Creating a Habit of Lists

It was totally against my habit, but I wrote down a 'to do' list today. Over the past few years, it seems that I forget that one thing that had I made a list, I would not have forgotten.

You probably have experienced it too. You go to the grocery store to get a few things. Not a lot, but just a couple of items for the weekend. Then, after you get home, or start to prepare dinner, you realized that you forgot to pick up the shredded cheese for the casserole. Aurgh!!!

This will happen to me when I go to the book store to check out a few books I'm interested in. I get to the book store and then...what was the name of that book? Who's the author again? And, I cannot for the life of me even remember it.

Mid-term exams are this week. I'm studying and going over my notes. Also, work has increased and I have several irons in the fire with that project. Add to that my husband went out of town for a meeting and I realized I had several things I needed to talk with him about. How was I going to remember all these things?

I have to admit that I have had some resentment about making 'to do' lists. It is almost an admittance that I cannot remember all I need to do. That in turn makes me feel that I'm not competent enough to do what I need to. However, to get all my tasks completed and done on time, I sat down and made two lists. One was for the topics I needed to speak to my husband about. The other list was exactly what I want to accomplish tomorrow. I wrote down everything but make the bed, brush my teeth, eat, etc. What I listed were all the things I did not want to forget. And, writing out this list not only keeps all those items in the forefront of my thoughts, but also, helps me with my focus and concentration.

Then there's that sly ego benefit of marking the items off and gloating to myself for a job well done.

I realized that this is a habit of a highly organized and focused person. There's no shame in keeping lists. There's actually more repercussions should I forget to pack my my school book. If you read business or organization books, what is one of the key things a successful person does to stay on track? Yep, lists.

Get out a pad of paper and a pen. Keep them in the place where you do the majority of your work. For me, that's right here at my desk. However, it might be at your dining room table, a counter in the kitchen or at your nightstand. Test different places that make it visible and handy for you. Experiment with writing your to do list two or three days out. I like to do that for immediate tasks as I can add to the list as that particular day approaches.

I'm remembering the items to pick up at the grocery store, having the conversations with my husband when we have dinner, and creating focus for me for the entire day. I am less distracted with the work at hand.

Try these tips for two or three days; just as a test. See how it can improve your day to be more successful. Let me know how it works for you.