Redesigning My List: Finding Balance Between Family, Work, and Me
As much as I loved the simplicity of my very first to-do list, I realized something was missing. It could still skew towards work tasks or home projects with no accountability for balance.
Every day I was juggling three big domains of life — family/home, work, and personal — but they all kept collapsing into one never-ending to-do list. And you know what got left behind every single time? My personal list.
Splitting the List (On Purpose)
I decided to reconfigure my daily page so that each domain had its own dedicated space. Family/home. Work. Personal.
It’s not that these worlds don’t overlap — they definitely do — but visually separating them was game-changing. Suddenly, I couldn’t hide from the imbalance. If the family and work columns were crammed with tasks and the personal section sat empty, it was right there in black and white: I was running myself into the ground.
Making Space for Me
I’ll be honest — I’ve always struggled with prioritizing things like creative outlets, relaxation, or personal care. They felt selfish at worst and optional at best. Like bonus items I might get to if everything else was finished (spoiler: everything else is never finished).
So I built in a little nudge: a small section for a tiny drawing of the day. Nothing complicated. No pressure to make “art.” Just something approachable and fun that would trick me into doing a tiny creative project every single day. A doodle. A flower. A stick figure. A reminder that life isn’t just about checking boxes — it’s about creating, too.
Balance You Can See
Now, when I look at my list, I don’t just see what needs to get done — I see whether my day is balanced. Whether I’m giving time to my family, energy to my work, and space for myself.
Because if my lists only show the laundry, the deadlines, and the inbox, then I’m not building the kind of days — or the kind of life — I want to look back on.
And sometimes, the tiniest doodle in the corner is proof that I remembered myself.
I’ll probably have a vulnerability hangover tomorrow, but here is my first doodle.
