Does anyone else organise their life with lists?

[M4cruiser]

A genuine question from someone (me) who's feeling overwhelmed by the sheer number of things I need to do.

I've been making "lists" for a while now, to try to put some structure and organisation on these things, but recently it's all got out of hand. I realised there was a problem when the first thing on one of my lists was "re-organise my lists".

This may sounds a bit mundane, but it's getting to me! If this isn't your thing then please feel free to ignore this thread, I don't really need sarcastic advice on this one.
Just to clarify - it's not the tiny, instant jobs (e.g. eat a meal), nor the huge life-style things (change the car, move house, get married etc) but the middle ground.
Things like: fix the rear wiper motor in my OH's car, patch up the rear fence after last week's storm damage, get the car serviced, get the gas boiler serviced; fix the chair in the living room, etc etc

Any advice appreciated!

[WindyCommon]

My wife does this (list maintenance) for me...

[PositronicRay]

I like lists, loads of satisfaction in crossing stuff off, then carrying forward undone stuff to a new list.

Treat them as SMART tasks.

[anonymous-user]

No.

Just gives you more stuff to worry about / do.

Chill out, do stuff when you can, I’m one for walking past a job and thinking ‘that needs doing’, do it then and there.

Planning / routine / predictability make me feel ill!

Try a different approach and see how you get on

[fiju]

I love a good list. It's the Only way I can ever get anything done. Without lists I haven't got a clue what I need to do and my life comes grinding to a halt.

I have a terrible memory and it helps to write down all the little things that need doing, that way I can just sit at my desk and start crossing things off, big or small, one at a time. It gives a great sense of satisfaction, and feels like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders when I dedicate time to my lists and actually get things done. The only issue is, it never seems to get shorter! The calender app on my phone is also brilliant for keeping track of things

Oh and as for managing your lists, just do what you can as and when. Refer to your list when you're bored or looking for something to do. Prioritise and mark it in such as way so you know what the main things you need to get done are, or the easiest things. If you can't complete a task because you need to do something else first, add that to the list as well.
When you've run out of space on your paper, carry over the outstanding jobs to a new bit of paper.
Rinse and repeat.

Edited by fiju on Friday 16th August 20:16

[Nerdherder]

My secret sauce:
> Keep an agenda
> Thank a lot of things/people and politely decline; e.g. Say NO (indirectly) often
> Tidy up/declutter a lot

If I list stuff without alotting time to do it, they would not get done. An agenda is stuff+time.

P.s. Organising work is a different matter alltogether.

Edited by Nerdherder on Friday 16th August 20:31

[98elise]

Yes, I use Google keep to organise my lists.

I keep a list for lunchtimes, evenings, weekend etc. I don't let them rule my life, but it's good to know that I have stuff written down.

[Bill]

WindyCommon said:

My wife does this (list maintenance) for me...

It gives me something to ignore. Or if there a risk she'll get irate, pick the most visible and get to done.

[Jasey_]

Isn't list making a classic symptom of OCD ?

Maybe speak to your doc about it ?

[deggles]

Yep I think having things written down is essential. Having too much ‘in flight’ in your head combined with the fear of having forgotten stuff is a big cause of stress!

[bearman68]

I work fro home so sometimes the border between home and work start to blur. When things are really hectic in either part of my life, and the tasks are straightforward (order a part, sweep the floor), lists work well for me.

But I find they limit my creativity.

So if I have complex tasks (why does the key on the latest VW nor programme correctly), I abandon all lists and work on what I feel like it. It's not normally too long before an idea pops into my head that sees me make good progress on these complex things.

So, for me using lists or not depends on what I want to achieve.

[magooagain]

A daily diary/agenda is,I find,sufficient. Just jot down on the dates various need to be done or paid etc and keep a short account of each day as it passes.

[anonymous-user]

I love lists. My memory is terrible, so without them I would be lost. Now, where did I put that list ....

[matt666]

I use an app called Wunderlist. It’s cloud based so available on any device, so whatever you’re doing you can add something to a list when you think of it, or tick it off as you complete it.

You can also invite people to a list, so for example if you need 10 things for dinner on Saturday you can invite your wife to the list and as she and you get things, they are ticked off the list in real time.

[Initforthemoney]

I use the notes app on my phone now, as, quite recently, I have been forgetting things.


And it's a weird feeling.

[Dogwatch]

I've often done lists for things in the past but now I'm getting on a bit and the little grey cells are thinning out a daily list of things to do (or buy) is almost essential. sigh.

[nav2014]

M4cruiser said:

A genuine question from someone (me) who's feeling overwhelmed by the sheer number of things I need to do.

I've been making "lists" for a while now, to try to put some structure and organisation on these things, but recently it's all got out of hand. I realised there was a problem when the first thing on one of my lists was "re-organise my lists".

This may sounds a bit mundane, but it's getting to me! If this isn't your thing then please feel free to ignore this thread, I don't really need sarcastic advice on this one.
Just to clarify - it's not the tiny, instant jobs (e.g. eat a meal), nor the huge life-style things (change the car, move house, get married etc) but the middle ground.

b]Things like: fix the rear wiper motor in my OH's car, patch up the rear fence after last week's storm damage, get the car serviced, get the gas boiler serviced; fix the chair in the living room, etc etc [/b]

Any advice appreciated!

Dude none of this stuff matters, don't worry about it, relax a little. I've got plug sockets hanging out of the wall still after moving into our new place mid renovation. As long as the dogs don't lick em it'll be fine, far more important things to be concerned with (like finishing the tiling in 3 bathrooms!).

[caziques]

I thought the idea was to put things onto a list after you've done them.

That way the list is always completed.

[Jasandjules]

I keep a live list of outstanding work issues which I then refer to in order to ascertain my priorities. I use Task Manager in Outlook for this.

My wife makes lists of other things e.g. we are going to a Theme Park tomorrow so she has a list of things to do/take which she will work though, whereas my list for tomorrow is to check the postcode before we leave and remember to take my wallet to pay for the food.......

[paulrockliffe]

I use Google Keep. Best feature is that you can set a recurring notification on a list, so you get the list dropped into your notifications every morning.

Currently have one for my loft conversion project and for work, makes it much easier to flip between both frames of mind.