Almost All of You Keep a To-Do List

Yes: 94%

• I use an app called Carrot. It’s very simple, easy to use and gives you snarky messages when you’re slacking on your to-do’s. — Tom Jeffrey, Dinky Dog Club, Charleston, SC
• Paper in a steno pad. One page for each day. I make four quadrants: Do, See, Contact, Write. I often enter tasks days in advance. I add an asterisk next to higher-priority items or tasks to be done first. I check off completed items, and any items undone, I put an arrow facing to the left and note the day this task has been moved to. Then I note the task on that next day’s page to ensure nothing falls through cracks. I note on the cover the dates included in case I need to go back to find the date of a task, meeting or phone call. This has worked for me for decades. — Marcia Cram, Just Fur Pets, Springfield, VA
• We use Slack for team communication, and I use the direct message feature to send myself my to-do list, as well as to quickly jot down things I need to schedule or take care of later. — Katherine Ostiguy, Crossbones, Providence, RI
• I write one before I leave for the store. It’s usually on a piece of paper that I lose within hours and find the next day having completed most of the items on it. — Stephanie Rossino, GiggyBites, Chadds Ford, PA
• I keep to-do lists and idea lists on my Evernote app. I love it because it’s very stable — I’ve never lost anything yet! — and it syncs instantly to my Macbook, iPad and iPhone. — Jeff Jensen, Four Muddy Paws, St Louis, MO
• We have to do lists that staff sign off on daily to show accountability. The list is clearly displayed and followed all day long. Both night crew and day crew monitor the list, and work on it as a team. If a shift is behind on something, the opposite team works to pick up the slack, as a team should when the store is busy with other duties like caring for clients. — Sal Salafia, Exotic Pet Birds Inc, Webster, NY
• Mostly paper… OK, sticky notes so we can rearrange them by importance. — Annabell Bivens, The Dog Store, Alexandria, VA
• I use Basecamp by 37Signals on my desktop and on the app. It helps me see how much I have accomplished. It can sometimes seem like I have a never ending to-do list, but when I look back at all those items I have completed, it feels very satisfying and motivates me to keep pushing! — Charlsye Lewis, Metro Animals, Fort Worth, TX
• I keep a to-do list on my phone in the notes section. I use it for normal day-to-day things like payroll, certain bills that aren’t on autopay, month-end items. Then, anytime I think of those random thoughts (wake you up in the middle of the night, while you’re driving in the car, making dinner) of something I should do, look into or research more, I just jot them into my notes. It’s great to be able to look at the list and check things off or get a reminder of something I had forgotten. — Nicole Olesen, Woofs & Waves, Sioux Falls, SD
• I keep it in my head… probably not the best way, but it works for me! — Laura Haupt, Bark & Meow Inc, Tarry Town, NY
• I use Trello and also a written list. I like to use both depending on what type of task it is. Trello is great to add photos, links and notes. I like my handwritten list for shorter, less detailed tasks like check email, put price stickers on products, schedule social media posts, etc. — Niki Libarios, Hawaii Doggie Bakery, Honolulu HI
• I like using a notebook that is dedicated to my to-do list. It’s always a forever-growing list of tasks, with some being short term, long term and urgent/immediate tasks. I cross each task off when completed, and once I have crossed off an entire page, I tear it out and throw it away. I’ve tried to keep to-do lists on my laptop and my phone, but I like something tangible. Something that I can physically feel and have satisfaction by crossing each task off. — Kimberly Gatto, The Wagging Tail, Las Vegas, NV
• We use a system called papyrs. It allows us to communicate between all stores. In addition, we can set to-do lists and check to see if they have been completed. We live by a rule that if it hasn’t been put in writing, then it hasn’t been done. — Chris Guinn, Dog Krazy, Fredericksburg, VA
• I tried a few apps, but I found that old-fashioned stickies and pen make my list accessible and urgent! I post the stickies, in fun colors, to the bottom of my computer screen, and as I complete the tasks written, I delight in removing the corresponding stickie and walking it to the paper recycling bin in a different room. It gives me a little break and a celebratory moment! — Asha Olivia, Hoby Dogy Pet Care, Boca Raton, FL

No: 6%

• I relay everything to my department managers, and they know I do not repeat myself. 🙂 — Jessica Cooke, Yuppy Puppy, O’Fallon, MO
• It’s a flaw. I need a to-do list. My manager does one and relays it to me. — Anna Woodcock, Brown Dog Bakery, Ankeny, IA