The idea is pretty simple: you only have so much room in your day, so when making out your to-do list you should have a similar limitation in the amount of space you have available.
The Post-It pictured above is exactly how you shouldn't take this advice. Section the Post-It into four squares, put your most important task in the top left, and then use the other three for things you'd like to accomplish today. Keep the Post-It with you and do what you wrote. This isn't necessarily a replacement for the endless to-do list many of us have, but it's the little sheet that helps us tackle the major stuff we have to get done day-to-day.

If It Won't Fit On A Post-It, It Won't Fit In Your Day [The 99 Percent]

When I first started using Evernote two years ago, I was really excited about the universal capture tool. But I've lost my love for apps like Evernote because, frankly, I don't think they work that well. Here's why.
Photo by ryan bieber.

Last week, my pal Gina discussed perfecting digital filing systems in her Work Smart video series (see video below). In it, she asks me to share my tips for setting up a solid digital filing system.

In thinking about my response, I was reminded of a great post I'd read last year by former Twitter dev and current BankSimple CTO, Alex Payne, on what he calls everything buckets:

An Everything Bucket, since you're probably wondering, is what I call applications that encourage the user to throw anything and everything into them. They're virtual scrapbooks, applying a lightweight organization system to (often) unrelated data of varying types. These applications typically employ a proprietary database, or at best, build atop the SQLite database technology... They usually default to storing information in Rich Text Format (RTF) or Portable Document Format (PDF). They are Not A Good Idea.

I'd recommend reading Payne's full post when you've got a chance. It's an excellent general discussion of using software productively, and I don't think I can provide a more compelling or eloquent argument against everything buckets than he has already.

Payne's point regarding "Applications That Actually Do Things" resonates the most with me: Any of the "everything buckets" I've ever tried do many things poorly rather than one thing well (see the Unix philosophy). That doesn't mean that you can't or don't use Evernote or some other universal capture application to great effect. (You may be a wizard at making Evernote do exactly what you want.) For my part, I can only think of one thing it does well, or at least better than anything else I'm aware of (for free): Photo-to-text transcription. If I want a tool I can use to snap pictures I can search later using text, I might use Evernote for that because I don't know of a better option.

But if, for example, I want to write text (and still have it sync to every single device I use), I'm going to use Simplenote. It does one thing (plain-text notes), and it does it exceptionally well. It's also a system distinct from pictures, bookmarks, and files, so if I want to find a note I've written, I can go to Simplenote (or whatever Simplenote client I'm using) and get it without sifting through unrelated junk.

You may feel differently. In fact, I know that a lot of Lifehacker readers really love apps like Evernote. (I'm picking on Evernote because it's the most popular among our readers, not because it's the worst universal capture app.)

Whether you agree with me or not, let's hear what you think in the comments.

Work Smart 2: Perfect Your Digital Document Filing System [Fast Company]
The Case Against Everything Buckets [Alex Payne]
Adam Pash is the editor of Lifehacker and a lover of software that does one thing well. You can find his various productivity musings every day here at Lifehacker and with more off-message frequency @adampash on Twitter.

Nothing is perfect and waiting for the perfect moment or killing yourself trying to ensure that every thing your hand touches is done perfectly is a sure way to not get anything done at all.
Photo by Jakob Montrasio.

Voltaire, the ever quotable French Enlightenment writer and philosopher, recognized over two centuries ago the dangers of perfectionism. Waiting for the perfect time to do something—going back to school, starting a business, learning a new skill—is a sure fire way to never get around to doing it. At the same time starting but insisting on perfection is a recipe for late nights, an unhappy spouse, and early burnout.

Need a little perspective to help with your perfectionist tendencies? Take a peek at previous articles on the topic like getting things done by recognizing good enough, getting more done by organizing just enough, and how to focus on the big picture to avoid the perfectionist trap.

You can download the above image as desktop wallpaper here. Have your own tips, tricks, or resources to help stave off perfectionism and get back to getting things done or a perfect quote you'd love to see turned into one of our #quotables pictures? Let's hear about it in the comments.