To Do or not To Do

Recently I have tapped into the power of the "To Do" list. In the past I have been unsuccessful at keeping up with my to do lists, but I want to share with you some tips that have helped me stay consistent.

What I did differently was simple. I got a to do list widget for my computer at work. It stayed on my desktop and I always had it right in front of me. I believe this helped for two reasons. First, it was fun to use. I'll admit I find joy in the simple things, such as clicking little boxes and watching those items vanish and that feeling of satisfaction as I shorten my list. It's great.

Second, because it was on my desktop and open all the time I was reminded constantly of the things I needed to do.

This widget I started using had some design flaws that slowly made it annoying to use so I switched to just keeping multiple notepad windows open on my desktop. This worked for a couple of months. I had plenty of space and each window had a different topic of to dos. Gradually, I realized the flaws of this method. My computer restarted and I lost my work because I didn't save it, and it made my desktop really cluttered. So after a time of using this method I discovered Evernote. With Evernote I had an app on my computer, laptop, and smartphone which would all sync automatically. This really improved things a lot. I use Evernote to take lecture notes as well. It's designed beautifully and it is fairly intuitive and extremely useful. While Evernote has many useful features, I find that it's sort of like an Android device. There are a TON of features. All useful, but it makes using the application somewhat of a chore at times.

Currently I have started using the apple app "Reminders" for my to do lists. It is incredibly simple and uncluttered. The app shows me I have items to complete on the icon in my phone and on my mac. And I use Evernote for...notes. It makes sense seeing as how each of these applications are targeted for a specific use.

I have one more tip that I read in an article. Make sure that your to do lists include fun things that you want to do. That way when you look at your list it won't be so much of a chore. This will help you stay consistent. I have noticed realized the truth of this in my own life. Now go get to making those to dos!