How to Use a Post-it Note To Do List System
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Looking for a new way to spice up your daily to do’s and home organization? Check out this Post-it Note To Do List system to help you track your daily, weekly, and monthly things to do.
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Are you tired of fumbling for stray bits of paper or a ratty notepad for keeping track of the things you need to do each day?
Is your list app so full you can’t organize tasks in a way that works for you?
Are you scrambling to find the motivation to do your household tasks?
Forget motivation. What you really need is a system.
When you have a system in place that works, rain or shine, you don’t need to worry about finding that misplaced motivation. Systems are habits that get the work done for you.
And this post-it note to-do list system is it!
Why Use a Post-it Note To-Do List
It’s simple.
Likely you’ve seen those complex planner systems at the store that promise to help you get your life together or watched the reels of someone’s fancy schmancy bullet journal. Overwhelming systems don’t help someone already overwhelmed.
The beauty of the post-it note to-do list is that it’s incredibly simple. Just one 3-inch square to help you focus on what needs to get done today.
How to Implement the Post-it Note To-Do List
1. Write out all the things that need to do done this month.
Seriously. Don’t worry about organizing any of it, just get it out of your head.
The actual act of writing the list can help you problem solve and organize all the swirling in your head. After that the list serves as reminder of what needs to be done as well as a herald of accomplishment when you can cross that thing off the list.
2. Isolate what needs to get done this week.
Review your monthly list and prioritize. What is top level and what can wait for later?
Move the most pressing things for this week over to the weekly column.
3. Choose just a few things to do today.
That’s it. Just a few things. You can’t choose more than fits on the post-it note.
This idea originated in this book, write your daily “to do’s” on a Post-it note. If it can’t fit on that itty bitty square, it can’t fit in your day.
The small size of the post-it note forces you to focus. You don’t bite off more than you can chew. And you can get stuff done!
Psst, overacheiver, if you want to do more and you finish what’s on the post-it note, you can always get a new sticky note.
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Tips for Success
- Real Post-it notes work better than the knock-offs. No, this isn’t a sponsored post, but I’ve observed that my “store brand” sticky notes just don’t stick as well as the real McCoy. Consider this as you shop and maybe snatch up a bunch of new Post-its during the back to school sales that are going on now. Get the 3×3 size.
- The section for “this week” is exactly 3×5 inches. Reader Laurie tipped me off that Post-it does, indeed make 3×5 sizes. I didn’t dig deep enough on their site, apparently. I found a 3×5 pad on Amazon.
- Do you need to use post-its? No, you can use other paper but the bright colors sure are cute!
But wait, there’s more!
What if you had a PLANNER that incorporated all this beauty to help you manage all the things in a quick and easy way?
Over the last few years, I’ve come to love my Post-it Note To Do List system so much, that I worked it into the design of my very favorite organizing tool, the Print & Go Planner.
The planner includes a master copy of the original Post-it Note To Do List as well an weekly adaptation that includes a meal planner. Whoo hoo!
I promise you will love this planner. Click here to learn more.
More Ways to Organize Your Day
What do you think?
I’d be honored if you chimed in the comments section. What do you think?
This post was originally published July 19, 2014. It has been updated for content and clarity.
Love this idea! I use an Erin Condren planner, and I love it, but I also love seeing other other people make lists and plan their lives! Thanks for sharing this with us.
This looks like something that could work for me! I also need to change up the look of my list every so often, and this is very appealing right now.
I did go looking and found several 3×5 options, including a couple that are unlined:
http://www.post-it.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/PostItNA/Home/Products/~/Post-it-Products?N=4327+4294850662&rt=r3
Maybe that will help.
Thanks!
Thank you for the tip! I found one on Amazon for a dollar! http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0016P4F8Q/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0016P4F8Q&linkCode=as2&tag=oflwtf-20&linkId=A25Y6PSPM7AXS74K (affiliate link)
Any recommendations for the base of this planner?
I’m not exactly sure what you mean. I’m using it on a clipboard right now. I may move it into my household notebook when I make my new one for the year.
Sorry should have clarified that- what do you use as your household notebook?
Here’s my household notebook stuff: http://lifeasmom.com/2012/08/time-to-reset-your-household-notebook.html
I’m printing this out to give it a try. Right now, I just do a big brain dump very early Sunday morning and think thru everything happening during the week. Then, I assign days to those that are time-sensitive, then just get a few other things done each day.
I *love* this! My sticky notes are all over the place — they need a home! — and my listmaking got so out of control that I’ve stopped altogether. And feel completely scattered as a result. I’ve already printed out my first sheet and plan on implementing it immediately. Thank you for sharing!
Ooooooooo……….I am HAPPY to test this out for you! Love that the monthly goals/todos will be recorded and saved!
I’ve bought these at Dollar General. Love them!
http://www.quill.com/post-it-lined-notes/cbs/056417.html
Those will work; they will be a bit wide on the sides, though.
Thanks! I need a different change of pace b/c my old system isn’t working for me any longer. Can’t wait to try this out (and it’s a great excuse to buy more Post-Its!).
I love this idea! I read your original post about starting a Post It to-do list. But, when I thought about trying that myself I thought it would be too messy having a Post It hanging around, not to mention with kittens and toddler it would wind up lost!
But, this new system of sticking a week’s set of goals to a larger printed sheet that details what you might need to accomplish over the full month, I like this tremendously! I printed a sheet out for each month for the rest of this year. I am going to try putting this baby to the test. With us currently in the process of building our new home we have so much going on from multiple angles, this thing is really going to be tested at our house.
My current system I have been using for quite awhile. I have a “sticky note” on the front page of my phone with tasks I want to accomplish. The top section is to do’s for now, the bottom section to do’s for the long term like our house progress, future tasks, things to remember.
Let me know how it goes!
I think I could really like this system. After you mentioned using a Post-It for a daily To Do list, I tried it one day this past week. I accomplished all but one thing on the list! I also found it interesting that the day I saw your Post-It picture there were several things I had done that day that were on your list! Right down to the banana bread! Ha! I am great at trying to cram too many tasks in one day, so putting a daily To-Do list on Post-It makes sense to me. Thank you for the download!
Oh my you live my life!! I like the idea of the daily being moveable to change daily while keeping the week and mm month ongoing. I may need some lines, for my brain, in the month and week section.
This might also work with shopping lists… I get paid once a month so a couple weeks before I start my payday list. Then as I work my schedule for the day and plan to shop at Aldis or BJs I can grab that portion of the list. Hmmmm…
Can’t wait to hear how you tweak it!