Why Only One To-Do List Really Matters

A planner and bullet journal stacked on top of a Bible to represent the one to-do list that really matters

Ah, the to-do list, a sometimes random brain dump of to do’s. Always growing, never finished. Maybe you have multiple lists. But today I’m going to share about the one to-do list that really matters.

Hard-boiled eggs. Blueberries. Water new rhodies. Wash sheets. Cleaners. Write 1,000 words. Prep for Bible study. Organize recipes.

Today. Tomorrow. Sometime soon.

Check, check, check. Done, done, done.

Music to my ears. It’s my thing. I absolutely love to check things off a list. Sometimes I write something down — even after I’ve done it — just to check it off my list. I know I’m not alone here, right?

Along with this desire to get stuff done is a desire to stay organized.

My Journey to Staying Organized

The Franklin Planner Years

I’ve always had a planner of some sort. Years ago — and this really dates me — I loved the Franklin Planner system. We actually had a store in our mall, and I could spend hours browsing the notebooks, pages, and all kinds of organizational tools. That was in the dinosaur days before Google calendars, iPhone notes, and a bazillion beautiful planners online and in office supply stores.

Palm Pilot Era

I loved my Palm Pilot. If you’re a Gen X-er, you probably never heard of it. Launched in 1997, it was a dream for geeky organizational moms like me. The best thing it did? I created a monthly reminder for the days I knew I’d be moody and super frustrated with my kids’ messy rooms or the cluttered kitchen counter. It saved all of us from a lot of craziness.

And All the Other Tricks and Tools

I have 30-year-old books about how to organize calendars, kitchens, closets.

When the Getting Things Done system hit the shelves in 2001, I snatched that one.

I’ve tried big desk calendars like my father used, wall calendars, Post-its, white boards, monthly and weekly and little and big and digital. I’ve used pretty and practice. Spiral and three-ring. All of it. Some things worked for years. Some I ditched in a couple months. Not for me. Some worked well in different seasons of my life and not in others.

I tried going one-hundred percent digital for a few years, and then learned how I missed the act of putting pen or pencil or colored pencil to paper, so I returned to a planner.

Over the years, I juggled, I struggled, I searched.

I spent a year loving the Bullet Journal method. I continued to keep appointments on my digital calendar so I would have everything handy when I was out and about. Yes, I can have that cover-the-gray hair appointment in two weeks at 6:30 p.m. (Catch my thoughts on covering gray hair here!)

My Current Organization Tools

This year I have settled into a new routine. Here’s what I’m doing. It might help you, if you’re struggling with finding a system that works.

I schedule my writing and all my other to-dos in a beautiful Emily Ley planner. I love the time slots because I need the schedule myself to stay on track.
My pretty royal blue Leuchtturm1917 is for my bullet journaling collections, thoughts, ideas. notes. These two sit on my desk every day and invite me to plan and write lists and organize my muddled mess. (I also use the Power Sheets from Cultivate What Matters, thanks to my daughter who got her planning and goal-setting genes from me and not her father!)
I use my iCal to keep appointments. That way I can see my schedule on my laptop and my phone. I also hand-write these appointments on the monthly page of my planner.
I use pretty pens and pencils, sometimes. Lots of the time I use an erasable pen because I like my pages to look pretty, but I’m learning how to be okay with messy.

And when I look at a list of incomplete tasks? I put a little arrow so I can work on it tomorrow. Or the next day. Or the next.

The One To-Do List That Really Matters

Done. It might not be perfect. It might not get done. And that’s okay because of one to-do item God wrote at the beginning of time.

Send a Savior.

“It is finished.” Jesus spoke, bowed his head and gave up his spirit. Three days later he rose again. Done. Perfect. He redeemed the world forever.

Perhaps you already know this and this is a reminder for your day. Or maybe you don’t know this, and so I share it with love. Only one to-do list really matters.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”
John 3:16

I’d love to hear your thoughts about this. You can tell I get all geeky about planning. How do you get things done? Are you a list-maker? What methods work well for you?

This post was prompted by the word DONE at Five Minute Friday link-up where I join some wonderful Christian writers to encourage each other and share weekly posts. When you have time, check it out and you’ll find lots of inspiring posts to read on the same topic. Looking for more devotions and reflections on faith? Click here.

Look closely at the featured image. It’s my desk, my computer, my books. Literally and figuratively, everything rests on the lovely book at the bottom, and maybe you can’t see the title. The Bible. This one is my newest. It’s The Enduring Word Bible with wide margins for marginalia, released this summer by Concordia Publishing House.