Feeling stressed - then make a list and all will be well. I am reliably informed that list making is the number one way to stay calm in busy times and frees up valuable brain space, making you more productive. Hey good times!
Now, I make lists all the time, is this an indication, perhaps, that I am highly stressed? Well, yes probably!
I juggle a full-time job in the busy NHS with running a home, being the main breadwinner, being a mum and feeding my passion for making craft. So yes, I do need lists. I couldn't survive without them. For me they are vital. Shopping lists, to-do lists, sort-out problem lists, reading lists, lists of future projects, ideas lists - the list of lists is endless!
But I'm an old fashioned girl in many ways and despite embracing (some) technology (I could not live without my macbook or iphone!) - I still have to write my lists on paper. And maybe that's what makes my lists more real - they are physical and always there looking at me, usually from the bedside table (I have been known to add to them in the dark!). I have tried writing my lists on screen but somehow that doesn't work. For me they are less binding, less urgent and more easily ignored and at the end of the day the computer or phone can be switched off.
And yes, I do get a sense of achievement if, at the end of the day, I can put a tick through my list. But I don't need to have completed my list to feel good, knowing that I'm well on my way to achieving the target can be good enough.
So get to it - get stress busting, free up some brain space and write a list today!
- Make them achievable.
- Make them short - one side of the paper only!
- Break larger tasks down into bite sized pieces
- Review them regularly to see your progress.
- And be content with achieving most but not necessarily all of your list.
