How notepads help you feel less overwhelmed

How often do you find yourself feeling overwhelmed and disorganized? If you’re anything like us odds are that it is pretty often. A lot of us struggle with getting stuff done. And some of us even struggle with what comes before getting stuff done: figuring out what the heck it is we need to get done. That’s where a notepad comes into play.

Studies have shown that people perform better when they have written down what they need to do. Even more so when handwritten. There are a couple of things you can do to make your to do list even more effective and helpful.

Here are a couple of tips on how to optimize your to do list so it is the biggest help possible.

Categorize and prioritize

Studies have shown that our brain gets overwhelmed when it sees a list of more than 8 to do’s. It simply wants to shut down. We often have more than 8 to do’s though. You can trick your brain if you separate them into categories. For example by what’s most important.

Get rid of the obvious

We’ve already learned that more than 8 to do’s will overwhelm you. So stop writing down the obvious things you do on a daily basis and focus on your projects. Things such as “get lunch”, “cook dinner” and “go for a walk” are not necessary to put on your TO DO list. These can go on your TA DA list though! Studies have shown that we often forget the things we get done and only focus and remember all the stuff we did not have time to complete. That can be pretty overwhelming because it seems as though we don’t get anything done. In psychology this is called the Zeigarnik effect which states that people remember uncompleted or interrupted tasks better than completed tasks. It stems from observing waiters that could only recall diners’ orders before they had been served. When the dishes had been served their memories simply erased. The deed was done and the brain was ready to let go.

Don’t let your awesomeness go! Write them on your ta da list.

Get the least time consuming tasks done first

Get your day off to a great start and finish your smaller tasks first. Maybe these are your digital quickies such as replying a couple of emails. Organize the tasks together and complete them all at once. That way you might be able to scratch off a good portion of your to do list. Psychologically this can help you feel like you’re accomplishing a lot and there is no better start to the day than that.

This is why we created two notepads - to help you organize your life. They’re printed on 80g 100% recycled paper because we care and we know you do too!

The GO GET IT WINNER notepad encourages you. It lets you categorize your tasks after what’s most important. So go get it now, soon and later, winner! Check notepad out here

The TO DO - TA DA notepad lets you check off your finished tasks - so satisfying! It also lets you jot down the stuff that don’t go on your to do list, but are too good to forget. After all, you’re pretty darn awesome. Check notepad out here