work experiments: colorable to-do cards
part of an ongoing series on how i work
as part of my resistance against to-do lists described [here], and yet a desire to track progress and see how much I completed over the course of a week -- I experimented with making these colorable to-do cards. they actually evolved from a grid-like graph (see photo, on the top right) -- into icons, then into little drawings.
the concept is simple:
- I assign each project or task an "icon" -- or a visual element.
- I either cut them out and arrange them on the page (like a collage), or I create a little drawing combining all the different elements as metaphors.
- throughout the week, I mark "done" by either coloring them in, or outlining the pencil portions in black.
what this method does:
- gives me a bird's eye view of my projects for the week
- lets me see all my creative projects as part of a unified whole
- allows me to feel a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction with each element I color or pen in
- and yet -- it doesn't guilt, restrict, or pressure me with the tyranny of a hierarchical, linear to-do list
here are several different iterations / weeks of this experiment.
why I ultimately abandoned this experiment (for now)
I felt a bit demoralized by all the uncompleted portions per week. week after week, the same projects were getting priority (client work, newsletter, ecosystem work) and the same projects were being left uncolored (art, website, misc. new projects).
having a visual "map" of to-dos doesn't feel enough, because it still feels like trying to fit an elephant (my projects) into a jar (the week). I will always prioritize the things with external deadlines.
also, I'm not sure that seeing my projects as a unified, integrated whole has any effect on me. perhaps, on the scale of a week, I'm not meant to see the big picture interconnectedness of all that I do -- but instead, to partition the week into portals, through which I can deep dive into specific work, and get lost in it.
these days, my creative immersion deck as replaced this colorable system. I find that it works better because the projects feel more discrete, contained, and yet also more all-consuming. however, this coloring/drawing project was fun and cathartic, while it lasted.
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