My minimalist weekly spread was a waste of 6 months

For half a year I did those super simple weekly spreads with just dates and a tiny task list. Everyone raved about how clean they looked. But I kept forgetting appointments and losing track of deadlines because nothing stood out. Last month I switched to a color coded layout with time blocks and habit trackers crammed in. Now I actually use my journal instead of just looking at it. Has anyone else found that minimal layouts just don't work for busy schedules?

3 comments

3 Comments

uma_williams12d agoTop Commenter

That little skull idea is genius though, wow.

vera_johnson912d ago

I totally get what you mean about "nothing stood out." That was my exact problem too. My solution was weird though - I actually added a bunch of intentional clutter. I started doodling little icons next to important deadlines and using different colored highlighters for different types of tasks. One month I even drew a tiny skull next to tax deadlines because I kept missing them. It looks messy but my brain finally registers that there's stuff I need to actually do instead of just a clean emptiness. Sometimes minimalism just means you're not paying attention to what's written down.

the_alice11d ago

Uma, that skull idea is something else - I might borrow it for my property tax reminders. My own trick has been writing deadlines on yellow sticky notes and slapping them right on the TV screen, so I can't ignore them while relaxing.