October 30, 2011
Today is Checklist Day. I’m recapping in my mind and writing here about the “mini checklist” I use.
It’s simple. It’s what I call my poor man’s Filofax.
Each day I put into my pocket, usually a shirt pocket, a single sheet of A4 paper (if in the UK) or letter paper (is in U.S.).
I write the date, day, and where I am that day in the upper right corner.
It’s very free form from there.
First I usually list out to-dos for the day.
Then, as the day moves along, each time a new idea pops into my mind — another to-do or a brilliant thought — I write it on the paper.
This gives me great peace of mind. The thought is no longer clogging up my mind. Yet it has not been lost and will get done.
When it gets done, I have the thrill of checking it off the checklist.
Sometimes, when I’ve done something that’s not on the checklist, I write it on the checklist even after it’s done so I can have the thrill of checking it off.
At the end of the day, the paper gets filed. The day is over.
This system is helpful for compartmentalizing my life — living in day-tight compartments — living one day at a time.
For me, this single sheet for each day is better than a notebook. It’s easier to carry than a notebook. And losing it is not such a catastrophe compared to losing a notebook.
Grover
