To-do lists are legitimately the only reason my head has been able to stay on its shoulders for as long as it has. I have a million and one things to do/remember/keep track of, so it is truly the only way I am able to manage my life without forgetting the important things. 

To-do lists are legitimately the only reason my head has been able to stay on its shoulders for as long as it has. I have a million and one things to do/remember/keep track of, so it is truly the only way I am able to manage my life without forgetting the important things. 

Anyone who knows me knows that I keep reminders for myself everywhere. If i’m sitting in class and think of something, I’ll jot it down on a notecard and put it in my backpack. At the end of the day, when I see it in my bag, I’ll remember to do whatever I wrote down.

Now, of course, not everyone works this way. I’ve relied on these since I was really young. I leave notes on my door, on my laptop, even sometimes on the floor – because I’ll see it and be like, “What is this doing down here?”

Some things to remember when making a solid to do list are:

1) Put it in a place you will see it. It doesn’t help when it’s under a pile of books or in a drawer, now does it?!

2) Anything can go on a to-do list. Referring to mine now, I have everything from “update résumé” to “rotate tires”. Anything I think of that is important, I just add to the list.

3) Prioritize. This is probably the most important and also something we can easily forget. I recently developed a method of highlighting my items in order of importance as follows: 
High importance = yellow
Medium importance = orange
Low importance = pink
I used a key at the top, just so I don’t forget which is which. I also put asterisks next to the items that have deadlines. You obviously can use whichever colors or style you like, but this really seemed to work for me. I know that I am a visual person, so this type of thing really helped me stay organized and see what is most important and necessary.

4) Try and do the tougher things first. This seems dreadful, but thing of how good it will feel to only have to worry about the little things!

5) Don’t be so hard on yourself! With your hectic schedule, it can be hard to remember and find time for everything. Just do the best you can, and be realistic with yourself.

Hope this helps! Maybe it’s just my inner dork coming out, but there really is no better feeling than crossing an item off.

What do you do to stay organized? Do to-do lists help you?

Truly,
Taylor