Get Everything Done

I want to make a compendium of the minor additions one can introduce into a list system. I consider these "QOL tweaks" to be things you can add to an existing system that does not change the rules but rather assists one's use of it in some way.


1. Closing the list at the end of the day/beginning of the day with a line.

Pretty self-explanatory on how to do it. The advantages of this are that you will have a rough gauge of how old tasks are at a glance, and can greatly assist in fostering new good daily habits.

If you want a way to visually indicate what the latest line is, use a differently colored pen/marker/highlighter for the latest line, then overwrite with your usual pen color the previous one. If you want to be more precise on knowing the age of the remaining tasks in your list, add dates to the lines.


2. Groupings.

I like indicating which tasks make up an larger group of them by preceding such tasks with a short abbreviated title enclosed in parentheses. For example, my morning tasks include "(Morn) Coffee", "(Morn) Meds", "(Morn) Exercise", "(Morn) Prayers".

I credit this tweak for never leaving any unwashed dishes after every meal LOL.

These work synergistically with closing lists with lines at the end of the day.


3. Punctuation at the beginning of the task item.

These are nifty shortcuts you can use to categorize some tasks. Use them sparingly though or your list can easily become a confusing mess!

For my own use, these include "◉" (encircling the dot of the task I am currently working on) to mark my position in the list, "?" for things I need research on, "#" for tasks I had to cut short for some reason but I want to go back to ASAP, and "+" for other tasks that help me in my current task.


4. Stalactite/Stalagmite.

This is a way to write two types of list on the same page, for example a list for work and a list for home. One list you write from the beginning down, and the other from the end up. When the two lists meet you draw a line between them.


5. Nested lists.

You can make lists, for example checklists and grocery lists, of things to do in a separate sheet. You can add items anytime into such lists. You then add the title of the list to your main list and turn to it when it gets selected.


Anybody else have QOL tweaks of their own?