A few years ago, Eric bought me a palm pilot. He was sick of my post-it notes all over the house, as well as me forgetting things. Everything was entered into this beautiful little silver box called Palm and the post-its were gone. We were both happy.

For a while. Then, I realized that I was not in the habit of checking my little silver box. I would enter things in, but then fail to follow up and actually do them. So, I gave myself one little post-it to remind me to check Palm. It wasn’t long before one post-it turned into ten and we were right back where we started.

Eventually, Palm’s battery died and he sat, dead weight in my purse, for a year. Finally, I moved him to a drawer and had a brief moment of silence in his honor. Days later, the post-its were back in full force, now joined by to-do lists, my calorie tracker, and my ever-endearing notebooks.

I went through a clutter-removal process (read about it here) and got rid of many of my notebooks, but I still had a few slips of paper I needed each day. In spite of being able to track my food, to do lists, and more online, I prefer to have it written down so I can get to it anytime of day.

Finally, I found a solution. A clipboard bought at the dollar store holds all of my daily papers and a pen. Clipped on to it I have:

· Daily priorities and tasks

· Chore sheet

· Food tracker and Points slider (from weight watchers)

· Index card with a memory verse

· A pen

I have things arranged so that at a glance, I can see every paper. My food tracker and daily priorities sheet are small, and the chore list is a full sheet in the back.

The best thing about this is that I can move it anywhere around the house and it doesn’t look too messy. I always know where my lists are and I can add to them all day long if needed.

I also like having my priorities listed right there. These are things I decide to do during my quiet time every day for each responsibility area in my life. Often times, things I decide on in the early morning and maybe even write down in my journal are forgotten by noon. Having them listed on my clipboard that I reference all day long really helps.

Another plus is that I am no longer searching under piles of school books (like a mad woman with low blood sugar) looking for my food tracker before I can eat lunch. I also spy my memory verse quite a few times a day this way, and let me tell you it is hard to ignore!

I still miss Palm, especially when I am out and need to check my calendar, but this system actually works better for someone like me.

What works for you? Share any ideas for keeping your thoughts and tasks organized!