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List Making

For Stress Management

How can the physical act of list making reduce our cognitive stress level?

I'll start by reviewing the principles of making lists, then give you some helpful hints and tips for effective list making...

The main idea behind using lists is to take information out of our brains and put it in a physical place. This allows us to find and use the information whenever we need it, without worrying about forgetfulness.

List keeping lets us forget about things, freeing up brain power for other tasks. If we were always trying to remember little details, we would have no brain power left over for problem solving and critical thinking.

It takes a lot of mental energy to store and recall information, especially if it is a lot of information, if the info is very detailed, or if we need to be able to recall it quickly and accurately.

There are also things that have little importance to us, but we need to remember them anyway. Mundane things like groceries do not stick in our minds very well, which is why we create grocery lists!

We've all used old computers... when they start running slow, it means that we are low on Random Access Memory (RAM). We have too many programs open at once, and the load is bogging down our machine.

We need to shut down a few applications, freeing up memory for critical tasks. Our brains can work the same way sometimes. They get overloaded, and list making allows us to take off some of the strain.

The goal of effective list making is to turn mental clutter into physical organization.

You can also discover amazing things about yourself through lists! Check out... Listography Journal: Your Life in Lists

Tips for Effective List Making

If it is done well, list making can take a load off of our minds... putting it in a physical place and freeing up the mind for other tasks.

Done poorly, list making just adds to our stress level. Read through the tips below to find out how you can become an effective list keeper.

I have divided lists making into three main areas:

1) How the List is Stored (format)

2) Where the List is Stored (physical place)

3) Our Pattern for List-Checking (the number of lists and the times we check them)

Remember that Consistency is key in each of these three areas. The effective use of lists means that we have to be consistent in how the list is stored, where the list is stored, and our pattern for checking our lists.

1) How the List is Stored

What if you put your list on the back of an old credit card bill, and it got moved to the bottom of a stack of other papers?

As you are looking frantically for the information you wrote down, not remembering exactly what the scrap of paper looks like or where you put it... you will realize that your list is only adding to your stress level.

This is why it is so important to have consistency in How our lists are stored. Ultimately, it doesn't really matter how our list is kept, as long as we are consistent in how we keep our lists.

You may prefer to keep your lists in digital form... on your computer. This may be a desktop program like Microsoft Outlook, a new Google application online, a text file that you open up, add to and erase from as need be. It could also be on your phone or other mobile device.

You may prefer a physical list... with a paper and pencil. This could be in a notebook, a day planner or a personal journal. It could be an arrangement of sticky-notes around your desk, a pad of paper on your dashboard or in your back pocket.

I like to keep at least one list in audio format... I keep a small recorder in my briefcase and pull it out whenever a list of tasks comes to mind. This is also great for capturing ideas when they spring to mind! This works well for me because I am a very auditory thinker.

People who think visually like to have a hard copy that they can glance at in a moment's time.

The most important thing? Find out what works for you! What is the best way for you to express your thoughts? What is the most effective, efficient way for you to get that information out of your head and store it in a physical place?

Recommended Resources... You can use List Pads or a personal digital assistant or some scheduling software or an audio recorder of some type.

2) Where the List is Stored

Yes, there is a difference between How your list is kept (the physical format), and Where your list is kept (the actual place).

If you keep your list digitally (on your computer, for example) make sure you know where to find it. Desk-tops and home-pages can get cluttered. Things can get lost in the shuffle sometimes, so we need to be consistent in where our lists are kept.

What about keeping lists online? There are advantages and disadvantages to keeping your list on the Web.

You may have problems, for example, if your machine crashes... or if you live in an area where ice storms knock out the power or communication lines during the winter. If this type of thing is going to be a problem, then you may not want to keep your list online.

An advantage to keeping your list online... you use and update the information from anywhere in the world! Providing that you have access to the internet, of course! This is great for active people who are connected at work, at home, at school, from their mobile devices.

The internet is a great place to keep your list if your working environment is very stable, and your connection is secure... or if you are very mobile and need to keep all of your data with you at all times.

If you prefer to keep a hard copy of your list, you also need to keep it in a consistent place.

If you are keeping the list somewhere around the house, I recommend that you keep it OUT of the bedroom. The bedroom is your personal sanctuary. It should be a relaxing place, free from stressful things like to-do lists.

Good places to keep lists around the house are places like... the refrigerator door, the bathroom mirror, on the desk by the phone... anywhere that you go regularly where you will be sure to see the list.

The power of the list lies in the consistency of where we keep it. If you have a roving list, you may not be able to find it when you need it!

We need to know where to find that information, when we need to retrieve it.

If you are going to keep your list on a recorder or mobile device, you need to know where that device is! Keep it in one of two places... on your person or in your briefcase, on your person or in your car, on your person or on your desk.

Recommended Reading... Making Peace with the Things in Your Life: Why Your Papers, Books, Clothes, and Other Possessions Keep Overwhelming You and What to Do About It

3) Pattern for List-Checking

Part of the pattern for list checking is having a consistent number of lists.

I recommend around three. For a working person, I recommend something like this...

Have a "work list"... maybe at your workstation or on your computer. Have a "home list" of "honey-do" items or social obligations. Have a third, flexible list for groceries or other random things.

For a student, it may be an academic task-list... essays that are due, tests to prepare for, classes and labs to attend. Keep a separate list for extracurricular activities and social engagements.

Three lists seems to be about right for most people. Any more than three, and you need a list of your lists just to keep track of them! Any less than three, and you end up with a cumbersome master-list that is confusing and stressful.

We don't want social obligations staring us in the face when we sit down at our workstations. We don't want to wake up on our day off, look at our "honey-do" list, and find a bunch of things that will be waiting for us next time we're at work.

That is why it's good to keep these lists separate, and have clearly defined times for checking them. When we are at work, our work-list is front-and-center. If you get off the phone with a client, customer or co-worker, you can get out your list and cross items off or add items as needed.

Then we need to set work aside and concentrate on the family, social and home activities that are important to us.

The Advantages of Ideal List Making

Now you are prepared to be an effective list-keeper! There is consistency in how your lists are stored, consistency in where they are stored, and you have established consistent patterns for checking your lists.

You have a certain number of lists (about three) that you check at certain times during the day or week. You know where those lists are going to be when you need them. You know how the information will be stored (what form you have given it... written, digital, audio, etc.)

Now you can reap these positive outcomes of effective list making...

An amazing feeling of accomplishment every time you cross something off of a list, crumple up a list and throw it away, or click that "delete" button...

A sense of purpose, keeping you centered and energized...

Freshness, newness, and positive momentum in your life.

You may not want to throw away your completed to-do lists! You may want to store them for future reference...

This allows you to go back and see what you have accomplished in the course of a week, a month, or a year. You can say "Look! This is who I am, where I've been, and what I've been doing... these are the steps that I've taken to get to where I'm at now!"

This helps us to realize that our lives are going somewhere that we are getting something done... to feel less like a rat in a cage, or a gerbil on one of those exercise wheels.

The greatest advantage of effective list making, of course, is the reduction in stress that you will experience! List making... getting the information off of your mind, allows your brain to relax.

When our minds are free from the mundane things, it opens us up to opportunities for personal growth. This is a great tool for stress management.

It is amazing what can happen when we take a basic life skill like list making, and use it to its fullest potential...

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New Book Offer!

Find out about James Klotzle's new book...

God In Our Stress: the Christian's Guide to Stress Management

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