching the lemon slice in your drink or the hot lifeguard on the beach or the vista down the hill from your cabin." Michael Dirda

There are a bunch of new Everyday Notebooks in our shop. Here are a couple of my favorites.

Janis Joplin:

Michael Jackson:

Also, we have more than 100 different 4X6 refillable notebooks with covers made from vintage paperback books in our shop that are perfect for keeping a to-do list. We'll be adding a bunch more of these.