A to-do list with a twist

I’m a task driven person. I have been using a simple master to do list in the form of a 70 page spiral notebook for a couple of years now. I’m on my 2^nd notebook. It took two years to fill the first one. This year I added a twist to my to-do list. I drew a line half way down the page and wrote above the line I’m grateful today because…

It is extremely important to record the tasks that need my attention and I believe it is just as important to acknowledge my success and record the little things that I’m grateful for. My goal is to record at least three gratitude items a day. With this change I expect the notebook will be filled by the end of the year.

“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow.” – Melody Beattie

Burdened by tasks

Being grateful and acknowledging success is difficult for most of us. We get burdened by the never ending list of things that we must do and need to do and simply forget to be thankful. I’ve been a complainer for the most part of my life. I was always complaining about what I had to do instead of being thankful for the things that I get to do.

I’ll admit that I had a hard time coming up with three success and gratitude items per day in the beginning. I found that the more I thought about being thankful the easier it became. This exercise changes attitudes. It is much easier to tackle the to-do list when you are looking at a list of things that you are grateful for.   

What goes around comes around… 

There has been an added benefit to this focus on gratitude. Not only am I writing down the things that I am grateful for; I have been saying thank-you more often. I’ve noticed that my relationship with my family has improved. I’ve been the recipient of many compliments and thank-you’s these last few months.  

The to-do list with a twist has evolved!

I have created a printable to-do and gratitude list. I three-hole punch this form and keep it in a 1/2″ binder. I’m using the Avery Economy View Binder 1/2″ binder. I like it because the cover folds back flat making it as easy to use as a spiral notebook. Get your free copy and get on the list for updates from Organize It: Data, Time and Space.

It’s easy to make a to-do list. The blank lines on the lower half of the page are a little harder to fill. They shouldn’t be. What are you thankful for today? Let me know in the comments below.