I believe I'm in Love, capital L intentional.

The Back Story

When it comes to my work, I'm an organizational freak.  I hate feeling scattered, not knowing what I should be doing at this moment or the next.  I want to know that things are as streamlined as possible and that, with a quick survey and at a moment's notice, I can see where I am and what I have coming up.

I figure this is the only way I can be.  With this work especially, I have to know how much time I have at my disposal at any given point.

My Soul Mate

Two weeks ago, I found Nick Cernis and his eBook, Todoodlist.  I was immediately attracted to the simplicity of the banner graphic promoting his eBook, but the premise that "technology is great, pencils are better" hooked me right in.  (I'm a cardholding member of Notetakers Anonymous.)

Less than two pages into Part One of the book (the part about Zen Kitten), I was quickly becoming a Nick Cernis fan.  I stopped what I was reading, went to his website, bookmarked it, subscribed to the RSS feed for his blog, and thought about adopting a kitten.  (I stopped short of actually getting the kitten.  I have enough strays to feed as it is.)

By the time I finished reading about the Todoodlist, I was ready to email Nick and tell him I thought we were soul mates.  Not wanting to seem like a crazed stalker with a pencil, I decided against it and continued with the book.  Fortunately, I've collected myself and have since decided it's best to just blog about it.

Why I Love It

I have read every productivity book that exists.  I know GTD, have attempted it, still love David Allen, but have figured out that it should be a lot easier to get things done than needing to hire a full-time assistant just to implement the systems in the book.

To top it off, I need paper-based for personal organization and time management.  I've tried all the computer-based tools, gadgets, and gizmos - Remember the Milk, Google Calendar (although I'm still a raving Gmail fan, and the idea of the calendar is nice - just not for me, not really), and even Backpackit (which I still LOVE, along with every other 37Signals invention).

When it comes to my to-do list, my calendar (except for recurring reminders, which Google Calendar handles for me), and managing my projects, I must use paper.  It's just that over the years, my stray notes, folders, and to-do lists manage to get lost under the piles of other notes, folders, and to-do lists, and I eventually end up with my desk completely buried, and the only way to dig it out is to chunk everything and start over.

I've started to get a handle on my projects, but I was still struggling with prioritizing tasks and keeping a big-picture view of my current project and to-do load.  That was until Todoodlist. 

Happily, I can report that my desk has stayed completely clear since (quickly) adding the Todoodlist to my current system of organization.  I have one notebook that manages my Todoodlist, and it's the only thing that stays on my desk now.  I can flip through the few pages that house my Todoodlist and quickly get an idea of where I stand.  Perfect.

Side Note: I'm not currently using the Sudoku Calendar, at least not completely.  I am only using it to track incoming money and when bills are due, which is still very helpful to see at a glance how much I've made/paid this month.  I can see using it to help in the accountability department to help keep me on track with my goals.  It would be a great way to track incoming leads or any other stats for my business.

Why Todoodlist

I'd try to explain how it works, but aside from plagerizing his content, I'm not sure that I can do that here, so let me just recommend that you buy the book.

If you're a paper-based planner, you will love it, and if you're a struggling computer-based planner, I think you'll convert.

Happy todoodling!

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From the Todoodlist website: