Compact Insert Switch (Again)

Back in February, I decided to switch from the day per page layout to the two pages per day layout.  My original post explains in depth the reason for this change; however, just as a quick recap, I switched mainly because I wanted to add my work tasks in my planner so that everything was in one place.  If you look at my previous “My Filofax Day” posts, you can see how I organized and differentiated between my personal tasks and my work tasks.

This layout works well for me, but I find myself constantly moving tasks from one day to the next.  While this works, it also means wasting time recopying things that I wouldn’t need to if I could organize these tasks electronically.  First, let me say that I’m not a huge fan of electronic organization on the whole—it doesn’t really work well for me, and I just prefer paper for most things.  I have tried using various digital products to keep me organized, and it just doesn’t work.  But I think the issue isn’t that digital can’t work for me; rather, I need something that works the way I need it to.  Since I have a lot of deadlines for my work tasks, and each task requires a few steps to it, I need something that will allow me to organize my items in such a way that I can have tasks and subtasks, set a reminder, be able to move and item from one day to another so that I don’t have to look at it until I need to work on it, and be able to access it on a mobile device as well as a desktop computer.  Does such a thing exist?  Why, yes it does!

Enter Wunderlist.  I love this app!  It allows me to do everything I need to do.  First, I can have multiple lists: Work, Personal, and Shopping are what I have chosen thus far.

As you can see, there are options on how I want to view my tasks—I can look at a specific list (it will list all tasks under that list, in the order they were added, not necessarily in due-date order), my Starred tasks, what’s due today, what’s due this week, or my completed tasks.  I love that I have multiple views.

Each list has subtasks.  So, for instance, under my Shopping list, I can also have a list of different stores.

Looking at the photo, you can see that I have a few stores listed, and the little pin next to the store name means that I have additional information listed under that task.  If I click on “Bed, Bath, and Beyond,” I can easily access a list of the items I want to buy.

I can check off each item (or delete the item) as I get it.  Also, if you notice, there’s a place underneath the subtask list for notes.  I can write any additional information here.

And all of this syncs with the app on my iPad and iPhone.  Yay!

So how am I using this for work?  Let’s take a peek.

You can see that I have a long list of work items.  This is currently a work in progress—it’s a little disorganized at the moment—but I’m pretty sure I know how I’m going to organize my items going forward.  It will look something like this:

Since I create flyers and posters for our library’s programs, I have the program name and date that it will take place as my main entry.  The detailed information has a list of the items I need to do for that program: flyer, post to our digital sign, poster, removal from digital sign.  Once I’ve done one the tasks, I will cross it off of the list on the right and change the due date to whatever the next date is that I need to have the next step due.  I don’t set reminders for my work tasks because I look at the list every day.  And since I can’t wrap my head around a running list that doesn’t allow me to sort by due date (one of the few downsides to Wunderlist), I look at the Today list or the Week list to see what I need to work on.

This is my personal list for today but you get the idea.

So far this has been working great, and since I can very easily move an item from day to day or week to week or month to month, it fits my needs for my work tasks.

So now with having my work tasks out of my Filofax, I don’t need all of the space that the two pages per day inserts allow.  I am back to the day per page. 

However, there is one catch.  I love having the full page for Saturday and Sunday which I have with the 2PPD.  The DPP uses one sheet for both Saturday and Sunday, and that’s simply not enough room for the information I keep.  So I kept the Saturday and Sunday sheets from the 2PPD inserts.

This means that next to my Friday sheet there is the To Do section from the 2PPD pack.

While it tweaks my OCD just a little, I’m forcing myself to deal with it.  If it means I get more weekend real estate, I’m (semi)okay with it.  Sometimes we have to give and take to get what we need.  So there we have it.

Most of my personal tasks are being kept in my planner.  For some reason, I really need these to be on paper, probably because of how I forward plan.  Apps and devices just don’t allow me to view my future items the way I need to view them.  I do have a few personal tasks in the Wunderlist app, but those are mainly shopping lists and unimportant things or things I want to do when I have the time, as opposed to things I need to do on a certain date.  I’m also still using the generic Reminders app on my phone for various little personal reminders, things that continuously repeat like “ATM” or random things like “defrost chicken” only because the sound on the Wunderlist app isn’t very loud, and so I’ve missed an item a few times.  (At the moment there is no way to change the sound on the Wunderlist app.)

There is a constant debate between digital versus paper organization.  I love my planner and couldn’t do without it, and for the most part, I can’t go digital with my planning needs.  However, I have also found that digital planning is great in some aspects, and it’s enhanced my organizational efficiency.  The debate will always continue, and if I had to choose between the two, I will always choose paper.  But for me, a balance between the two is what works best.

**Note: I am in no way affiliated with or getting kickbacks from Wunderlist.  I am simply a satisfied customer of the product.