RDH filter info, and a tip I learned

[tzikeh]

Those of you who friended me in order to be on the RDH filter -- I promise you an update this week. I appologize for not having posted more by now, but school eats more of your life than you plan, regardless of how much time you bargain for.

Anyone who would still like to join the filter, just drop me an email at tzikeh whee thechicagoloop whee net. Info about what will be posted under the filter is here, and in my next RDH post I will link to the few posts which have already been made under the filter.

For the moment, I offer you a quick, easy tip that I learned at RDH which I have found immensely useful. When you make a to-do list to carry around with you (if you are the kind of person who does), write it in pencil rather than in pen. (I am now never without a mechanical pencil or two.) To-do lists in pen invariably wind up with things scratched out, and other things scribbled in the margins, and eventually look a mess. Whether you consciously recognize it or not, a scribbled mess of a to-do list can be a deterrent to getting things done, because a messy visual creates mental disharmony and frustration: it will never get done, your plans are a mess, your mind is disorganized. If you make the list in pencil, though, instead of crossing things off, you can simply erase them. This keeps your list clean, shows you via white space that you are accomplishing things, and if you have to add more to the list, you can add neatly and orderly and it won't frustrate you the way diagonal scribbled notes with arrows can.

Simple, yet amazingly powerful. White space serves as a massive mental palate cleanser, and keeps you calm in the face of what can otherwise become mentally daunting.

Comments

[leaper182.livejournal.com]

Psst! What's RDH?

RDH info

[tzikeh.livejournal.com]

http://tzikeh.livejournal.com/267148.html

[brak666.livejournal.com]

I do much the same with my to do lists, though I generally use my PDA.

[tzikeh.livejournal.com]

I use my PDA too, but when I just don't feel like it, or I have my school datebook with me, I use the trusty pencil.

Re: RDH info

[leaper182.livejournal.com]

Ohhhh.

Belated congrats! :)

::includes cheering hamster icon::

Re: RDH info

[tzikeh.livejournal.com]

:) if you want to join the filter, just email. If not, uh, don't. ;) I should edit the post to indicate that anyone can still join.

[ratcreature]

Hmm, maybe I should try that. My to-do lists (if I make them) are incredibly messy and demoralizing affairs...

[tzikeh.livejournal.com]

It really works wonders. And it's such an easy change to make.

[way2busymom.livejournal.com]

I always use pencil too for my to do lists too. And I like to write them in Steno pads. Because of the line down the middle of the page...I can write my list on one side and use the other blank side for additions as they come up.

Funny how these little tricks can make such a difference.

[ratcreature]

I'll give it a try. Though I suspect the real reason that my to-do lists regularly demoralize me is that I end up putting unpleasant things on them that need (or at least should) be done fairly regularly, but can be delayed for a while without becoming *too* bad (hence to add pressure I put them on my to-do list), but they are still never truly *removed* either, or at least not for long enough to provide a lasting accomplishment kick. Typical examples are things like cleaning the bathroom... *g*

[tzikeh.livejournal.com]

Typical examples are things like cleaning the bathroom

I forgot to include - when you have an errand or a chore that is done on a continuing basis, put a date to the left of it, and then you can erase the date and put a new one in, so that your schedule keeps you up-to-date but is never "looming".

[dragovianknight.livejournal.com]

Crossed off things give me a sense of accomplishment, while white space gives me the sense I don't have enough on my list.

My logic is not like your Earth logic. :-\

To Do Lists

[taverymate.livejournal.com]

I can see where that would work for some, but I rely upon the visual reminder of a task lined-out to track what tasks are actually finished and prioritize remaining tasks. Plus, for me, there's satisfaction in seeing a lined-out task that would be missing if I simply erased things. I am careful, however, to make sure that I don't set up lists that will last for more than a week at most, and typically only a day or two, so that eventually all items are crossed off. Otherwise, those lists can become depressingly long. Shorter lists also force me to prioritze tasks and that's always helpful.

[apathocles.livejournal.com]

See, I love crossing things off a to-do list, because viciously obliterating an item with pen gives me an unholy sense of glee. *g* Being able to see that I've actually done certain things and been able to cross them off makes me feel a lot more accomplished. But hey, whatever works for you.

Granted, I very rarely get around to making to-do lists, so the whole thing is a moot point where I'm concerned, really.

[vass]

put a date to the left of it, and then you can erase the date and put a new one in, so that your schedule keeps you up-to-date but is never "looming".

Oh! That one is gold.

(I'm not sure whether the pencil one would work for me - I tend to have a lot of trouble writing neatly in pencil - I get broken leads and smudges everywhere. Mechanical pencils break if I look at them. I do my to-do lists in text files, then jot out what I need to know in my notebook or on the back of an envelope. I love the feeling I get from crossing tasks off and looking at the crossed-off tasks.)