In our previous office, we discovered that a mirror did more than reflect our faces — it became an organization tool. Beyond a quick glance to see if we had anything on our cheeks, we used a dry erase marker to jot down to-dos, reminders, and even a friendly welcome message for overnight guests. It proved to be a simple but effective system for staying on top of tasks and capturing ideas before they slipped away.
After we moved, I missed that little organizational corner. At first I taped a tiny scrap of paper to the wall with a short list, which quickly expanded into two lists flanking the large doorway. One list was labeled “Posts To Write” and the other “Projects To Do.” With a long backlog of home-improvement ideas (we keep a running list of hundreds of tasks around the house), limiting ourselves to roughly ten priorities at a time helps us focus. It also makes it easier to plan which items require supplies or which ones should be tackled first. Just as importantly, the lists help us remember to blog about completed projects; if we don’t write them down, projects get checked off in real life and then forgotten online. Keeping a visible queue of finished-but-not-yet-blogged tasks shortens the gap between finishing a job and sharing it.
Not having an erasable surface, though, was dragging down our update routine. For example, the item “limb up the magnolia” remained on the wall even though I had already done that weeks earlier (see here). That kind of oversight makes it harder to know what truly needs attention.
To solve that, I rummaged through the playroom — a catch-all for baskets, bedding, frames, and mirrors — and found two similarly sized mirrors. I asked John to hang them for me. I admit I outsourced the heavy lifting (nursing the baby is my go-to excuse; it’s the one task John can’t do, so it works every time). I supervised from the sofa while he did the measuring and hammering.
The mirrors now serve as two dry erase boards: one for “Projects To Do” and one for “Posts To Write.” They’re not identical, but they look far more deliberate and polished than the little notebook pages that used to be taped to the wall. The tidy, erasable surfaces make it easy to update priorities, remove completed items, and keep the lists current.
If we ever finished every item on our list, the wall would look like that idealized photo above. In reality, the mirrors display a busy, evolving list of projects and posts — exactly what we need to keep momentum on our home improvements and content goals.
On the right mirror there’s a blue dry erase marker resting on the top edge, since that mirror’s frame is deep enough to hold it. Someday we might find a matching pair to create a more symmetrical look, but for now the mismatched duo works beautifully. The important thing is functionality: being able to glide a marker across the glass, cross off completed items, and instantly update our priorities. That simple act of erasing feels like progress and keeps us motivated to tackle the next thing on the list.
Overall, converting mirrors into dry erase boards restored a small but powerful habit — visible, editable lists that help us prioritize projects, plan supplies, and remember to document our work. It’s an inexpensive change that has a surprisingly big impact on how we manage tasks and share them with readers.