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Every day, sometimes before you even get out of bed, your
mind races, thinking about the tasks you need to finish.
When you forget something or you have to squeeze more into
your day, that can be stressful.
Author Paula Rizzo says that learning the art of list making
can help. By creating a list system that works for you,
tasks can be prioritized and ideas remembered, you’ll more
easily focus on immediacies, and you’ll feel a sense of
accomplishment when you check off what you’ve finished.
To get started, know what kind of list you need. What you’ll
add to a packing list, say, will be different than what
you’ll want to remember for work. Pros-and-Cons lists are
perfect for decision-making, while lists of restaurants you
want to visit someday can be more informal. Remember that
lists and checklists are very different things.
Next, decide where you’ll put your list, so it best serves
its purpose. For a “fun list,” a pocket-sized journal may be
perfect. Rizzo says she keeps a spiral-bound notebook for
ideas at work. You can go digital or plaster the walls with
sticky-notes.
Whatever works for you – and “You know yourself better than
anyone can” – the first step is to “Just write it down.” Get
the task out of your head and onto paper, then organize and
prioritize. Be realistic, and rewrite the list if you feel
overwhelmed or hate messiness. As issues occur, you can add
them to your list; conversely, you’ll feel good when you
eliminate tasks and see your progress. Finally, before you
leave work for the day, write a new list for tomorrow, so
you won’t stress about forgetting things. Refresh it first
thing in the morning. Your day will thank you.
As someone whose life is run by scraps of paper, I was eager
to see what was inside Listful Thinking. I was
pleased… and I was puzzled.
Author Paula Rizzo has “glazomania” (a passion for
listmaking) and it shows in this enthusiastic book filled
with ideas and suggestions. What you’ll find here is
easy-to-understand, approachable, and methodical.
On the other hand, there are some odd points made here –
things that probably won’t fly at work: wasted time on
repeated list re-writes, making lists of frivolous things to
do on break, and not answering phone calls without prior
appointment are just a few of the head-scratchers I found. I
could make a list…
Still, the hopelessly overwhelmed will surely find help
inside Listful Thinking, and it could get new
employees up to speed quicker. If you’re on top of your game
or already know how to make lists, though, just cross this
one off.
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