Lists

Lists are very helpful for keeping us on track.

When I was working I liked to make a list of what I wanted to accomplish that day and I’d also write down what I actually accomplished at the end of the day in my weekly calendar book. It was helpful for preparing the quarterly reports for my boss explaining what I achieved.

Now that I’m in school, I find it helpful to make a list of what I need to accomplish that week even though the work is listed on the syllabus. It feels good to cross items off when they are accomplished. Even though I bought an assignment book, I end up using index cards which is fine for as long as it works.

I recently started using the Reminder App on the iPhone regularly. I set the reminders with a particular time to help me remember recurring things I need to do daily (like take my vitamins -which I never remember to do) or weekly (like clean my dog’s ears since he’s prone to ear infections). In the beginning I procrastinated but often times now I complete things before the alert comes up. It took some time to train myself but eventually the desire to procrastinate went away and I just do what I set out to do.

Another app that is helpful for keeping track of lists is Evernote. You can set up different “notebooks” to organize your information and create numbered lists and even lists with little checkboxes. This free app will sync to all of your devices and can be used on a computer as well.

What kinds of lists do you keep and how do you organize them?