Listful Thinking [Be More Productive, Highly Successful and Less Stressed]

Image from https://www.flickr.com/photos/rog2bark/3437630552

Greetings all! 

Don't you wish we all had to-do lists like this?!

I recently finished a great book by Paula Rizzo called “Listful Thinking.” Loved the title, loved the book, and highly recommend! Here is Paula’s start guide that I have found extremely useful (https://listproducer.com/start-here-2/):

1. Just Write it Down: It’s easy to forget things that you don’t have right in front of you. So write down any task you need to do as soon as you think about it. It doesn’t matter if the list is in any particular order right now – just write it down.

[My Note: I think this saves a lot of brain space as once it is out on paper, you do not have to worry about forgetting it!]

2. Organize Your List: Once you know all the things you have to do — organize this list. Break it up into categories: work, home, kids, play, etc. Each area of your life should have its own list. Don’t mix — it will just overwhelm you and then you will ignore your list.

[My Note: Divide and conquer!! A list of 3 items is less overwhelming and probably will be done faster than a list of 30 to-dos!]

3. Prioritize: Once you have your separate lists – go over each item and order them by deadline or importance. This will help you stay on track and only focus on what needs to be done right now. Sure there may be other tasks that are easier to do but might not be as important. Reject your temptation to jump into those tasks first just because they are easy – it will just put you behind schedule.

[My Note: I like organizing my lists along the lines of High/Medium/Low priority. Sometimes, I do complete an easy task first to give me a sense of accomplishment and get something crossed off my list! But then I move to the urgent/important tasks!]

4. Re-Write: Now that you’ve organized your list by category and decided what’s most important – rewrite your list. By making a clean list that is easy to read you will be more likely to refer to it and check things off in order.

[My Note: Even though it might seem like a waste of time, do it! A clean list is visually and psychologically much more appealing]

5. Repeat: In order to get things accomplished – make as many lists as you need to make. I make a list every day and then add to it. Sure it’s like a little cheat sheet – but it will make you more efficient.

[My Note: I agree! This step keeps your priorities on top!]

Now before you get overwhelmed remember this secret to getting a TON done:

Delegate: I don’t know why people have such a hard time with this one.  It’s the most fun!  Turn to your friends, family, co-workers and get more done.  If you ask for help and look for ideas, resources and another set of hands — you can be much more efficient with your project.  You will save time and money too by doing a little research and getting the best person for the job.

[My Note: Just because you can do it faster and better does not always mean you should do it yourself!]

What did you think? Drop me a line!