Listful Thinking

Using Lists to Be More Productive, Successful and Less Stressed

Paula Rizzo

• Publisher: Viva Editions
• Year: 2015
• eBook ISBN: 9781632280091
• Topic: Développement personnel
• Subtopic: Réussite personnelle

What do Madonna, Martha Stewart, John Lennon, Ellen DeGeneres, Ben Franklin, Ronald Reagan, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Edison, and Johnny Cash have in common? Each is (or was) a list maker. These successful people, along with CEOs and successful entrepreneurs, all use lists to keep track of their ideas, thoughts, and tasks. Finding enough hours in the day to get everything accomplished and allow for some downtime can be a struggle. It's no wonder so many of us are stressed, overextended, and exhausted. More than half of all American employees feel overwhelmed, according to a study by the nonprofit Family and Work Institute. For the 54 percent of us who feel like we're chasing our own tails, Listful Thinking is here to prove that it doesn't have to be that way. You can still find time to relax, read a good book, and do the things you love. Listful Thinking is the book that will give readers their lives back with indispensible tips on saving time, getting organized, improving productivity, saving money, and reducing stress.

CHAPTER 1

What Can Lists Do for You?

What do Madonna, Martha Stewart, Richard Branson, John Lennon, Ellen DeGeneres, Ben Franklin, Ronald Reagan, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Edison, and Johnny Cash have in common? Each is or was a list maker. These successful people, along with many CEOs and busy entrepreneurs, all use lists to keep track of their ideas, thoughts, and tasks.

A recent survey from the career website LinkedIn.com found that 63 percent of all professionals frequently create to-do lists. Whether or not they use those lists correctly is another story. In fact, that same study found that only 11 percent of people who make lists said they accomplished everything on them in a given week. (http://linkd.in/1wIXxe8)

GET YOUR LIFE BACK

Time—it’s one of those things we can never seem to get enough of. We are all trying to do a million things in our work, home, and social lives. Finding enough hours in the day to get everything done and still have downtime can be a struggle. It’s no wonder so many of us are stressed, overextended, and exhausted.

More than half of all American employees feel overwhelmed, according to a study from the Families and Work Institute. The to-do lists go on and on. Just a single day can look like this:

✓ Complete a project at work

✓ Drive kids to dance class

✓ Clean out the garage

✓ Look for a new job

✓ Plan a vacation

✓ Meet friends for drinks

✓ Etc.

LISTFUL THINKING

Many people say they wish they could be more successful, have more money, be happier, and feel healthier—yet they can’t seem to achieve these things. They blame their bad luck, their busy lives, their limited resources, and so on. But our lives can actually be turned around with a simple piece of paper (or an app)—something so easy, anyone can do it.

Being more successful in any area of your life isn’t about wishful thinking. It’s about listful thinking. Aside from being a cute play on words, listful thinking works extremely well. Here’s how. Once you write down a goal, you instantly become accountable. Whether that goal is to pick up eggs at the market or to write a book, the general intention is the same, to get what you want out of life (and to cross that item off your to-do list).

If you’re part of the 54 percent who feel like they’re chasing their own tail, I’ve got news for you: it doesn’t have to be that way. You can still find time to relax, read a good book, and do the things you love. If you embrace the philosophy of listful thinking, you can get your life back—because thinking in terms of bite-sized goals is much easier than biting off a Guy Fieri-sized chunk.

Managing your to-dos, activity planning, problems, and almost any task you’re faced with will be much easier with a list. I’ll show you how to:

✓Write lists that will help you get more done

✓ Save time

✓ Be more organized

✓ Be more productive

✓Save money

✓ Reduce stress

✓ Be more successful at work and at home

BENEFITS OF LIST MAKING

Making lists will help you not only achieve your goals but also make you less stressed, more balanced, and less rushed. We’ve all been there: you discover you forgot your toothbrush after a long trip, or you go to the store but don’t buy the black pants you went there to purchase in the first place. If you had written it down, you wouldn’t have forgotten. (Okay, sometimes we still forget, but we are less likely to forget when we put it on paper.) Lists act as stress relievers, goal achievers, and life-savers. They will save you time and money because you’ll be prepared for any situation.

List maker or not, everyone can benefit from this low-tech tool. Lists will turn even the most disorganized person into an organized thinker. It’s all about preparation and thought-fulness.

Did You Know?

Famous List Makers

Madonna has been known to write up lists while cruising around in her limo, between shows, or while running errands. Her lists include things to do, stuff to buy, appointments, and contacts, and they have been auctioned for thousands of dollars. (http://bit.ly/1xke33k)

THE POWER OF LISTS

“You become what you believe” has been my mantra for some time—thanks to Oprah Winfrey. I was one of those people who watched her show religiously. When I was just thirteen years old, I was obsessed with The Oprah Winfrey Show and decided to write a letter to my hero. I got a response on official Oprah letterhead, along with an autographed photo. Check out the letter on the next page.

I love that the letter says “time does not permit me to answer all your questions.” I can only imagine how many questions I had as an inquisitive “junior journalist”!

Anyway, “You become what you believe” is one of Oprah’s most famous sayings, but she actually borrowed it from Maya Angelou. It’s by far my favorite life lesson. It’s true: if you believe it, you can become it!

Eight of My Favorite Oprah Quotes

Oprah Winfrey has taught me so much about giving, being a good listener, and striving to achieve my goals. She’s been a part of my life since I began watching her show when I was young and has become more of a role model as I’ve gotten older.

