As if this topic hasn’t been pushed on you enough, I will do my best to convince you even more about the importance of writing lists!

As we go through life’s milestones it becomes increasingly evident that you are never truly rich until you have time.

Being rich is having money; being wealthy is having time. -Margaret Bonnano.

You can gift yourself time. This is where lists come in.

Lists:

• Clarify thoughts
• Motivate
• Show accomplishments and growth
• Organize priorities
• Save you time

I had to begin with this topic of writing lists because it is the grass root of all that is to come in my blog. I have things to share only because I have them written down and perfected in a way that I believe could be valuable to others.

Some of the lists my husband and I have are:

• Daily to-do’s
• Monthly food calendar
• Goals for the next six months
• Things to learn (languages, instruments, songs, software, etc.)
• Items to pack when going on trips

With these lists we save copious amounts of time. For one, we do not have to rely on our own memories to remind us to do anything; instead we have a list of things to remember. Fewer mistakes are made and frankly less fights are fought because we have lists. Just ask my husband; most of our squabbles are over things that I have forgotten to do or discussions I forget having. With lists nothing is left unspoken or undecided upon and thus it leads to more cohesive communication.

Many arguments between couples are due to unwanted surprises and many times this can be alleviated through making lists. No topic is off-limits and almost no topic is un-listable.

So what are the steps?

• Sit down and decide a list topic
• Create a Word document
• Add your items (each person should add if there are multiple people)
• Have the list easily accessible to each person involved (we have a shared Dropbox account with a ‘Lists’ folder and it gives us updates when either person has updated a file)
• Prioritize the list as one to view often, periodically, at the end of the year, etc.
• Place in priority folders and revisit accordingly

Note: The up-front cost of list making is high! But after the first one is made it becomes enjoyable adding to it and checking off items! Also, consecutive lists will be easier and fun as you see your creative juices start flowing.

In the end we each want more time with family and friends and time to do the activities that we enjoy. If you organize the other mundane parts of life with lists you will spend less time worrying about them and more time relishing in life’s true joys!

Don’t leave it to your memory to fail you. Make lists to buy yourself time!