Make a Plan... Then Throw it Out the Window

I'm a little, what some might say, flighty.  I can get distracted pretty easily; and, if I don't have a task in front of me, I have a tendency to sit down and surf the internet.  Not to mention the short people, with their needs, oh god their needs.  Seriously, how many times do you need to be escorted to the potty before you take yourself, bro? Anyway, I get distracted.  It's a problem.  

And like every other human being, I really like instant gratification.  Accomplishing a goal, winning at life, it makes me happy and keeps me motivated.

That's why I love checklists.  When I am working I make lists of tasks to get done and put little boxes next to them so that a) I can see the tasks amidst the other notes; and b) so that I can have the pleasure of checking off a box once I have completed the task.  At my last job one of my bosses used to laugh at me and my pages and pages of boxes.  "Not more boxes!" he would laugh at the end of a staff meeting.

At home there are very few deadlines though, no one looking over your shoulder asking for the TPR report.  And I found myself staring at facebook instead of, you know, doing dishes.  So, a couple weeks ago I realized I needed a checklist for my days at home.  Here's what I've been using:

Here's a link to the .pdf - Link Here

Each page is for two days, I usually print 2 pages at a time and sketch in my week, Monday through Thursday.  I like being able to keep upcoming events front and center, since preparing for events and deadlines will be my first To Dos.  

The To Dos section is inspired by some productivity theory I read somewhere that you can reasonably get 1 big thing, 2 medium things, and 3 little things done in a day.  If you have one mammoth project, try breaking it out into pieces that fit into medium or small, to make progress on that goal each day.

The Daily Tasks section is my list of daily routine stuff. For most people these tasks probably go without saying, but I really like the little boost from marking them off each day, plus, I get peace of mind knowing that yes, yes I did feed the dogs today.

And the Wellness section is pretty self explanatory, but I like keeping that stuff front and center throughout my day to help stay aware of my intake.

So far this template is working really well.  Doing a little each day is getting stuff accomplished.  And having a dashboard to turn to whenever I start feeling the need to sit down helps me keep moving in a forward direction.  Of course, then this happens and your day is shot,

That's fingerpaint and my hallway floor, btw.

but at least you had a plan to begin with, right?