The Art of the To-do List: How 8 Women Get It Done

June 20, 2016

Behind every accomplished human is a killer to-do list—but that’s where the similarities end. Shaped by its keeper’s personal neuroses, obsessive attachment to specific writing utensils, and other organizational foibles—not to mention, the actual tasks at hand—every to-do list is a unique beast. And despite the prevalence of apps like Do and Wunderlist, many people still prefer to put pen to paper (or napkin) when it comes to reminders. We polled eight super-productive women on their list-making habits, and found eight distinctive types between them. Which to-doer are you?

The ‘Anything Will Do’-er

Occupation: Director of Customer Experience
Preferred medium: Anything and everything
Signature style: “I’m horribly disorganized if left to my own devices. My parents used to joke that if I had a superpower, it was surely entropy. Now my job requires me to be the exact opposite of my natural state, so I’ve come up with a lot of hacks and self-checks to keep myself in line. I keep to-do reminders everywhere: I usually have 3-4 half-drafted emails open on my inbox, so that I don’t forget them, and I’m constantly jotting things on random objects within arm’s reach. Most commonly, I use the napkins that come with my morning coffee to write quick notes and ideas for projects. It’s totally bonkers, and I think it would give your typical organized person an absolute heart attack, but the repetition is a lifesaver for me.”

The Weekly One-Sheeter

Occupation: Editor
Preferred medium: An 8×11″ sheet of paper, two Papermate felt-tip pens in contrasting colors
Check or cross off? Check
Signature style: “Every week begins with a new to-do list. I map it out on Monday morning, and then I aggressively tear the previous week’s list into tiny shreds. No paper trail for me. The color-coding is mostly just for fun—it lightens the mood, since a mere glance at my list can fill me with dread. Tasks and check marks are in opposite colors so that the check mark will really stand out. BOOM. I keep the list folded in my laptop when I’m on the go, and I usually only get half of it done in any given week. There are things on there that have been lurking for months, but transferring them from list to list somehow feels productive.”

The Word Documentarian

Occupation: Retail Director
Preferred medium: Microsoft Word document
Check or cross off? Neither
Signature style: “I update a new list in Microsoft Word each week, and save the one from the previous week so  that I have an ongoing record of what my priorities were and what initiatives have or have not moved forward. It’s sort of like a journal for work.”

The Index Card Hoarder

Occupation: Editorial Content Manager
Preferred medium: 5×7″ index card, ballpoint pen, occasional highlighter
Check or cross off? Cross off
Style: “I’ve been using the same system since college: a large notecard, turned vertically, with tasks listed by hand. Whenever the majority of lines are crossed off, I move to a fresh card (or flip over the old one) and re-list any stragglers. High priority items get highlighted, and I put personal reminders in their own section. I like that it’s small and light, so can I throw it in my purse and carry it with me, in case I remember something I need to add.”

The Mini-Notebooker

Occupation: Software Engineer
Preferred medium: 3×5″ leather-bound notebook, ballpoint pen
Check or cross off? Cross off
Signature style: “I don’t necessarily need to write things down to remember them—I just like the satisfaction of crossing those suckers off. I start a new one each day on a fresh page. For personal tasks, I’ll just jot notes down on whatever’s available—the back of a receipt will do—and throw it in my bag.”

The Illustrator

Occupation: Photo Editor
Preferred medium: Spiral-bound notebook, purple ballpoint pen
Check or cross off? Cross off
Signature style: “I have to think visually for my job, so I’ll sketch pictures when I’m brainstorming or taking notes during a meeting.”

The Pen Snob

Occupation: Senior Production Manager
Preferred medium: Spiral-bound notebook, Pilot FriXion erasable pen
Check or cross off? Cross off
Signature style: “I create a totally new list at the end of every week for the following week, and update it daily. I am very particular about using these erasable pens from Japan; I order them on Amazon. My previous boss turned me on to them.”

The Post-It Prioritizer

Occupation: Product Designer
Preferred medium: Stitch-bound notebook, ballpoint pen
Check or cross off? Cross off
Signature style: “I start a new list each day, but if something comes up that supercedes everything else, it goes on a big yellow Post-It.”