How to quickly and conveniently plan a week using a running list

2023 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-07-28 10:38

A laconic and visual method will help keep in sight all things at once and not forget anything.

What is a running list

This is a way to write tasks so that an entire week fits on one page. It is not clear who exactly came up with the Running List. How to use a Running Task List / Rediscover Analog. As a rule, it is used in "Bullet Journal" (Bullet Journal) - diaries to the point with their own system of symbols, which have many fans around the world.

Either way, a running list is a convenient planning method. And that's why:

• It's compact. Most often it only takes up one page.
• All things are in front of your eyes. You can immediately see the whole week and can estimate the scope of work.
• There is no need to cross out and re-enter anything. Unfinished tasks are carried over to another day using a neat arrow.
• Looks nice. It looks like an unusual table.
• Suitable for everyone. Combines well with any planning system.
• Allows you to schedule flexible tasks, that is, those that are not clearly tied to time.

How to create a running list

1. Take a suitable notebook

It will be most convenient to make a running list on pages in a box or a dot, as in a "bullet magazine". But in principle, any notebook will do, including an unlined one.

2. Divide the page into two parts

The left one should be seven cells wide, the right one - all the remaining space. Place the days of the week above the narrow column: Mon, Tue, Wed etc. Label the wide column with the word "Tasks" or similar, if desired.

3. Write down activities for the week

In the large column, fill in everything that you have planned for the next week. Not necessarily in chronological order, just list the cases as they come to mind. One task, one line.

4. Plan your business

Now you need to determine on which day of the week you want to perform this or that action.

For example, you wrote down in the big column “See a doctor,” and your appointment was for Monday. You find a cell at the intersection of the task and the day of the week and draw an empty square or circle in this place.

Then you do the same with all the other things on the list. When you're done, there will be many empty squares or circles in the small column on the left. The diagram will look something like this:

5. Cross out the finished and transfer the unfinished

The Bullet Journal has its own notation system, which in some way has become the hallmark of this planning tool. It is, as a rule, used in a running list with only minor changes.

• A scheduled task is an empty box.
• Completed task is a shaded square.
• Partially completed task - half-shaded square.
• The task to be moved is the arrow next to or inside the square.
• An important task is the exclamation mark next to the square.

Accordingly, if the case is over, you hatch a square or a circle. If the task needs to be rescheduled, draw an arrow and draw a new square under a different day of the week.

Of course, everyone can come up with and use their own symbols that will be convenient for him.

6. Design the list at your discretion

You can highlight the days of the week with a colored marker, add beautiful patterns at the corners of the page, stick funny stickers or bright decorative tape in the margins. Or leave everything as in the basic version: clearly and concisely.

How to use the running list more efficiently

1. Highlight tasks with no deadline

If some tasks are not at all tied to a date, they can be underlined or highlighted in bright colors to be done when free time is available. Then it will be possible to put and shade the square after the fact, as soon as the task is finished.

2. Draw lines

Use a thin line to connect the problem and its square in a small column. Perhaps this will make it easier for you to navigate what belongs to where.

3. Add categories

"Work", "Family", "Creativity", "Self-Development" or any others that suit you. Come up with your own color for each and highlight tasks with squares in the list with appropriate markers. This will give you a visual idea of the building blocks of your life.

4. Schedule similar tasks for one day

Let's say you need to go to the clinic, dry cleaning and MFC, and they are all close to each other. It is logical to put these cases on one day, and not "spread" throughout the week. If possible, it is also better to add such tasks to the list one after the other. So you will see them together at once and draw a row of empty squares for the same day.