There's no way around it: using a to-do list is boring. Perhaps you enjoy making the list, but when you need to choose an item you're faced with a daunting page of text. If you want to forego the dull and standard structure, here's a system that'll bring a little fun and surprise to your task management.
To-do lists with a bunch of little tasks you have to get done during the day are fine when you make them actionable. When it comes to side projects and loftier goals, however, it isn't always easy to decide what to tackle first even if you know where to start. Do you write a post for your blog, go for a run, learn to cook something new, work on a DIY project, or any of the many other things you've been meaning to do forever? Making decisions adds stress, especially when you've got a tough one and not choosing leads to getting nothing (or very little) done. Furthermore, it can get a little boring when you're just making your way through a list. It helps to add a little surprise to your work so it doesn't feel too much like a mundane routine. Just like a change of environment can help avoid burnout and aid creativity, embracing something new and unknown can help keep your tasks exciting. For those reasons, truly randomizing your tasks and turning them into a little bit of a game can help you get things done. In this post, we'll look at how you can take a smartphone, a printer, and a QR code generator to do just that.
What You'll Need
A QR code generator, like this one.
A smartphone with a QR code-reading app (Android / iOS), or something else that can read QR codes
A printer (and paper), so you can print out the QR codes
A box or a few manilla folders
An old-fashioned to-do list, or at least some projects you want to accomplish stored safely in your head
Once you've got all this stuff together, you'll be able to turn your tasks into QR codes, sort them in a variety of ways, draw upon them randomly when you have time to complete a task, and scan them to discover what that task is. When you're done with a task, just recycle the QR code to (figuratively) check it off your list.
Step One: Encode Your Tasks
Computers can make random choices but humans can't, so in order to randomize your to-do list we need to hide each task sufficiently. Since QR codes look like noise to us, they're a great way to encode our tasks and the relevant details into a simple squared format. Just visit QRStuff.com, or the free QR code generator of your choice, and start inputting the items on your to-do list. This process should be pretty straightforward, but here are some dos and don'ts to be aware of.
Do:
Be specific about your task and make sure its actionable (e.g. instead of "Exercise!" put "Exercise: Run two miles and do 100 pushups").
Keep your tasks concise. Part of the point of this method is to avoid large amounts of text.
Use black for the color of your QR code. Only use other colors if you want to be able to identify task types (e.g. black means work, purple means exercise, green means fun, etc.).
Save all your QR codes in the same format.
Don't:
Vary the size of your QR codes. It's important that you can't tell which one is which.
Use URLs for your QR codes. Plain text works best unless you have a task that requires a URL for some reason.
Label your saved QR codes by name—keep them anonymous. If you want to sort them into separate categories without color-coded them, however, save them into appropriately-categorized folders (e.g. exercise, projects, DIY, etc.). Alternatively, you may want to sort them by the amount of time they'll take (e.g. 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour, etc.).
When you're done creating a QR code, you can save it by simply clicking the save button on the QRStuff site. This will download a PNG. Save all the PNGs you generate in a folder on your computer and move onto the next step once you've finished.
Step Two: Print Out Your QR-Encoded Tasks
With all your QR codes generated, you can now print them out. You could print them out on a full sheet of paper, but that's kind of wasteful. Matte 4x6 photo paper works well because it's large enough and sturdier without causing unwanted reflections, and you can pick up a pack of 120 sheets for under $10. Alternatively you can just use whatever you've got, print out many codes on one sheet, and cut them up. This is the cheapest option but is more prone to error and takes a bit more of your time. Whatever you choose will work fine so long as you can't tell the difference between the codes.
Step Three: Sort Your Codes
With all your QR-encoded tasks printed and ready to go, you just need to organize them the way you want. The easiest method, of course, is to dump them all in a box and choose them at random. If all your tasks are the same, you're good to go. Whenever you have time to work just pick a task out of the box.
If you have a lot of different things you want to do, however, sorting your tasks is important. One option, as mentioned earlier, is changing the color of your QR codes so you can look at them and tell what they are (e.g. black means work, purple means exercise, green means fun, etc.). This way you can sort visually without worrying about messing things up. Alternatively, you can sort tasks into manilla folders that are categorized by time or topic, then draw from the one that suits how much time you have or what you want to do.
After completing a task, you can save the QR codes if you want a record of what you've done or you can just recycle them. Holding onto the codes provides a visual representation of your accomplishments, so you may feel more productive by keeping them around, and certain tasks (e.g. exercise) can be reused.
All in all, this method of getting things done is pretty straightforward and provides you with a fun way to complete your tasks. It's not right for every to-do list, but when you have a backlog of projects or regular tasks you want to complete it can make the process of getting things done a more exciting prospect.