I posted an example of my runsheet a few weeks ago and have had a few requests about how I currently use it.
In my Atoma notebook planner, the runsheet was a rapid logging daily capture of tasks and notes, while I left the weekly pages exclusively for events and appointments. If the task was scheduled for a particular day, I’d write the date to the left of the task bullet. I’d also write notes with the date in the margin, followed by an interpunction (i.e. “•”), and the notes.
Currently, I’m using a bespoke planner that I’ve designed which is basically a weekly layout. My runsheet now is akin to a master task list and I use grid index cards. I don’t write appointments or events or notes here – I leave that to the weekly layout.
I write every single task that I need to get done on my runsheet regardless of when I need to do it. On any given day, I go through my runsheet and allocate up to three specific tasks I can realistically complete that day and write them in the weekly pages. If I think of other tasks that day that I think I can complete, I write that on the weekly pages and not on the runsheet. At the end of the day, I mark off any completed or in progress tasks on my runsheet based on that day’s completed tasks.
At the end of the week, I go through my weekly pages and highlight any incomplete tasks and write these on my runsheet if they’re not already on there. The runsheet then jogs my memory about what tasks I still have to complete in the following week, and the process starts again.
I’ve found that this method has been a good way of re-evaluating what tasks I can realistically complete each week and cuts down on me carrying over or migrating the same tasks each day. If a task doesn’t get completed the day before, I just leave it on that day and try to remember to do it the following day. Because my pages are a week over two pages, it’s easy enough to scan incomplete tasks.
Anyway, I’m still refining some of this process and will share some more changes if/when they arise. What planner hack have you incorporated recently? How has it worked for you so far? What changes are you going to make to simplify or customise it?
dq