Do You Still Write Out Lists?

It seems pretty obsolete to write out to-do lists. Even if you’ve managed to resist the smart phone age, it’s much easier to create and save digital lists on a tablet or laptop. We’re already using these devices for shopping, work, education, and entertainment. Who remembers the old Android phone advertisements that made these smartphone act like personal assistance? Now, most phones comes with Voice Assistance.  So why write at all?

Backlog

I don’t mind looking back at old notebooks. It helps me identify patterns in my habits. Plus, I can verify whether I’ve accomplished things that I set out to do. Prioritizing doesn’t work when you neglect to double check your accomplishments.

Memorization

There are four techniques that I use to learn something new. Listen, write, read, and communicate. Depending on how I receive the information, I listen to audio or read it. As I’m learning, I write down key points or break it down in a way that make sense to me. After reviewing what I read, I’ll go over that information with a person. What does this have to do with lists?

Home Management & Scheduling

There are daily, weekly, monthly, and annual things that have to be taken care of. Figuring out how to prioritize all that can get complicated. Writing can make thoughts tangible. Physically lining these things up with a calendar gives my mind left and right limits. The end result is a to-do list that sorts out wants and needs. I may want to get this particular task done, but there are other steps that need to happen before that can come off the list. This also puts a realistic time limit on procrastination. This is helpful for things that I don’t want to do. Eventually crossing out the smaller tasks, makes the bigger hurdles hard to ignore/put off.

Creativity

List don’t have to be boring. There are plenty of pretty layouts to organize your thoughts in a way that’s visually appealing. Is it necessary? No. Is it part of the reason I have an assortment of notebooks, pens, highlighters, and stickers. Yes, it is. That’s why I like perusing the Art and Office section. Tools like this help me stay focused and look forward to crossing out completed tasks.

Final Thoughts

In my opinion, there’s value in writing to-do lists. However, they are only a starting point. If we don’t put in the effort to follow up with it, writing to-do lists are a waste of time. For some of us, it’s much easier to  unlock or phone and open a task manager app. Here’s the thing, a smart phone is more distracting than a notebook. A quick peak at your to-do list can lead to doom scrolling. Do with that what you will.