“How to spend the most time preparing and the least time working” could have been a more appropriate title for this post, so keep that in mind as your proceed with this in-depth tutorial.
I have a theory that all good designers have a touch of OCD. Some of us more than others (and by some of us, I mean me of course). Mine manifests in several ways: I can’t work until my house is clean, and I make lists compulsively.
Seriously. All the time.
It’s only gotten worse since I started Art Center. Not only are there always a million things to juggle, but serious time management is pretty mandatory. And let’s face it, you can’t manage your time well without a kick-ass list.
Let’s make one together:
1. First, open your drawer of Prismacolor markers.
2. Choose two colors that you are prepared to live with for a whole week. I like to choose shades, fun pairings, or even really atrocious combinations when I’m feeling adventurous. Today I chose pink and orange.
3. It’s important to consider the tip of your pen. Prismacolors all have a “broad” and “fine” side, although the latter come in two different weights. For our purposes, choose the thicker version of “fine.” I have yet to be able to distinguish which are which without opening them up, which I would consider a grave packaging failure, and I intend to write a letter to the CEO someday really soon. I’ll put it on my list.
4. Next, select your paper. I only use text-weight legal size stock, as I find it to be the perfect ratio for an Art Center length to-do list. It’s also handy that it doesn’t serve any other logical purpose, and thus can be kept in special list-making locations.
5. Write your title with the “broad” side of your pen. I use week numbers, because that’s how Art Center is structured. I recommend you use a title that is logical, and will also be easy to distinguish from past and future lists. (“To-do list” for instance, is rather too broad in my opinion.)
6. Consult you running to-do list, in whatever form it is currently taking. It is simply too difficult to begin a list of this measure from scratch. In my case, I write lists in my notebook during boring classes. By the end of the week I will usually have six or seven varieties (see step 10).
Your completed list should look something like this. In cases of overlapping tasks, you can choose to use a slash if you’re worried about space. This week is fairly light for me, so I only used a couple.
7. Use the “fine” side of your title color to cross things off. I highly encourage including already completed tasks when writing your list. Crossing things off makes everyone feel better, and it gives you a chance to see your colors together.
8. I like to have two lists running simultaneously (sometimes more, if you want to designate between school and errands, for instance). For my second list I often divide tasks between the days of the week. To start this list, fold your paper into as many even sections as you have days to fill.
9. Title your days using the “fine” side of your pen. For this list we wont be using the “broad” side.
10. Now it’s time to consult this list’s casual counterpart. In this case, I’ve been keeping my divided-by-day list in a different notebook. This can be both complicated and fun; it makes the consolidation that much more satisfying, but it can also make things difficult if you forget to keep all forms with you at all times.
Here is the completed version of list 2.0. I designate the bottom of these lists to non-school related tasks. In this case I had orange varieties of both types of “fine,” so I was able to keep my hierarchy clear.
11. Hang list 1.0 in a place where you can refer to and adjust it often.
12. Fold list 2.0 to show the current day, and place it in an accessible location, like your desk. (It’s important to note that Ragdolls take art direction really well.)
There! Now you can make your own list, just like Amelia. Please use these skills wisely–a list of this magnitude could really be dangerous in the wrong hands.
