Getting things done //

choosing just 3 to-do's for my day helps me stay focused and avoid feeling overwhelmed

Remember to e-mail venue photos from wedding. Remember to text back so and so about coffee next week. Print off paper for school. Send encouraging note to friend at college. Follow-up with volunteer opportunities for this fall. Do laundry on Wednesday night. Brainstorm ideas for winter retreat. Practice calligraphy. Go thrifting for picture frames...

If you're anything like me the long list of to-do's running through your head in a day may seem endless at times. Add to that the fact that I'm very forgetful and any to-do not written down IS forgotten... Yes, its a recipe for disaster. 

So of course, I'm a big fan of lists and writing things down. But sometimes tracking down that receipt with Monday's tasks along with the blue notebook with a list of people to e-mail... oh and don't forget about the worksheet from school that has a few reminders scribbled onto the back of it... Sound familiar? Yes, writing things down is good but tracking down all those lists can get tedious as well. 

I could count the number of apps I've ever bought using one hand. Things is one of them. It's been the easiest way to bring all my to-do's, tasks, notes to self, and longterm goals/dreams into ONE place. When I heard about it from a friend I thought, "just another organization system..." But, a few months ago I buckled down and bought it for both my computer and iPhone and I'm loving it!

on my iPhone

Its been awesome for several reasons:

1. No more piles of yellow sticky notes on my desk, stuffed in my purse, and probably lost in my car.

2. Its syncs with both my iPhone and desktop computer [option for iPad too]. So, regardless of whether I'm sitting at my desk or out running errands I can always add to my list. No more "trying to remember until I get home".

3. Everything's in one place! No more compiling tasks scribbled on your receipt and school worksheets :)

4. There's nothing more overwhelming that looking at your huge list of 100+ things to accomplish and wondering when you'll ever find the time. I love that while my "inbox" might be filled with 20-100 reminders I can check specific ones for  the "today" tab. So, when I go to check my list in the morning I only see 3 [or however many I've picked]. Only seeing a small portion of my to-dos helps me stay focused. 

5. It's great for organizing projects. Whether thats a string of to-do's for a wedding I'm shooting or a list for tasks I need to accomplish in order to re-model my bedroom. Christmas lists. Traveling checklist? I could go on...

6. I can also throw my future goals/tasks [that I can't focus on now] into the "someday" tab.

7. You can also separate your inbox into categories for easy viewing. For example: church, home, school, work, blogging, etc...

desktop view

You can purchase Things, HERE.