Every day there is a new productivity tool or method. A new youtube video about how some joblo organizes their day. Look at this new notes app, it screams at you when you don’t update it enough.
If your day is larger than a post it note, you are attempting to do too much with your day.
Call it, pocket-sized productivity. I’m trying to keep everything I need to do in a day/ week into the span of pages in a 3X5 weekly planner. Anything more than that is too much.
I’ve highlighted this before in how apps aren’t really solving any problems. At least, not any of MY problems.
Point being: your day should fit on a 2-inch by 2-inch post it note. This way, you can throw away your day when you are done with it. Or, I suppose, you can keep it posted in a notebook somewhere for posterity’s sake.
A few caveats:
- The stuff on the note is more of the “header” for what is happening that day. “Thanksgiving dinner at Johnny’s House” makes it to the note, but the little reminders might live elsewhere – the time and address, what you need to bring, recipe ingredients, who else might be there, etc. – is better left to a larger bit of paper.
- However – the run to the store to get the recipe ingredients would likely be its own “task” or header.
- Use normal handwriting. What’s the point in cheating this if you write really small to pack in a ton of stuff? Let’s be real, maybe two or three things happen in a day.
- “real” things. I’m not so dense as to suggest this system covers morning routines or cooking dinner. Who realistically forgets “everyday” stuff?” If you do tend to forget this sort of thing, then this isn’t for you. I don’t know what is, but not you.
- No, it does not have to be a sticky note. No, this does not need to be perfect.
Pictured: this week in my pocket-planner. Hand for size reference. Small, seemingly empty, but still a busy week.
