Many people overestimate the power of a simple list, but it really helps with relieving your stress, managing your time, and coping with packed schedules in life. In today’s article, we are going to share with you about how a list works magically as the best productivity tool.

Types of Lists

Making a list is effortless. You simply write down the things you’d like to complete/achieve, but this small action can bring big changes and results to your life. Different types of lists serve for different purposes, and let’s see some common list types.

• A To-do List

People have limited time and brain energy to process many things we need to do in daily lives. Writing down today’s tasks onto a to-do list (in priority) in early morning costs less than two minutes but helps manage your time efficiently in a day. With this list in hand, you can complete and check things in order without being anxious about what to do next and what’s left unfinished.

• A Bucket List

One-time life needs a bucket list – a list of the best things to do before you die! What kind of person do you want to become? What life do you want to live? What would you like to achieve? Think about your life’s bucket list and never regret not doing something.

• A Happy List

You need a happy list whenever feel anxious and depressed. A list of things that make you happy may lift you from a depressing swamp and encourage you to continue strongly living your life.

• A Wish List

As mentioned before in the previous How to Spend Money Wisely blog, we introduced the wish list – a list of items wanted before actual purchasing. It will help to hold off your impulsive spending desires and cut down many unnecessary spending.

• A Check List

A checklist is the key to preparation. Whatever you’re preparing for, packing travel items or an online interview, a checklist is great for checking every detail and making sure you’re fully prepared. You will also feel the joy whenever finishing and checking an item/list off your list!

Tips for List-Making

SMART Principle

SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound. This principle is one of the most used tools to help people plan and achieve goals, and it serves as a guide to list-making as well, especially for lists with specified goals such as to-do lists and checklists.

PDCA Cycle

The Plan-do-check-act cycle (PDCA) is another great management and planning tool for delivering changes. There is no end to this cycle, so PDCA needs to be repeated again and again for continuous improvement, which is key for us to constantly grow and achieve higher goals through lists.

Thank you for reading, and we hope that you become familiar with varied types of lists and master the power of simple lists through this article to better manage time and brings productivity to your life. Make lists with XMind, starting today! Take care, and until next time…