The love of lists

Oh! How I love a good list!

I’m a list lover. I have lists for all kinds of subjects. Books to be read. Christmas gifts. Books I have read. Family birthdays. Things to do before it snows. Things to do after it snows. Books I love. Places to visit. In fact, I have a list of all my lists!

And of course, if you’re going to have lists, you need to have cool notebooks to put them in. One of my greatest weakness is Moleskin journals, and I recently succumbed to buying a Leuchtturm1917, a different brand of journal that is supposed to be even better than Moleskin! Who needs a Porsche or Lamborghini when you have Moleskins and Leuchtturms?

What is it about lists that we love? Well, here is a list:

1.    We get our thoughts on paper so we they don’t keep swirling around in our head annoying ourselves. 

2.   Once on paper, we are more likely to remember what it is we wanted to remember. Of course, that requires us to look at our lists, which is probably what should be at the top of our list: #1. LOOK AT THIS LIST.

3.   Once on paper, we can prioritize this list of random thoughts and make a plan on completing the tasks. All things on the list aren’t equal and I would argue that is the “art” of list making. The more variety of items on the list, the better it is. For example, lists should include (yes, here is another list):

a.    Something fun and enjoyable (eat ice cream)

b.    Something quick and easy (take a photo of something beautiful)

c.    Something that can’t be undone (send a thank you note)

d.    Something that moves you forward on your goals (do strength training).

4.   And of course, there is the deep satisfaction that comes from crossing things off the list when they’re completed with the associated positive self-talk: “Good job.” “You’re amazing.” “I don’t know how you do it.” 

5.   This last reason is controversial, and some admit doing it with a tinge of guilt as if there is a Rule Book on How to Do Lists. But if you’re going to be judged about the size of the list or the things you’ve completed, you should be free to add to the list things you did that were not on the list, but you did anyway! And yes, cross them off with pride and satisfaction. This certainly is not cheating – it’s being thorough and precise. So, go ahead! Add anything you want that recognizes what an awesome person you are.

Lists are fun and very helpful tools to help us spend our resources on what matters most. But as with all things, they require balance so we don’t become more obsessed with the list than our life.

How do you use lists to help you? I’d love to hear from you.