temporary to-do's

it's no big secret that i currently have a lot on my plate - motherhood, planning for a big move this summer across the country, every day life stuff.

it's also no big secret that i enjoy being organized.

with everything resting on my shoulders, i have lists and lists galore. those lists are working for me, but my recent struggle has been funneling those lists down into the big question ...

"what am i going to do TODAY?". 

i'm all about taking it one day at a time - especially in this phase we are in. so, what i had been doing was consulting my wunderlist each night after the kids were in bed. i would scan my various lists and start my to-do list for the next day, but suddenly i felt unmotivated. almost overwhelmed. then i remembered i had written down a few to-do's while sitting in the carpool line. those were more important tasks that should get done immediately. and because motherhood is my ultimate job, with the blog taking a back seat, while sitting in carpool i also realized i wasn't sure what i would blog about tomorrow (if i had time to blog, that is). oh, and don't forget to call that school to set up a tour!

*deep breath*

when things get too overwhelming, visuals calm me down. i decided before i let the lists really get to me that i should look into something visual to hang in the office. but we are currently living in a rental house so the idea of hammering nails into a wall wasn't going to work.

i set off to browse my pinterest boards. with all of the organization-related pins, i was sure to find some inspiration there. this cute little goal list has been on my organization board for months and i thought it was genius when i first laid eyes on it...

Source: cornflowerbluestudio.blogspot.ca via Samantha on Pinterest

i think that version is great on a small scale, but i am keeping track of several areas so i need something a little bigger.

i love this version from alejandra...

Source: alejandra.tv via Samantha on Pinterest

but i don't have quite as much to stay on top of as she does.

then i remembered an e-mail i received a few weeks ago from a big chain office supply store. turns out post-it is now selling their popular sticky notes in an enlarged version. when i say enlarged, think BIG...

yes, this 11" x 11" pad is pretty big...

and while that is super cool, think even BIGGER. think post-it's on human growth hormone or steroids...

yes, friends. 22" x 22" of post-it beauty.

it's the lance armstrong of the post-it note world.

sorry to the lance fans out there.

you can see here just how big these post-it's are compared to their original size...

i grabbed both large pads from office depot, the only place around here i could locate them. and i was so excited to get a few sheets up on the wall and put them to work for me....

after looking over my lists and lists and even more lists, i decided (for now) to break down my sections into home / move and blog. then i added 2 side notes - one for today to-do's and the other for things i need to do tomorrow. i like to look at the "tomorrow" section as my staging area. :-)

i may end up adding a 3rd side area titled "weekend" just so i have something to look forward to. kinda like my dangling carrot. we'll see.

and that's the beauty of this system - because these are temporary adhesive pages hanging on the wall, they can be quickly and easily changed around. without nails!

for the time being i've structured this system in a way that makes me feel successful. not overwhelmed! it's set up as a weekly system. here's how it works:

* anything hanging on the big blue post-it are tasks that need to get done within the next 5-7 days. i can add more things during the week as they pop into mind, arrive via e-mail, or come home in backpacks.

* each night i will grab a few things to do the next day. it will be a mix - things that must get done and maybe 1 or 2 things from my very long lingering to-do lists, like making those nutrition copies for our son's therapist. that task has been on my list since we took him to see a nutritionist, but because this isn't something mandatory and is something nice i offered to do for her files, it's not on the top of my priority list.

*i've told promised myself a limit of 5 to-do's each day - a mix of things that must get done and things hanging around the to-do list. this will ensure i won't feel burned out and stressed. instead i will feel accomplished and successful!

* i can also put a few things on the tomorrow section so i have an idea of what to prepare for tomorrow.

easy.

this section is much fuller now that i had a few e-mail exchanges with our real estate agent, but here is the home / move section up close...

and i love this little blog section...

i've added to this section ONLY the topics i'll be working on over the next week. this is not my hopes and dreams and goals for the blog. too overwhelming. remember, one week at a time here!

yes, a few have been blurred out...i have to keep some surprises. :-)...

it's hanging right above the desk where i can see it and feel motivated...

the supply of smaller sized post-it's, flags and a pen are sitting in a tin bucket below the wall system ($1 from the target dollar section)...

here is what i did today...

feeling accomplished and less-stressed already. :-)

this is a great permanent or temporary solution - whether you own a home or are renting. i'm personally excited about this because we're renting and didn't want to bang up the walls with a new system. if you are looking for a to-do visual of your own, i hope this simple idea is useful!

have a great weekend!

(i linked up with serenity now, lizmarieblog, tatertots & jello, it's overflowing, a bowl full of lemons, bower power)