I stink at juggling competing demands just as much as I stink at keeping details in my head. Moleskine has always helped me keep track, from the tiny notebook that fits into my jeans pocket and records random notes and sudden inspirations, to the day-per-page calendar in my purse that is reserved for each day’s to-do list, to the large week-on-a-page planner & notebook on my nightstand that is both appointment book and personal diary.
Lately, I’ve been dividing my day into blocks, each reserved for a different kind of task. It wasn’t until I was working on the Chapters challenge that I realized that I had organized my life into a system that gives me both structure and flexibility. How long each block lasts, and what I do during each block, changes each day, but every day, each part of my life gets a bit of attention.
Malcolm Gladwell once observed that computers make great filing cabinets, but that thinking requires paper. I love my mobile and tablet, and use them a lot, but paper will always be with me, for doodling, for recording, for planning, for highlighting, for communicating with verve and color. And now my chapters list is getting pasted into the cover of my planner, next to my goals for the year, where it will help me stay on track and keep alive my favorite illusion–that yes, I really can do it all!