Why I Love Lists

Here me out on this, because I’m sure many of us think “oh man lists?”, “if I write things down I must not be organized”, “I have a super brain I don’t need a list”. 

Well here’s the funny thing…

Lists actually have no bearing on your genius or ability to multitask. Lists are actually just useful because they free up your brain for what it is actually supposed to be used for: creativity. Now of course not everyone functions best on lists, and “creativity” certainly doesn’t mean you have to be an artist or designer or the like. We all have creativity when functioning in our zone of genius. Maybe you are creative in writing web design code, maybe its performing life saving surgery efficiently, maybe its managing an office with your fluid system, or being an accountant and designing spread sheets with ease. Creativity, as with everything else, is subject to our personal experience and purpose here. When we are forcing our minds to remember things like: water the plants, go for a walk, drink water, we need lunch meats on the way to the gym.

Our mind is so worried about prioritizing and remembering those seemingly small daily tasks, that it doesn’t have space to allow our creativity to flow. 

So let me tell you, from my perspective, nothing is too small or unimportant for a list. Now again, maybe I take it a little further than necessary, but honestly, I feel so much more organized and on the ball when I have a list. Plus, have you ever been sort of half in/half out with your lists. So you have all the “important things” written down, then you forget one task and suddenly you are like… that’s it, lists don’t work. Don’t they? Or did you forget to set yourself up for success? No more leaving the house for a few days wondering: did I shut the water off, is my food going to rot in the fridge, did I pack socks for those shoes, are the right lights left on, doors locked? It was all on your list, and you didn’t check it off until you were done!

Here’s another great thing about working off lists: what feels more satisfying than checking or scratching that shit off?

So maybe you have a day off and your ego wants to make you feel guilty for “not doing” anything. Here’s a secret: make a list, add your daily tasks to it. First, you will be surprised by what you actually accomplish on those days that you think you are laying around doing nothing. Second, you can feel less guilty by actually seeing things accomplished. I would add things like: walk or get outside, clean up kitchen, journal, make grocery list, throw in a load of laundry. Bam, just like that you accomplished 5 things. Things that you otherwise would not have given yourself credit for, because they are just things that “you do”. Here’s another thing I try to remind myself of when I say, that’s cheating I would do those things anyways. It was not that long ago that “house wife” was a career. Women stayed at home and took care of the household. Now suddenly woman do that, and have a career outside the house. So we have diminished our significant role in caring for our loved one as if its just another “to do”. If you do any caring for others, be proud of yourself, its a huge job, and not everyone can accomplish such an important role. 

Another myth of course is that you must be inefficient or unable to multi-task when you have a list, but is that really true?

If you know you want to clean the kitchen and make a grocery list, what are the chances that you end up doing both while you are in there? Maybe going for a walk is the perfect time to listen to a podcast or audible book (exercise and learn something new - check)? You want to read more, so you find a cozy spot outside with your book (read and chapter, get outside - check)? Need to call a loved one or book that appointment, throw in some headphones while you dust or do the laundry! We do so much more in a day than we give ourselves credit for. This is just an example for your personal life.

Imagine how efficient you could be in a business environment!

Maybe you make your list and realize there are five calls and three emails you need to send. If you had let your brain task manage, you would have started a task, remembered, dropped what you were doing and made the call. There are studies that show you lose five to ten minutes every time you change tasks. Those five phone calls you sporadically remember could be almost an hour out of your day. But when you made that list and realized you could bulk together “communication” you got it all out of the way at once and freed yourself for the other “fires” of the day. When I used to work in an office I was so busy and stressed, fielding calls, double digit emails daily, and four or five staff to task manage. When someone had a question, or a random call/email came in, I was thrown into a tizzy.

Here was my secret to success: I wrote a list for the day, usually that morning or the day before and then I closed my email.

Yes, I heard those audible gasps, I dared to close my email. When did we decide that life or death info came through our emails? If someone needed me that bad, they would call - honestly, it was all training. I would make my day’s list, add priority numbers beside everything, then delegate. Yes, the dreaded delegate, did I (and my perfectionist self) ever have to get over myself for that one, but that’s a different tangent. Being proactive I would make all my follow up phone calls, update emails; then shut it down and focus on my list. Of course things always came up, but being proactive I felt a sense of control. Seemingly small things were checked off, so when the random “emergency” came up during the day - because let’s be honest, there is always an emergency, I had my list managed and felt I could handle real time situations. 

Again, this is not for everyone. The list life may not be for all of us. But please, if you have any of these feelings, I invite you to give it a try. You might surprise yourself. 

Until next time,

Lindsay

PS. This is not another “thing you have to do”. List writing is not something you can perfect. Maybe you keep a running list in your phone notes, or reminders, or you like to hand write. Do what works for you. If none of it works, leave it behind. No harm, I bet no one even knew you were or weren’t trying it!