Our mind can wonder and forget about the most important things to do and we can’t always remember all the things that need to get done. How do you keep track of things that need to be done？

Many of us make a to-do-list on a piece of paper and I have done this for ages. However, I have discovered a more effective way to deal with life demands. To-do-lists on a piece of sheet won’t allow you too much flexibility to re-prioritize your tasks and neatly remove the completed tasks from the list.

Use stickers to tackle things!

I put things to do on each sticker–one task on one sticker and pull out ones that need to be done first and stick them on the place I can see easily–to some it may be on the side of your computer screen. For me, I just place the most important tasks on the first row. We can also use different-color stickers to prioritize our tasks. For instance, use an orange color stickers for tasks that need to be done first.

Stickers work well because once you are done with each task, you can remove the sticker. If you want to keep track of what you have accomplished, you could create a space that keeps all the stickers that contain the tasks you have accomplished. It will give you a sense of accomplishment to see all the tasks you have completed for the day.

Yesterday, I used stickers (one bullet point here one sticker) to remind myself to

• Exercise (note: preferably set a time for doing it. At 5:00 or say “one hour after eating dinner.)
• Cook rice one hour before cooking
• Find a dentist within the network
• Transfer some money to my daughter
• Write a letter of recommendation for a student
• Clean kitchen thoroughly
• Wash all the bedsheets and pillow cases
• Clean bathroom
• Grading paper
• Prepare for Monday classes (including the plays I am teaching for two classes)
• Auto insurance stuff
• Submit receipts to work to get reimbursement

As you can see, I can’t finish all of these in one day, but I was able to tackle the most important things I want done first. I did not forget to exercise, transfer money to my daughter, cook and eat good meals, write a letter of recommendation for my student, thoroughly clean my kitchen and my bed.

Now there are six stickers left on my desk. I am sure I will come up with more to add to them. But it is not overwhelming now. I can pull out a couple that I want to work on now and focus on completing these tasks first.

Don’t forget to spend a few minutes to think about what meals you will have today and write down the specific things you need to prepare for the meals. And exercise should also be on top of our list too.

Of course, you can add some fun things to your list as well to make sure you get to enjoy life too. I am going to put a sticker that says “hiking at 2:00 with the hiking group.” This motivates me to get other things done, so I can go to do things I enjoy.

Besides keeping a to-do-list on your reminder at your iPhone, you might also want to try this system out and see if it also works for you. It certainly is the system I have found very helpful in my life!