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Anyone else out there is a list freak? Hands up?
Well. I am an absolute sucker for lists. I make lists for everything: daily to-do lists, grocery shopping lists, wish lists. Lists of movies I want to watch and books I want to read. Lists of imaginary band names, titles for zines I haven’t written yet, puns to remember, meal ideas, and future pet names.
So, not to blow my own horn, but I am not ashamed to define myself a List Expert. I shall now MAKE A LIST of what you need to know to compile The Perfect List.
- Go crazy
Some people will tell you you should have a maximum of 3 items on your list. I am not one of those people. My daily to-do lists are pages and pages long. But that’s because I include absolutely everything in them, including things that I would do anyway, like having breakfast or brushing my teeth. That’s because I am the kind of person who’s motivated by their own achievements (like, the more I tick items off my list, the easier it is to keep going). Write down as much as you want, as long as you… - Keep it real
You want your goals to be achievable. Not too big, not too vague. Keep it simple, write down things you know you can do. Poop at 5 o’clock? Totally doable. Finish writing 1000-page memoir? Maybe less so. Similarly… - Be specific
Avoid abstraction. You’re more likely to get things done if they are down-to-the-detail clear in your head. So for example, Become financially stable: too vague. Invest $100 in your auntie’s strawberry orchard shares: way more specific. - Be clear on what the list is for
This might sound silly, but remind yourself what exactly it is that you’re listing. Is it a daily to-do list? Is it a guest list? A grocery shopping list? It’s easy to merge all of these lists together (and it’s ok to have lists within lists for exactly this reason, which I totally do). However, I prefer to keep things separate and have different lists for different purposes. Stick to the topic of that particular list, and feel free to start a new list for a different topic. - Don’t get distracted
Along the same line, if you’re writing a to-do list for Tuesday, don’t include things like picking up the dry-cleaning, if you know it won’t be ready until Friday. Start a separate list for future tasks. I have a list on…
