From to-do lists to Day Themes system

The tyranny of the to-do list

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been at war with the to-do list. Standard task management just doesn’t work for my brain.

Traditional productivity frameworks lean on rigid, 9-to-5 workflows that assume a neurotypical way of working, and that mismatch is where my friction starts.

A single list with my personal life, freelance work, and startup ideas all mixed together is a recipe for overwhelm. The context-switching is exhausting, and my rapidly changing interests mean the list is often outdated before I even begin.

I’ve tried different methods. I love the analog feel of writing in a notebook, so I made several enthusiastic attempts at bullet journaling. The Bullet Journal system is wonderfully flexible, but the need to maintain it meticulously every single day eventually felt like another chore, and I lost interest each time. I tried to use various apps for task management, but they all felt too rigid and didn’t fit my brain’s needs.

A small breakthrough with Time Bubbles

My first real insight came when I realized the problem wasn’t the tasks themselves, but the time. It doesn’t matter what’s on a to-do list if I don’t allocate time and energy to that direction.

So, I created a system I called “Time Bubbles.” A time bubble is just a block of time dedicated to an activity: “take a shower,” “work on client project,” “write content.” I used a notebook and later the ‘Structured’ app to plan my days this way. A typical day might look something like this:

For a few months, it was amazing. But time still had a habit of running away from me, and eventually, the micro-management of blocking out every part of my day became its own chore, and I lost interest again.

Rising of the Day Themes system

I needed to zoom out. Instead of managing hours, I needed to manage intention. Neurodivergent brains thrive when they can pivot inside a flexible boundary. The freedom to switch tasks within a theme keeps my dopamine up and my productivity flowing.

This led me to my latest experiment: Day Themes. Instead of a detailed schedule, I now have a simple “menu” of themes for my days. Each morning, I choose one Primary Theme as my main focus, and sometimes an optional Secondary Theme.

I built out this ‘Personal OS’ in Notion, where I can see all the themes in one place and link them to my daily log.

The menu has themes for every area of my life:

1. 📢 Amplify Day: For building my personal brand and creating content.
2. 💼 Client Focus Day: For focusing on paid client work.
3. 🎨 Create Day: For making art for its own sake.
4. 🧠 Decompress Day: For guilt-free, essential rest.
5. 🔋 Explore Day: For leaving my sanctuary and experiencing the outside world.
6. 🚀 Founder Day: For dedicated CEO time for my startups.
7. ⚙️ Life Admin Day: For the high-stakes tasks like bills and paperwork.
8. 🔋 Recharge Day: For actively restoring my physical and mental energy.
9. 🏡 Sanctuary Day: For building and maintaining my personal fortress of comfort.

Day Themes Notion template

The complete system from this post, ready for you to use. It’s a free and fully customizable Notion template to help you organize your days with intention.

Why this works

The most important part of this system is what I call Rule Zero: This is a guide, not a cage.

By deliberately minimizing the number of truly time-sensitive commitments in my calendar, I create space to honour the ones that remain without burning out. I am the CEO of my day, and I can change the plan based on my real-time energy and interest levels.

This system works where others have failed because it’s built on a foundation of flexibility and self-trust. It’s not a list of things I must do. It’s a menu of possibilities that helps me align my limited energy with what matters most to me today. And for a brain like mine, that makes all the difference.