The Art of the List

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Someone asked me how I do so many things. I said it is all thanks to lists.

I have been a list maker since I was a teenager. I don't know how I developed this skill or obsession. My mom and dad did not make lists. I don't ever remember anyone telling me to do it, but somewhere along the way I began to make lists and now I don't live without them.

Here is today's list. It's nothing fancy, just a literal list of things I want or need to accomplish today. Some things will be put on tomorrow's list if I can't get them all done today. It is now 3:35 p.m. Central time and I am not very far on the list. Although, the things that I have done are the most time-intensive ones (except for writing 3600 words on my book for NaNoWriMo).

I have already added something to the list! I forgot that I needed to work on another website that I have been commissioned to create and maintain. (But as soon as I finish this post I can take one more item off the list!)

If you have trouble organizing your time as I do, a list might be the perfect thing for you.

I won't bore you with the history of lists (I am not sure anyone actually knows). I will just tell you the simple steps I take to create a daily list.

Karin's Simple Steps for List Creation and Use
  1. Get a piece of paper and something to write with. Many times my lists are jotted onto the backs of envelopes or scratch paper. Our local drug store has a lot of paper waste so they have been cutting them into scratch paper. I take about 50 sheets a week! I use scratch paper for all my lists and various other writing that I do. (The above list was written on said scratch paper!)
  2. Write the list. Although I am not quite this organized, you could also prioritize the items on the list. What works best for me is to write down things as they come to my mind. I might start the day with three or four things on the list and by the end of the day, I might have 20 items or more. (I just added one more thing I remembered that I needed to do today!)
  3. Do what is on the list. This one should be a no-brainer, but just because you created the list doesn't mean you will actually do anything on the list! There have been times when I do nothing on my list all day long.
  4. Check things off as you accomplish them. It gives me such a sense of accomplishment to check things off the list. In fact, sometimes I will add things that I already did that day that were not on the list so that I can mark them off!
  5. Add things as needed. I kind of covered this in #2, but it never hurts to repeat something if it is important. I like to think of my lists as "living" organisms—they grow as needed.
  6. Move unfinished items to the next day's list. Put them first so they have priority. There should not be things on the list that are more than a couple of weeks old unless they are really big things and you are including them on the daily list as a reminder to work on them.
  7. Don't be afraid to modify the list. I just had to modify something on my list. As much as I would like to write 3600 words on my book today, the actual number of words should have been 1667! If I get 3600 words written, I would be thrilled and amazed!

So there you have my list. I hope it helps you become more organized and find that list-making can make things easier!

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Recent Comments

18

Great message Thank you ...I will do mine , thanks for the reminder, it surly gets more done than not...and what I plan to do with my list, as you say write them as they come ...either I will redo the list or leave space between the duties so when I think of one more important to do than the the other I can just place a star above it...but I have surly learned that doing what needs to be done first or most important is best to do early when you have the energy and time, it if it's not in order.

Sometimes we all need a little reminder. I work on my list all day, it is a living thing!

Hope you have a productive day!
Karin

I keep lists too, Karin. The key is 'writing it down' - as opposed to 'typing it down' somewhere on your cell phone or computer. That's never worked for me. I'm more committed to remembering something and actually doing it if I write it down. It's almost like making an oath to myself.

Appreciate the post!
Isaiah 😊

Very nice, indeed, Karin! Thanks for a look at how you do a list!

Jeff

like your last pic, lol.

A person of my own heart. My dad was a list person ( every day) and so am I. It structures my day and helps me focus.
Thanks
Stephen

I love my lists! Sometimes I think of things to add when I can't, like in the middle of the night when my dogs are blocking the way. But I usually remember those items in the morning.

I started doing this in 2010. Helped immensely. I now keep a daily list on my phone

Lol! I love that picture of the cat at the end of this blog. 🐈

Yes, organizing by writing down a list of things that you want to do to get done is important. That's why I write these things down and adding them to my calendar as it helps me to not forget and it makes the calendar 📆 look important and it makes me feel important to know that I can organize it. :)

Myra

Karin, I am a list maker as well. Progress slows when I shift away from the list. List's have been my mainstay since a young mom. When I was younger I kept the list for the satisfaction of checking off the entry.

Now I use a list to help with the organizational factor. Once written down, I will more often complete the task.

However, as life is ever-changing, working on those new items, and eliminating the no longer useful habits, I find a list keeps me on track.
Good luck as you work your way through.
Sami

I write lists too. Before, I used lists for other parts of my life and on that list would just be 'work on site' or something similar. But now I make a daily list of what I want/need to do for the site. It's invaluable!
All the best with your continued list writing!
Soraya

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