What good is a list if you never look at it?

“Siri, remind me to pick up some toothpaste on the way home”
”Here are the directions to your house...”

This happens to me more often than I care to count when I try to ask my phone to add something simple to a to do list. Great when it gets it right but frustrating when it doesn’t. It’s not the technology that I get annoyed at, after all, the fact that it can understand a single word of what a mumble at it amazes me. But even when it works, I really don't like using my phone to make to-do lists because I never look at the list. Whenever I unlock my phone, I'm presented with a vast collection of options that are much more interesting and fun compared to my to-do list. Why should I look at my to-do list when I can watch the most upvoted gifs on Reddit?

I think I just prefer the old fashioned way of making notes, a quick scribble of a biro on the back of my hand will often suffice. I like how quick and accessible this method is. Plus, my phone’s to-do list is only useful when I have charge and ironically, it’s when my battery is flat that my mind switches over to tackling those tasks.

So I had an idea to stick a piece of paper to the back of my phone so that I could make quick notes that I’d see whenever my phone was out of my pocket. 

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I simply drew around my phone and cut out the piece of paper leaving an aperture for the camera lens. I have a case that has a lip that runs round the entirety of the phone that holds the paper securely in place. No adhesives necessary.

In practice, I have found this works really well. Just being able to see the list frequently means that things are always in my mind. Since I use water based pens, wet hands/weather can cause a few smudges but other than that, there are few downsides. 

Plus if you grew up in the 90's, like me, you'll remember the days of phone fascias for the likes of the Nokia 5110, 3210 and 3310. I enjoy that I can relive that nostalgia, as each sheet I put in my phone essentially becomes a unique fascia, a custom case.