The one hack that keeps me beyond organized
I’ve always been a juggler. Not literally, of course, but I have always had many theoretical balls in the air at the same time. In high school I was involved in so many extracurriculars I lose count now. In college I was not only a student, but a waitress, nanny, cheerleader, and TV news intern. In my mid-thirties life, I still follow the same pattern. I’m a wife, mom, adjunct instructor, head of content, freelance writer, and chief organizer of our household (duties include everything from finding/hiring freezer repair people to black-out shade installers & plumbers, to knower of “Do we need toilet paper?” and “Which kid is due for a checkup?”).
I’m also a natural list-maker. I get a very strange and deep satisfaction from crossing things off lists. If you are not, you may not want to keep reading. If you’re intrigued, come on along.
While there are always a million things spinning around in my brain, I’ve found one tool that has kept me organized and focused for years -- TeuxDeux. This isn’t a product placement, or advertisement post, it’s just a “this worked for me, maybe it will help you, too” post. If you’re like me, and you juggle many different things, you’re going to eventually forget something. When I was in the corporate world I relied very heavily on many, MANY, notebooks where I kept all my lists and tasks neatly written from day to day. But then I would inevitably leave my notebook on my desk and want to write something down when I remembered at home later that night. Or I’d miss something on the list and forget to move it to the next week and it would be forgotten until I realized I dropped the ball. A colleague I worked with who was the epitome of organized and on top of her stuff introduced me to TeuxDeux, and I’ve been a convert ever since.
TeuxDeux is exactly what it sounds like -- a virtual to-do list. It is constantly open in one tab of my browser, and I also have the app on my phone, which allows me to write things down as I remember them and have them with me everywhere. I create lists by day, and sub-lists for work vs. home. I use longer-term lists to organize items that don’t necessarily have a due-date, but are things I want to accomplish. For example, writing a letter to a friend I haven’t reached out to in a while, or donating old baby items we no longer need. There’s also important stuff, like pitches I want to write or networking I should do. TeuxDeux also lets you set recurring items, like a weekly call, monthly meeting, or daily tasks. My daily recurrence is to “move your body” -- which I check off if I’ve made myself do yoga or go for a walk, or simply spent some extra time running around after the kids that day.
The gift that TeuxDeux gives me is not only organization, but the optimization of all aspects of my life. Everything is in one spot where I can see it. And the repetition of checking off my to-dos serves to remind me that even the mundane tasks are part of the process of becoming who I want to be and moving me closer to where I want to go.
So, if you’re looking for a way to optimize your work/life, here’s what I love about TeuxDeux:
It offers daily organization, while also letting me see the big picture. I need to pace myself and plan out my days, and the day-by-day design of the lists while also seeing the full week allows me to easily see whether I’m loading up my Monday with too many tasks that I realistically won’t accomplish, and whether another day is light.
What I don’t cross off rolls over. If I don’t get through everything in one day, I don’t stress. TeuxDeux automatically moves it to the next day’s list. I know I won’t forget to do something -- even when I really, really, really want to.
I can set long-term lists. At the bottom of the page (on the computer) there are on-going lists that aren’t date specific. I find these super helpful for items that are not immediately pressing, but that I don’t want to forget. I have populated these with headlines like “To do before the new baby comes” or for moments when I have more time to focus on some life stuff I’ve forgotten [my post-semester teaching list currently includes things like organizing the hall closet and finding a dentist].
It helps me prioritize and compartmentalize. Starting my career in news has me often feeling like EVERY TASK needs to be done immediately. In reality, it doesn’t. I plan out my weeks and if something is listed as a task on Wednesday, I tell myself not to touch it until that day and also -- more importantly -- not to stress about it until then.
The flying cat. Yes, you read that right. Every time you cross off something on the list a cat flies across the screen. If you check off everything on your daily list, there are MANY cats that fly around the screen. I don’t know about you, but I find this cartoon cat celebrating my productivity deeply satisfying.
If you’re also into making lists, give TeuxDeux a try and see if you think it’s as life-changing as I do. And I promise, if all you have crossed off on one day is “shower” -- I’ve been there too. Remember, the process is just as important as the end result.