We make so many decisions in a day. When to get up in the morning, what clothes to wear, what task to start with, when to call a parent, what to have for lunch and even how to deal with a client.
This is just to name a few. Imagine adding a list of tasks required of you that require your attention in a particular order on top of all the other things you need to think about that day. Just the thought of it makes me tired!
Lists help you to worry about one less thing. We need efficiency in our lives and lists are a way to help us become efficient. While making a list is not a guarantee that you will follow through with it or get all tasks covered that day, it obviously is a step in the right direction and a good way to make life easier (something all of us are for).
Sidebar
I did a post on making lists on Instagram which is a summarized version of this post.
Pros to making lists
1. You get to declutter your mind
You don’t have to remember all five things you need to do that day. All you need to do is refer to your simple list and follow through with action. I mentioned this earlier in the post, one less thing to worry about. The list helps you feel more organized and having an organized mind is as important as having an organized workspace. Both lead to higher productivity levels.
So make that list and feel mentally lighter this 2019.
2. You can prioritize
Having a list helps you switch your tasks up depending on the deadlines, energy required and sometimes your mood that day. Let’s face it sometimes we worry about tasks way ahead of time. We then feel overwhelmed and don’t know where to start. Before I started making lists, I would do tasks halfway through because I did not know what required my immediate attention and this made me do most of my tasks last minute.
A list will let you know that on that day of making the list you only have two deadlines and now you can place them at the top of the list so that you do not have to worry about running out of time. See, efficiency!
Prioritizing your list also lets you know when you have too much on your plate and what things could be moved to the next day because we also don’t want to feel overwhelmed.
3. You feel motivated/encouraged
2019 is all about counting ALL my wins. I did not do it in 2018 and looking back, there were so many things I accomplished last year that I downplayed and spent all my energy figuring out what hurdle I would have to face next. 2019 we are doing a whole lot better and this means giving myself a pat on the back for achieving what I set out to do in the morning.
There is something about crossing off tasks you have completed that make the rest feel so attainable. Especially since this is an organized list, it means the easier tasks (those that do not require much energy) are at the end of the list.
4. You find time for yourself
In order to take care of ourselves, we need to create time and YES! We all have the same 24 hours! Having a list gives you the chance to have something just for you. It doesn’t have to take up all of your time but having it written down (I mean specifics like ‘call mum at 8 p.m’) helps you remember to take care of yourself and just the whole idea of you have time is a way to feel mentally well. We live in a fast-paced world and it is easy to feel that time is running out and there isn’t enough time in a day but we have to pace ourselves or else we go crazy. Don’t be so hard on yourself (Jess Glynne just played in my head).
I hope you are sold on making lists. I know the pros list is longer, so feel free to share any that I might have left out.
If you haven't already, you need to check out my podcast on Anchor.fm
To planning and productivity!
Love,
Sabali
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