I have lists for my lists

Originally published 3/29/2018 on Wordpress

Please tell me that I am not alone in this.

Do you make lists for everything?

I do!

Everyone I know tells me that I am the most organized person they know. And I pride myself in my ability to be organized and multitask and get more done in a day than most people can in a week. I am pretty obsessed with getting things done, so much so that some may consider it pathologic. I just call it a way of life. Okay fine, I'm a little bit anal retentive- Type A if you will.

For me, the biggest stress in life is being disorganized, not having a plan or having gaps of time when nothing is happening. I hate that feeling and I never want to feel stressed out. This is not to say that I don't like free time lounging like the next person. It's just that most of my lounging time is scheduled unless I'm on vacation then the lists go out the window.

First I have a master list where I write down my long term goals. Be a better person, loose some weight, career goals, run a marathon etc

Then I start each day with a daily list.

What do I need to accomplish for the day? This list basically takes me through hour by hour from waking to sleeping, what I need to get done for the day. So this list may look something like this and will change from day to day.

This is a sample daily list for the purpose of this blog only.

Then within the main daily list there will be sublists

For instance within my work day I may need to call and schedule an appointment with the dentist or return a phone call or email. If grocery shopping is on my list for the day, then I need a list for the items to buy from the grocery store. If I have a dinner party, I have a list of guests and a list for the menu and one for all the things I need to do to prepare for it, like get hair done, nails, clean house etc.

I have a birthday gift list for family and friends

I have a vacation travel list

I have a list for books I want to read

I start my Christmas gift list in the summer

I have a calender list for major upcoming events

I have a list for my lists- no joke. I make my lists on paper, on my phone, my laptop, wherever I can write something down. I have about 4 different list making apps on my phone. I know it all sounds crazy, but trust me it works. This list making is certainly not for the faint of heart. But the more you do it, the more it becomes second nature. They say it takes about 2 weeks of doing something repetitively (every day) for it to become a habit.

The last thing I do before I go to sleep, is look at my list one last time and see what I was able to get done for that day.

To me, there is no greater sense of accomplishment than to cross items off the to do list. If you find that you could not complete all your tasks for the day, there is nothing wrong with moving it on the next day's list.

This I find is the best way to get things done and not procrastinate.

Who's with me?

What lists do you make?

I would love to see your comments below.