It all began with finding out that personal organizers are available in small, pocket size. I used to have one in A5 size back in high school, but then I already had a school bag packed with books that I had to carry around, so it was not such a huge extra. Then I grew up, started to work and wear chic bags (well, chicer than a school bag anyway) where an organizer does not fit. I am also very modern, so who needs paper-based stuff these days? When you have a Google Calendar, tons of task apps, note apps, reminder apps and whatnot to remember everything for you?
It turns out, I do. Task apps simply do not satisfy all my needs for constantly organizing, reorganizing, and replanning my life, not to mention the countless occasions when I need to jot down something quickly, usually longer than a few words. Writing down an idea for, say, my book or my blog, using my smart phone is horror. It takes tons of time and cursing as the software tries to guess the words I need. I might never have found out the most practical way to handle these problems without this post, which changed my life in many ways. My tasks and deadlines don’t stress me the way they used to and my future ideas all have their blank space to fall into.
I (yes, I!) have even bought fancy-looking paper and cut out the dividers, then I added little icons (cut out and glued on with my own hands) to maximize transparency and my eagerness to check the thing every now and then. I have
- a calendar section more for tasks than for events (for that purpose, Google Calendar works just fine)
- another task section for to-dos that don’t claim a spot in my calendar (yet)
- a ‘check this out every day’ section with positive sentences (call me a dreamer but it works), my short-, mid-, and long-term goals, stuff I should do every morning/day/evening (habits being born), and quotes I think are worth re-reading every once in a while
- and of course, the section for notes, a new page for each topic of my life.
The result? Less freaking out from those lurking little thoughts at the back of my mind – you know, the feeling when you know you are forgetting something, but you have no idea what. I know how each of my tasks relate to the goals I set for the week/month/year/life and see this at once thanks to the colour marks. It all suits my life perfectly and I can change it anytime when something in my life changes.
Does it take time? Yes. Does it take less time and worrying than keeping things in mind or in apps and on notes lying around? Definitely. 🙂
Judit's Thought Factory 