Top 5 Types of Lists to Help You Feel More Productive and Happier
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Lists are a favorite tool for increasing productivity. The classic option is a to-do list. It’s simple, easy, and straightforward. And it’s incredibly boring: in this area everything has already been studied and tried out – and one wants something new.
It turns out that in order to be productive, you don’t have to make only the usual to-do lists. It’s possible to approach the issue in a more creative way.
Not Doing List
If the “to-do” list suits people who are organized, pedantic, attentive to detail, then what about those whose lives are more chaotic, perfectly-unpredictable, creatively-inspired? They are offered a list of “not-to-do’s.” Donald Roos, a lecturer at the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts, was the first to talk about it. Ros devoted an entire book to the idea of the “not-to-do list,” talking about time management for creative people.
Creative people always have so many ideas and plans that it’s hard for them to isolate what’s most important and, of course, to meet deadlines. The “not to do” list is designed to solve these problems.
Ros suggests that you write down all the tasks that you can remember, and then sort them into three categories: actual tasks, completed tasks, and “non-tasks. It’s so creative: no rigid framework and no strict accountability. But no: there is an element of clear planning, too.
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The thing is that in the list of actual cases you can put down only three tasks. You can add more things to this column only when one of the current tasks is done. Did you do it? Feel free to cross it out and move the next task from the “To Do List” to the first block.
According to Ros, even people who don’t like to strictly plan can effectively allocate their time, if you offer them a harmonious combination of strict time management and a creative component.
Dreams, Dreams
With the right approach, a dream is the same thing, only sometimes more difficult. Often this “thing” doesn’t have a clear plan for implementation and a deadline, but that doesn’t mean it’s not beneficial.
Allocate one of the pages of your diary or even have a separate notebook and write down all your dreams. This allows you to achieve two goals. First, you will listen to yourself and understand what you want, and what is better to give up. Second, when you reread your list a month, six months or a year later, you will realize that many of your dreams have come true. And who doesn’t want to believe in magic? It’s motivating, inspiring, and keeps you from giving up.
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Other lists are just as effective. For example, a list of gratitude, according to experts, makes us happier, helps us look at life optimistically. And also in vogue, there are lists of things that help to become happier. Experts consider them as an “emergency aid”: you should refer to them when it’s time to take care of yourself, to support yourself, to help yourself through a difficult situation.
This list can include various items, like your favorite movies, sports events at 22Bet Nigeria, hobbies, books, and food. When you feel sad, bad, hurt, examine your list – you will definitely find something there that will make a gloomy day brighten.
Running Away
This list is very similar to the popular habit tracker. It suggests making a list of tasks for the week and recording your progress daily. This method of list keeping is practiced by fans of the trendy Bullet Journal diaries. But an ordinary notepad in a ticker also will work perfectly.
The sheet should be divided into two columns. In the first you list all the actual tasks, and over the second you record the days of the week. The idea is to leave a notation at the intersection of task and day of the week: a shaded square – the task you did today (or did it halfway, then only part of it is shaded), a cross – the task is canceled, an arrow – the task is postponed. This will allow you to see and evaluate your achievements at the end of the week and determine which tasks are always on time and which ones are “falling behind”.
Walk After the Job
What do we do with the tasks that we have already accomplished? We cross them out, put a circle or a checkmark and send them to oblivion. Meanwhile, psychologists believe that it’s important to record them along with the actual tasks. This will see how much you do, motivates, and increases self-esteem.
It’s simple: make a separate list for the things you have completed. By the way, experts advise even putting completed tasks on your list of plans for the day, if you have not previously listed them, but remembered and done. Many people keep lists of countries they’ve been to, or lists of movies they’ve seen. So why do completed tasks stand on the sidelines?
Deadline
Deadline may not be intimidating if approached correctly. The method will be appreciated by fans of paper diaries, because those who use smart devices, have reminders.
Make a list of actual tasks for the day and write down the deadlines with the exact time, and then record the same tasks on a blank sheet, but in chronological order, starting with the most urgent. This will help you distribute the workload intelligently, get everywhere in time, and not burn out. Do the same with the weekly tasks.
