Why You Should Start a Fresh Page For Your To-Do List Each Day

Don’t go halfway with a half-page.

I make my to-do list and take notes on a legal pad.

In the past, I tried and used a ton of planners. The ones with little blocks for your meetings, the goal projections, the personal affirmations.

Those may work for others, but I felt confined by those requirements.

I needed more space, and a little more freedom.

The legal pad has the right balance.

I like it because the lines keep me in check, it’s easy to flip pages, and it’s not too regulated, you know boxes with a schedule and another box to list all your hopes and dreams and inspirational quotes.

Planner sales are huge for elements like that, but I always find it too limiting.

Legal pads have the right amount of structure.

But because of their size, I don’t always fill up a page every day.

Often my to-do list is at the top of the page with a few meeting notes scattered about.

When it’s like that, I’m tempted to start the next day right below it.

What’s wrong with that? There’s space, there’s room.

The Fatal Mistake with the Half-Page Day

But it’s a fatal mistake in my thinking. Those days when I start with “half-page” always turn out to be the days that I need the extra space.

Then my day gets cut in half — literally — with half the day on one page and the rest of the day on the next.

The next day, I had the same problem. A half page, but this time filled with the 2nd half of yesterday’s work.

You can tell where this is going…the half pages will run infinitum.

This has to stop and I’m the only one that can do it.

Whenever I’m tempted to start on half a page, I immediately flip to the next page — no matter how much space is left.

Legal pads are cheap. I can afford it.

New sheet.

Fresh page.

Clean slate.

Write the date at the top and get to work.

Scratch off the items when you’re done.

If something didn’t get done? Recopy and move it to the next day.

Still not done after the next day? Maybe it doesn’t need to be done or you need to break the project into smaller pieces.

The legal pad is so simple and inexpensive — it just might do the trick.

I’m Josh Spilker and I share about writing, culture, and creativity. Get my quick note-taking template and cheat sheet for free.