Paper to-do lists are essential. Something we all need in our lives. Not only am I a big fan of having a master to-do list for all the important categories in your life, but I’m a HUGE fan of keeping your daily to-do list within reason. If you list 25 things to accomplish in 1 day, you may be setting yourself up for failure. Why break your own heart when instead you can keep the list to a modest 5-7 tasks and get ALL of them crossed off? Then celebrate yourself that evening!

A to-do list and the ability to blow through one is going to be different for everyone. Personally, I’m a task master that can easily chew my way through 20+ to-do’s in a day, but the “how is that even possible, Sam?!” is a whole different blog post – so don’t ask that right now. Ha! And I’ve also mentioned a few times I have an abnormally high energy level. I never stop moving. Anyone who knows me will agree.

The point is, know your breaking point and what you can be successful with. AND understand how many hours are in a day when writing that list. 

If doing 3 things a day is doable AND also satisfying = great! If doing 8 things in a day is your sweet spot = perfect! Knowing what you can realistically complete is important.

No matter if you’re already a to-do list lover or if you’re struggling to find the motivation, starting small is smart. My favorite sticky adhesive to-do lists are small and paper, of course, which means you can’t overload the dailies and it sets a boundary.

( to-do list )

Over the years on the blog I’ve shared these with you and one year I added them to client holiday cards. To this day they are still deeply loved, useful AND can be found in my office desk AND inside the pocket of my paper planner.

Another recent addition is an even smaller paper to-do list…

( mini to-do list )

These have fewer to-do spots, a tab, and are adhesive as well. I’ve found them to be a great addition to my planner…

There’s a time for the digital to-do list – mainly when it comes to sharing tasks online with my team members…but paper to-do lists keep me most productive and successful with knocking out tasks. Just something about paper and my favorite pen. Nothing comes close!

A few IG friends reached out asking for an update on my planner. I am still IN LOVE with this one! Love the big pages, the time breakdown, the gratitude section and it has a small section at the top for your “top 3 things to do”…hmmmm, sounds familiar…

My planner has a pocket in front which is great for containing the adhesive to-do lists and festive planner stickers…

As a planner, over the years I’ve collected quite a few pretty and cute stickers. I love keeping these close-by while working in my planner or scheduling. A few years ago I shared my favorite way to organize stickers – nothing has changed. It’s always this little envelope…

( clear envelope )

It’s super light-weight, snaps closed, comes in 2 sizes and the small one I’m sharing here is just $1.99!…

Fits like a glove…

With the holidays fast approaching I know your to-do lists are growing. Definitely give these a try!

I’d love to hear about your tried and true “get things done” / productivity ideas so please share them with us in the comment section. We are going to need that extra push these last couple months of 2019!

I’m grateful to partner with the Paper & Packaging – How Life Unfolds® campaign for this blog post – because they value a paper to-do list as much as I do! #Sponsored #HowLifeUnfolds #PoweredByPaper