1. “You become what you believe.”

2. “When people show you who they are, believe them the first time.”

3. “Turn your wounds into wisdom.”

4. “You know you are on the road to success if you would do your job and not be paid for it.”

5. “I trust that everything happens for a reason, even when we’re not wise enough to see it.”

6. “Surround yourself with only people who are going to lift you higher.”

7. “When you know better—you do better.”

8. “I don’t believe in failure. It’s not failure if you enjoyed the process.”

Once you set an intention to do something, it is much easier to follow through. You become:

✓ Accountable

✓ Motivated

✓ Reminded more often of your intention

The act of writing something down is powerful. In fact, Dr. Gail Matthews, a professor at the Dominican University of California, found that writing down goals will make you 33 percent more likely to achieve them.

This rule applies to simple things like getting milk as well as more complicated tasks like finding a new job or having a difficult discussion with a loved one. Having a list makes you a better version of yourself, a more organized and determined version. Another nice thing is that the benefits are the same, no matter what the task is. Here are some of the benefits you can expect from list making.

1. List making will reduce anxiety. How many times have you said, “I have a million things to do. How am I going to get them all done?” A list will help to ease those fears. As soon as you start writing things down on paper (or in your smartphone) and get them out of your head, your stress levels will drop.

Plus we are forgetful. It’s true: the average adult attention span is fifteen to twenty minutes, so we are bound to let a few tasks fall through the cracks. But we don’t have to. As you think of something, write it down in a central place—the pad on your refrigerator door, a sticky note on your desk, in an e-mail, or even in your cell phone’s calendar. I need to write down a task right as it comes into my head or else poof! I’m on to something else and it’s gone. Taking just a few seconds to write down a task will save you so much time and aggravation later.

2. List making will boost your brain power. The act of making a list uses parts of your brain that might not normally get used. So you’re working your brainpower and staying sharp while you organize your life. Memory expert Cynthia Green, PhD, wrote a guest post for my blog on how list making can save our brain. As she put it, “Memory tools, such as list making, force us to pay closer attention to the information we need to remember, and they give that information meaning by placing it in an organizational scheme.”

3. List making will improve your focus. Using your list as a roadmap will allow you to keep your eye on the prize. Having a tool to sharpen your focus will help you in all aspects of your life. You’ll find that soon you’re getting much more done throughout the day and that you have time to do the things you really love.

Staying focused gets tougher and tougher by the day when you lead a busy life. Have you ever tried to write an e-mail to a client or a friend and then been sidetracked because another e-mail popped up? So you stop writing e-mail number one and start writing e-mail number two, when the boss calls or the kids cry or the delivery guy arrives…Aah! Get the picture?

A list makes it easy to refer back to what you were doing before you were interrupted. If you need to write John back, but your boss calls, write on your to-do list, “E-mail John.” You know as well as I do that as soon as you hang up the phone, something else will grab your attention. Writing it down is so simple. It might seem silly, but it’s incredibly effective.

Pop-Up Productivity Tip Never Answer Your Phone Again!

Distractions are the worst. They will tank your productivity in no time. I have a little trick for you to make sure you stay productive throughout the day, and it is always, always, always to make an appointment with someone to have a phone conversation.

I never pick up the phone unless I know who it is and I’m scheduled to talk to that person at that time. I know it can seem mean and rude, but the second you pick up that phone, you’re derailed. Right? You were in the middle of doing something else, and now you’re talking to this person, with whom you may be working on a project. It may be important, but it’s going to steer you away from your plan for the day. Now you’re going to be doing things you didn’t really intend to do right then, and the thing you were working on before the phone call is now ten steps behind you. This is why I always have people make appointments. Always. So if the phone rings and we don’t have an appointment, I’m not answering.

Try it! It will help you get through the day—I promise.

4. List making will increase your self-esteem. One of my favorite things to do is crossing something off my list. Once you do this, you will feel an amazing sense of accomplishment too. Sometimes I even write down things I’ve done that weren’t on my original list just so I can cross them off! This boost of self-esteem really helps to keep me motivated and productive. Knowing that you’re able to get things done will also push you to do even more. Dr. Green, the memory expert, notes how lists help us to experience a sense of control. When we’re an active participant in our lives, we feel much more empowered. Getting more done will help you feel more effective and capable too.

5. List making will organize your thoughts. Sometimes when I’m faced with a tough decision or even planning something like a vacation, I like to get all my thoughts down on paper. When I write a list and think about all the steps that will help me accomplish my goal, I feel much more prepared to tackle what’s ahead. If you declutter your mind by writing out lists, your thoughts can be less jumbled.

6. List making will enable you to be prepared. The official motto of the Girl Scouts of America, “Be prepared,” holds quite a bit of weight. Though I never was a Girl Scout, I hold this motto near and de...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Table of Contents
• Foreword
• Introduction: My Life in Lists
• Chapter 1: What Can Lists Do for You?
• Chapter 2: Not All Lists Are Created Equal
• Chapter 3: List Making 101
• Chapter 4: Work It: Lists at Work Make You More Successful
• Chapter 5: List Sweet List: Home Life Is Easier with Lists
• Chapter 6: The Social Butterfly: Manage Your Lifestyle through Lists
• Chapter 7: Outsourcing Your Life Will Set You Free
• Chapter 8: Let’s Get Digital
• List Index
• Acknowledgments
• About the Author