If I told you that a simple piece of paper and a pencil could make your life less stressful would you believe me? It is TRUE! Just as clutter in our physical environment can drain our energy, mental clutter has the same effect. My life is full of lists. When I fail to make lists I can tell a difference in my productivity and focus. I want to share with you why and how I make lists.
1. Lists help get all that mental clutter outside of myself so that I can focus on what needs to happen and how I am going to make it happen. The simple act of writing down all that is swirling in my brain and looking at it makes me feel in charge. It allows me to see what needs to happen. Sometimes, I can see that X needs to happen before I can do Y, so that means X gets priority treatment. Sometimes, I see the best way that errands need to be run so that I am not backtracking, saving me time and gas. Sometimes, I realize that there is a task that can wait until another day. It really doesn't seem as pressing now that I've dumped it from my brain onto the paper. Sometimes, I realize that I can delegate the task and not even do it myself. That's ALWAYS nice!
2. Lists help me be intentional with my time. When I am intentional with my time my productivity soars. I feel a sense of accomplishment when I check things off my list. As I wrote in my last post, this feeling of accomplishment leads to a feeling of fulfilment. When I am not intentional with my time I am easily distracted by any number of things. I find I am less easily distracted if I have a mission to accomplish.
3. I have many lists in my home for different purposes. The lists are in a location where I can see them, add to them and check them off. I have a running grocery list so I can immediately write down an item I need when I think of it. I have a menu list, usually for two weeks at a time. This helps me know what I need to purchase at the store as well as know how I need to prepare for our evening meal. For more info on meal planning see my post "Mamma's Mealtime Mania." I have a list of projects I want to get accomplished around the house such as cleaning out the kitchen cabinets or painting a closet. Each night I make a list of things that need to happen the next day such as errands, vacuuming, and preparing for a Sunday School lesson. This list might also include one of those projects from the previous list like painting a closet. I don't usually include things that I do everyday such as making the beds or emptying the dishwasher. But it could. If making a big list of EVERYTHING you need to do makes you feel good then do it! By the way, I have been known to do something that was not on the list and then add it to the list after I accomplished it just so I can mark it off the list. I know, it may be a little OCD, but whatever. It works for me!
4. If I had to choose the most important list it would be the daily list I make each night for the next day. How we spend our time each day culminates into how we spend our lives. Making the list at night is important because it gives you a head start on your day. It's already mapped out. If you are the type of person who likes to jump out of bed and get going you can immediately get busy. If you are the type who is still a little foggy in the morning and needs a while to totally wake up you don't have to try to think that early in the morning.
5. I don't let my lists stress me out. My lists help decrease my stress because they tell me what needs to happen next. If I feel that something on my list is causing me stress I try breaking it down into smaller parts. For example, if I write "clean the house" on the list that's too big and too vague. I can change that to "dust the downstairs, vacuum and clean the bathroom." Do you see how breaking the task down into smaller chunks makes the tasks more concrete? This allows me to wrap my brain around what exactly needs to happen.
6. I am not a slave to my lists. Although I use them as a guide, there are times when snuggling with my boys, spending time with my husband, spending some time alone with God or talking with a neighbor is far more pressing than anything on my list. When everything on my list doesn't get accomplished it simply goes on the next day's list. And sometimes things even get thrown off the list because my attitude or perspective has changed on that particular item.
If you are not already a list maker I challenge you to become one. See how it can lighten your mental clutter, increase your productivity and help you feel less stressed. See how the power of the list will increase your focus and allow you to make intentional decisions about how you spend your time.
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