A List of lists that are actually useful

As a compulsive list-maker, I understand how overzealous and overenthusiastic one can get with lists. Lists are great. They keep us organized and they help us track progress, but some lists or “collections” (what it’s called in the Bullet Journal world) don’t always provide value. Ryder Carroll, author of the Bullet Journal Method, says that if a list provides little value, you will lose motivation and incentive to maintain it.

Goals

The first on the list is what I believe to be the most important thing to write down – goals. Goals are important because these are the things that keep us going. When we have something to look forward to, we can always justify our everyday actions and motivations.

Studies have shown that you are more likely to achieve your goals and dreams when you write them down on a regular basis. If you keep your goals in a notebook or a journal that you flip through every day, you are most likely to review it.

Whether it’s an annual, monthly, or weekly goal, try to write it down so that you would always have a reminder of what you want to achieve in the near future. Try to make sure that your goals are SMART – specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound. Constructing goals in this manner this will make it easier for you to plan your next steps to achieving your goal.

Project Tasks

If you have small projects, create a separate page for all of your tasks. Moving this to another page of your planner, bullet journal, or notebook will help you stay focused. You will be able to organize and prioritize your tasks once they are collated in one page.

Ideas (even the silliest ones)

Most of my best ideas are made either when I’m in the shower or when I’m doing my morning pages. I tend to write down the smaller ideas more because I am able to execute them the same day or the same week. I always fail to write the bigger ideas down for some reason. Maybe because some of the ideas are brilliant but seem impossible to execute or maybe they’re just silly thoughts that I come up with at random.

Whether it’s a good idea or a bad idea, writing them down on paper materializes these ideas. There is no way that you could remember all of your ideas; our brain isn’t capable of doing that. Having a list of ideas is also a surefire way to create goals, make plans, and start tasks to turning these ideas into a reality.

Gratitude List

Expressing gratitude is one of the healthiest habits that we can do daily. Studies have shown that being grateful can lead to a happier and healthy life – both psychologically and physically. One key benefit is how it can improve our mental health by helping us eliminate toxic emotions such as envy and resentment.

A gratitude log is fairly common in the Bullet Journal community. They love the gratitude log not only because they love lists but also recognize the benefits of writing down the things they are grateful for.

Write down things that you are thankful for or things that make you happy. It doesn’t have to be profound; you can keep it as simple as you want. Keep it in a notebook or get a guided journal just like the 6 Minute Diary.

Books to read

Do you have a stack of unread books at home? Or do you promise to yourself that you would “read it later” but you never really have the time?

Try making a list of books that you intend on reading. Make sure that they are books that are worth your time and will contribute to your overall well-being. The list can help you get started with reading. If you are struggling to motivate yourself, you could start by reading for one minute or 2 pages a day, as recommended by Hal Elrod, author of the Miracle Morning.

Vocabulary

When I was younger, my mom encouraged me to use a dedicated notebook whenever I read. She wanted me to use it to write down new words that I’ve come across and write down their meaning. My mom believed that jotting these things down will help us commit them to memory. While I don’t recall how effective that was, I’m pretty sure that it was. I enjoyed learning new words and how I could use them and it also encouraged me to read more books.

Yes, we are living in the digital age where we can easily Google a word’s meaning on our phones or even ask Alexa to tell us what a word means. But, the thing is, we cannot rely on our memories. After understanding what a certain word means, you will most likely forget it the next day.

Foreign Language

If you are learning a new language (especially as an adult), writing a list of new words will especially beneficial for you. Writing by hand has proven effective when it comes to memory retention. You may be able to quickly learn a new language but you will need to keep practicing until it becomes of second nature to you. Writing down new words (with a translation of your native language) will help you recall things faster. We should still be writing new words on paper even if there are language learning apps like Duolingo or Memrise. The apps will help us with practice but once we are out of the app, we need something that will act as supplement. Writing will not only help with recollection but having it all in one list will somehow force you to read and review past entries.

Wishlist

I enjoy window shopping whether online or in-store so I have a growing list of things that I would like to buy. I often find something that I like in a store then completely forget about it when someone would ask me what gift I wanted for my birthday or for Christmas. This has happened far too often that I started to list down the things that I wanted to buy for myself. It didn’t matter how much it cost. My list spanned from something from the Dollar Store to something from the Apple Store.

The wishlist isn’t necessarily a shopping list. There are things that you don’t need but are nice to have. Or these could be the things that you find interesting but will never buy for yourself. This list will sort of be your personal gift registry for special occasions.

You might ask “why not just use the wishlists on the websites?” Sure, they’re useful but they’re spread out. You can have a wishlist on Amazon or Goulet Pens or Michaels but they’re spread out. Try to write your wishlist on your notebook, planner, or bullet journal just so you have a centralized list of things that you want to buy.

Packing list

Whether you are an expert in packing or horrible at it, a packing list can be extremely useful for you. Packing for a trip is no easy task, Without a list, there is a greater chance of forgetting an item. Keeping a packing list provides structure and guides us while we pack our things.

You can opt to print a list for yourself so that you always have one at hand. Or you can write it down on a notebook and use a pencil to mark the items – so when you need it again, all you need to do is erase the pencil marks!

Bucket List or New Things to Try

A bucket list is like a list of goals but are often broader in scope and sometimes a bit vague. There are different types of bucket lists – they can be a list of things that you want to do before you turn <insert age here> or just things that you want to accomplish in your lifetime. Since a bucket list typically isn’t as time-bound as a list of goals, putting this on paper makes sense because you are more likely to forget what’s on it.

If a bucket list does not appeal to you, then maybe you could make a list of new things that you would want to try. It doesn’t have to be as complicated and dangerous as skydiving or bungee jumping. You can write something as simple as “try film photography” or “try writing 3 pages of streams of consciousness every day”.