Consistency or Flexibility, Part 2: Lists

Alexas Fotos via Pixabay

About a decade ago, I sat beside a colleague prior to a meeting and watched her do what so many of us do frequently: make a list. She was making hers on a legal pad and, as I watched her flip the page and continue the list, I began to feel tired at the very thought of her list. I determined then and there that I'd never make a list that long.

Not very realistic, right?

Over the years, I've used lists in a variety of ways. Although my lists rarely approach the length of my colleague's, most are longer than I'd like.

Yesterday's was one of them.

Today, I once again found myself thinking about consistency and flexibility, mostly because my lists are consistently inconsistent. Some days, I create a master list and work directly from it. Other days, I move tasks from the master list to a calendar or schedule, assigning the tasks to specific days or times. Sometimes, I write down my Big 3 and leave it at that. The only thing that's completely consistent when it comes to my lists is that I always make one.

Over time, one of the things I've learned about lists is that different days call for different kinds of lists. Some days, I can't face the master list, so I go with the Big 3. Other days, when I feel as though I haven't accomplished much of anything, I use a backwards to-do list to set myself straight. Then there are grocery lists, holiday shopping lists, guest lists...the, ahem, list is endless.

Clearly, when it comes to lists, I come down on the side of flexibility because, in the end, making lists and using them is more important than what they look like, what I write them on or how long they are. And, since my memory definitely isn't getting better, I'm pretty sure the road to my future is papered with lists.

What are your to-do list habits?