I used to make lists for the sheer purpose of procrastinating some type of homework. Admittedly, I’m writing this instead of doing my summer school homework due in a few hours, but lists can become a critical part of organizing your life. Many people make mental lists but don’t actually write them out. Having a list physically in front of you can help you in many different ways. There are various types of lists that serve different purposes.
The pros and cons list
This is one list that I essentially make the majority of my life decisions off of. This is the reason I decided to attend a small liberal arts college versus a large state school. From this list, I decided that the benefits of a personalized education were worth the cost. It is also the reason that in eighth grade I decided to switch over to the private schooling system. When a friendship/relationship starts to become more of a pain and dramatic than it brings joy into my life, this list tells me it's time to ditch it. This is also how I decided that it would be beneficial to switch my major. Basically having the positives and consequences laid out in front of you make it easier for you to see what decision is better for you.
The goals list
If you have your goals written down, it makes you more accountable, gives you more motivation and helps you plan out how to achieve it. For my goals list, I have the main goal set-up and then the steps that help me achieve it. I am just getting back into running, after running cross-country and track all of high school and then slacking my first year of college. Eventually, I want to run a marathon, but that isn’t something you can just jump into. This helps me plan workouts that build up to that and smaller races such as 5Ks and half marathons in preparation. I also write out my academic goals and then under that I have what I need to do to fulfill them. I am notorious for my procrastination, so this means for me planning out writing papers and projects days in advance instead of cramming. Another way lists can be impactful is for your professional career. You can make a list of what things you want to achieve/have on your resume by the time you graduate. Having this written out helps you seek out opportunities that check these off. It helps keep you on track and reminds you of what you want to have under your belt. Having a list of your goals shows you your progress and makes your goals more attainable. Goals aren’t achieved overnight; they are the accumulation of careful planning and hard work, and lists make this easier to manage and give you a guideline.
The everyday and practical lists
Everyone has gone to the grocery store before when they were hungry and forgot the one item they actually needed, and only remember it once they are home. Having a list of things you need helps you remember the simple and necessary things. There is the generic “to-do” list. This helps you plan out your day and everything that you need to do. The worst thing is when you have finished a hard day and think you are done and then remember a task that you forgot. A to-do list helps you plan out your day effectively so you get everything done and still have time to hangout with your friends.
Dreams lists
This is the most fun list to make. It is a list of all your hopes and dreams. My favorite list of mine is a list of places I want to go. I probably won’t be able to visit all these places, considering it is over 175 places long, but in the process I get a serious feeling of contentment and get to dream about traveling to these places. I also make various bucket lists. Whenever I hear about a movie I want to watch, I add it to my list. This comes in handy when you are alone on a Friday night trying to decide what movie you want to watch. It also helps you do everything when you have a short amount of time. I have a bucket list that I want to check everything off of this summer back in Portland. It has different places, hikes, food carts and activities that I want. There are so many things I want to do in California, which makes up my bucket list for the rest of college.
Whatever the reasoning, making lists are always a good idea!
