Lists

I recently read this article about lists. It seems funny to get excited about lists, but I do. Lists help you to not forget. Lists help you free up the mind so you can focus on other other tasks.

My traditional list medium of choice is the much loved Post-it note, but I have also been making digital lists for some time using one of my favorite applications, Tomboy. When I used to write a lot of music, I would carry a small pad of paper around at all times to list lyrics I thought of throughout the day (some of these eventually became songs -- most went through the washing machine and were lost forever, my best works I'm sure). Heck! Most people never use a spreadsheet for its original purpose (to calculate financial invoices), but they use it to make all sorts of lists.

Out of the nine lists the author talked about, I found I was already keeping six of them:

1. Things I Want - thanks wish list
2. Gift Ideas - thanks Tomboy
3. “Got a Minute?” - thanks ReadItLater
4. “Watch, Read, Listen” - thanks Netflix
5. Great Ideas - thanks Tomboy
6. Grocery List - thanks Magnetic Christmas Penguin Pad

The most beneficial list I keep is my Great Ideas list. Not only do I not forget an idea I have, but this usually turns into a goal of some sort. A program to code, a blog entry to post, a story to write - when I have the need to be creative, I have a place to look to get me started.

So what I'm trying to say is give lists a try. You might like them.