The start of the new year always brings a few inevitable and inescapable things along
with it. There are the resolutions that we make and pursue with varying degrees of
success. There is the fresh focus on tasks that we might have forgotten to complete, or
more than likely have been putting off for most of last year.
And then there are the lists.
In magazines, all over social media, and on the television, lists are everywhere at this
time of year. They tell us the top ten fashion trends for the upcoming season. They tease
us with the top five films we should be looking forward to. They even instruct us on the
top three foods that we should avoid if we want to stay healthy, wealthy, and wise.
Order out of Chaos
“People are attracted to lists because we live in an era of overstimulation, especially in
terms of information”. These are the words of the author David Wallechinsky, who first
wrote The Book of Lists in 1977 and has been revising it with subsequent editions ever
since. He believes that our fascination with lists comes from their power to arrange and
organise our thoughts & understanding in otherwise overwhelming situations. The fact
that we tend to begin most tasks by making a list would definitely seem to support this!
But do they actually work?
And how can we make the most of them?
If procrastination really is the thief of time, then lists are definitely a more than willing
accomplice. We’re all familiar with that feeling of taking a pencil from behind our ear
and quickly jotting bullet points down whenever there is a task to complete. Of course,
this can quickly and easily get out of hand. Instead of being a helpful tool to encourage us towards achieving our goal, the act of making lists can draw our attention away.
Before we know it, we’re back to where we began with nothing apart from a scribbled
mess of thoughts and actions thrown onto paper.
Never fear, however, as Top Quote is here to the rescue with our Top Three List Tips
that guarantee to have you feeling in control of your own chaos. The key is to keep it
simple and manageable without distracting you from why you made it in the first place.
So, let’s get going:
- Go Digital
All the listing power you need is in the palm of your hand right now. Mobile
phones are the perfect way to organise your lists in an editable and secure way.
No more looking in your coat pockets for that receipt you scribbled on last week.
They can even give you a little nudge when you should be completing the items
you put on it through notifications and reminders. Embrace the future and drop
the pen! - Make More Than One
Perhaps the biggest listing mistake is to assume there can be only one! It’s
important to split them up into manageable sections that respond to different
aspects of your life. Household, financial, shopping, jobs to do. Give each of them
their own list that you can create and return to every day, week, month, or year.
Importantly, this will keep them shorter and looking less daunting too. - Tasks Not Goals
The entire idea of a list as a resource is to make things seem more manageable
and achievable. A list that reminds you to put the bins out, wash the dishes,
hoover the stairs, and polish the coffee table is much more useful than one that
tells you to just ‘tidy the house up’. It also gives you the opportunity to feel that
wonderful little sense of achievement as you can digitally cross off the task and
watch the to-do list grow smaller and smaller.
Put TopQuote on the Top of Your List
Getting round to sorting out your existing life insurance policy may always feel like
something that can be easily forgotten and avoided. Why not get in touch with us right
now and our team will begin to make sure that they are working for you in the best way
possible.
It’s quick, simple, and pain-free. And it’s one more thing that you can cross off your list
of life admin for this year!