How to use your lock screen as a visual to-do list

The high-tech version of scribbling reminders on your hand

Hi! I’m popping in to share a quick hack I came up with a couple of days ago to direct my focus towards tasks I either want to or need to do.

Why I’m not doing the thing I’m supposed to be doing

1. I don’t know what I’m supposed to be doing, because I haven’t made a list yet.

2. I don’t know what I should be doing first, because I haven’t taken the time to prioritize the list.

3. I don’t want to do the thing I’m supposed to be doing.

4. I feel overwhelmed by how many things I could/should do and just can’t get started.

5. I’m hungry.

   

I’m a big fan of analog productivity tools and have been using some version of a paper planner since the 6th grade… so about 30 years.

I don’t think that will change any time soon, but neither will phones go away any time soon. So, last week, I experimented with using my phone to amplify my efforts to stay focused.

I created phone wallpapers for my lock screen to visually invite myself into action. It’s a little bit like a mash-up of a visual schedule and a mood board.

My last three days’ of lock screens. The affirmations come from the I Am app.

I made the collages include some (a) fun things I was looking forward to; (b) “must do” tasks I needed to attend to; (c) ideas for breaks; and (d) treats to enjoy while going about the day

Why visuals work so well

1. My demand-avoidant brain can’t really say “no” to a picture because a picture isn’t even talking to me.

2. Visuals are exponentially more inviting than other triggers which are likely to catch my eye: the stray crumbs on the counter, a scrap of plastic packaging that needs to picked up by the baseboard, the full sink of dishes. We’re trying to make the high effort, high reward items more appealing and attractive than the low effort, low reward items.

3. A picture shows the completed state, not the tiresome steps along the way—that I definitely have no interest in doing—to get to where I want to be.

4. A picture expresses a lot (a thousand words, some have said): when I see a picture, my brain can digest and metabolize the concept more deeply.

I’m optimistic that a visual menu for the day (or week or month!) will help me slog through the rest of mid-winter, when nature provides few visual clues as to what I should be doing. There are no weeds to pick, no lake calling my name (other than for the occasional cold dip), no vegetables to harvest or leaves to rake.

Have you ever used your lock screen to remind you about anything?

Closing randomness

These high protein biscuits. They are the perfect thing to make on a Saturday morning to supplement everyone with snacks throughout the day. I made them gluten-free and they turned out fantastic.

I asked my friend Sam to make me a Classical music playlist to help me focus, because none of the ones I found on Spotify were working for me—there were too many cliched pieces and also, every once in a while something too loud/dramatic/contemporary would startle me. Enjoy!

I’ve started sketching human people!