Make a list and check it...until it's done.

 

With a new year fast approaching the question “Do you have a new year’s resolution?” becomes the topic of conversation. It doesn’t matter if you resolve to lose weight, quit smoking, or learn to Tango; to be successful it often takes some sort of planning or maybe short term goals.  I am guilty of making lists of things to do each year; this year I have my 12 in '12 list. Making a list helps me keep the goals in front of me and having some of them made public provides inspiration (and maybe some pressure) to complete the list.   

People often say to me “You are always busy.  How do you get it all done?”  Simple: I make lists.

"People are attracted to lists because we live in an era of overstimulation, especially in terms of information," says David Wallechinsky, a co-author of the fabulous Book of Lists, first published in 1977 and followed by subsequent editions. "And lists help us in organizing what is otherwise overwhelming."

Did you know some of the most influential people like Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin were list makers?  I get my love of making lists from my dad; he always has a list scratched on paper.  Even in the age of smartphones with apps to track your “to do list” I, like my dad, still use the old fashion paper and pencil (or pen) method.  I have tried putting my lists in my phone, but find it a bit more work to be honest with you; besides I like the satisfaction of throwing away a completed list.

Note: I do not use POST-it notes for my lists.