Do you have a grocery list? Do you keep a daily ‘to-do’ list? How about a bucket list? It seems that my life is, and has been, dictated by lists. Perhaps it began with my mother who had “a list” that I earnestly tried to stay off of but often found myself on, which meant I was in some sort of trouble. In the Boy Scouts I had a very specific pre-camp packing list to help me stay within the motto of “Be Prepared”. In the military, as an Aircrew member, we live by checklists. There is a checklist for when we first get to the airplane, when we fly the plane, and finally as we leave the plane. I’ve even tried (unsuccessfully) to implement a checklist system at work. Rhona told me that I can have my checklists and she’ll continue to operate as she sees fit – fair enough! Of course, I have lists at home too. There’s the grocery list, the weekend “to-do” list, and the “I’m running out to Home Depot/Ace/Lowes and I pray I don’t forget anything” list.
Two issues I have routinely encountered with my lists though: Where did I put it? and Why am I not more productive?
Where did I put it?
Our phones have turned into mini-computers, and there are a multitude of apps to help us be more productive. Most phones contain, as on my iPhone, a basic “notes” app. I personally like the feature of talking into my phone and having it turn my words into text for me. In my house, we have gotten to the point of using a whiteboard on the fridge for the grocery list and snapping a picture of it before we head off to the store. I cannot count the times one of us has sent a text “um, can you send me the grocery list? I forgot to take a picture” – ah, well laid plans. Then, of course, there are the old, tried and true piles of scratch pads lying around with various scribbles reminding us to do something or the other.
I recently purchased a special type of daily planner in a quest to help the entire family, though especially the 13-year-old, to stay focused and better organized. These are Rocket Book planners (thank you to the person who introduced me to these). These planners combine the features of a traditional notebook with the functionality of an erasable white board, while adding a technical aspect as well! These planners/notebooks use a special pen that allows me to take notes similar to normal pen and paper. However, with the use of a damp cloth, I can wipe my pages clean thus allowing the planner to be reusable (similar to a whiteboard). To go one step further, these notebooks and planners come with an app. With a couple of clicks I can have my notes uploaded and instantly sent in an email or into a folder I choose. The Academic Planners I bought for the girls seem to be doing their job. In the few weeks of use, my daughters – appear – to be on track with their assignments and activities.
Why am I not more productive?
On the front end, creating a list can sound like a great idea to get things accomplished. However, a written list can often seem too large or overwhelming and become counter-productive. How can we create lists that keep us motivated and productive? There are various techniques we can employ to help. Of the numerous websites I visited to answer this question, I found this site to sum things up best: https://www.openfit.com/
Now that I can satisfactorily check off writing to you, let’s see what’s next… oh shoot, where did I put my weekend to-do list?
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As always, I hope that you are doing well, and staying safe & healthy!