I am a list guy. After multiple Birkman tests, personality tests, corporate development tests, and personal reflection, I’ve found that I operate at peak performance when I have a thorough list staring back at me.
My guess is that this all started with my Granddad. My mother’s father, he was a good Lutheran of German descent whose family settled around Columbia, SC, and with my Grandmother, raised my mother and her sister (my aunt) in beautiful Heath Springs, SC. My granddad was exactly what you’d expect living in a small country town. He taught math and shop at the school, grew a huge garden, was a mechanic, a woodworker, a fisherman, and a lifelong IPTAY member.
He had a lot going on, and as far back as I can remember he had a small notebook where he kept his list. My granddad insisted that all of his shirts have a front chest pocket to hold his small spiral notebook and two (2) pencils. One mechanical and one he could sharpen with his Buck Knife. He’d make his list every morning and modify it throughout the day. The man got a lot done, and no doubt it was because he was thoughtful and organized.
I have a very similar practice: make a new daily list every two out of three days. I don’t keep the list in my front left chest pocket, but I have a spiral notebook that I use. It’s a thorough list – it includes everything that requires some sort of thought or effort, whether work-related, RCS-related, home related, etc. As a measure of my manhood, I typically try and tackle the least desirable item FIRST. That way it’s all downhill from there. I enjoy the process of creating the list, and it keeps me focused.
In addition to my personal list, Mrs. RCS and I share lists in the Microsoft To Do app. Specifically, we have two that we frequent: FOOD (for groceries, etc), and AROUND THE FORT (for what we need to do around the house (outside of the norm)). We also share a Google Calendar for scheduling, which is as important.
From a notebook perspective, these are my absolute favorite. They aren’t that expensive, they have a thicker cardboard cover and back so I can write with the notebook on my lap, and the pages are college-ruled. The 10 x 7 size is just right. The most important thing for me is the spiral connector. I prefer that to a stapled notebook or a legal pad. I still use my No. 18 from Colonel Littleton for meeting notes and presentations, but when it comes to lists, I prefer these.
Let’s hear it: how do you stay on task?
I’m a list guy, but I use an app called TickTick. Highly recommend
I use my Col Littleton Notecard holder and use one notecard per week.
Size A6 note pads. (About 4×6”)
Gum bound like a hotel has.
Make a new one every day even if I’m writing down incomplete from day before. (Reprioriize each time)
Put them in a box in order.
For an ADHD guy lists are more about things I must do, might do, and ideas to keep. – but not to box myself into a rigid schedule to that takes away better possibilities with my time.
May sound selfish and dysfunctional- but I am very weary of sharing lists and calendars with others.
Im a huge list guy and use the same notebook per your recommendation a couple of years ago. They are just the right size. Any organizational ideas for how you do your lists in your notebook?
I follow a similar format to this https://fromthegreennotebook.com/2018/08/08/how-to-organize-your-notebook-for-success/
I use lists about 50% of the time and mostly for professional things. I use a dingy old hotel logo pad but have been looking to upgrade. The Colonel has some nice stuff! I also enjoy the shared lists with the Mrs for home – related things. We don’t use google but instead, Icalendar.
I use a combination things. I keep a running list of tasks and who is responsible for them. For meetings , I take notes on plain notecards, and then edit/transcribe them into a master notebook at the end of each day. That way I can reflect on what came out of the meeting, capture the key points and have a much easier to read record.
I have to keep lists going to stay on track and out of the Kudzu of life. Simplicity and Scots-Irish frugality lead me to the essay theme books like we used 40 years ago up at the institution of highest learning on Fort Hill. You can get them for a dollar and they last 6 months or more.. . We are trying to digitize and use OneNote, but there is something comforting in using pen and paper.. I feel a rush of accomplishment when i fill a book up and file it away for posterity or the inevitable landfill.
I am a list and a notes guy and rely on old fashion pen and paper. Apps just don’t do it for me.
For lists I received a Bluegrass Fairway yardage cover (thanks for the tip JRS). I use the Field Notes spiral top notebook for that. For note taking I am a big fan of the mid size Moleskin notebooks.