This page documents my current todo list system.

I have learned a great deal from GTD; one important lesson is that weekly reviews are hard. My method is simple, requires little maintenance, and by its nature resists being implemented in software — which, let’s face it, is more often a time sink than not.

An example

1 • Write wiki page about todo lists
  ✕ Take out the trash
1 - Isn't that kind of a lame topic?
  + Listen to that one album
  > Study Spanish
H • Go to the movies with Horatio
  ☐ Meditate ☑ ☐

The symbols

• A task, a project, anything that needs doing.

- A thought, a note to yourself, etc.

> A task you have postponed.

✕ A task you have completed.

+ A task or note you have filed away elsewhere, and no longer need to worry about for now.

☐ A recurring task. Always leave a fresh checkbox after the task — when you check if off, add a new one.

1 … 9 Numbers in the margin link separate items together. Two tasks with the same number belong to the same project, train of thought, etc. Circle the number if it makes sense to think of that item as the main one.

A … Z Letters in the margin link items to a specific person. If a task involves them, or you are waiting on them for something, put their initial.

This symbology owes a large debt to Bullet Journal. One of its best ideas is the flexibility of the bullet point: you can turn it into any symbol later on.

The process

  1. Start with a blank sheet of paper. A5 is a good size. If the paper is large enough, you may want to make a line down the center so you can fit more items.
  2. Write the date in the top corner so you know what day you started the list.
  3. Write tasks and other items as they come up. Do them, postpone them, etc. Cross out any tasks you decide not to do at all.
  4. When the sheet is full, do the first two steps, then copy all undone tasks to the new sheet.

Depending on how much stuff you have to get done, and how many random thoughts you write down, a medium-size sheet can last anywhere from a day to a week or more.

Every time you roll over your list, you are doing a review. It’s another chance to weigh your priorities, and maybe ask yourself why you’ve written the same task three times and still not gotten around to doing it.

Incoming

✏ Edited