Lists, Lists Everywhere

I am a list girl. There, I've said it.

Okay, I don't actually think it's anything to be ashamed of. I love lists. They help keep me on track.

At least, they're supposed to. Often, my lists are on made on scratch paper, which get shoved somewhere--a pocket, a purse, a drawer--and then lost. A lot of good a lost list does, right?

So, this year, I'm hoping to improve. Here's what I think will work for me.

I took a blank notebook of lined paper. The kind you pick up from Walmart for a nickel in August before school starts. I plan to keep this notebook right next to my computer, which happens to be in the kitchen. All of my lists should be in here. It's accessible, and already I've taken the notebook over to the couch while I've worked on my lists, and since it's so big (and not a small scrap of paper) it's harder to lose. Or easier to keep track of, however you want to look at it.

I'm also trying to be better about what kind of lists I make and how well I use them. This is still in the early stages and may change, but right now I plan on outlining the days of the week at the top with the main menu item for dinner each day. Then, below that, I outline each day again, and write down specific tasks or events. The obvious problem is making sure I remember events that are scheduled more than a week in advance: therefore, I also will try to actually use my Google Calendar...

I really like the way Google Calendar is set up. It has the nice reoccuring feature you can easily add, and it also has a variety of views. I genereally prefer the month view, but you could also select a few different versions of a week (business week, full week, Monday start, Sunday start, etc) as well as a single day. In short, I really like the idea and wish I was in a better habit of using it. But that's what resolutions are for, right? Making habits.

Back to the lists. In addition to my weekly planning page, I've also written a page of various household tasks that I should be doing, but am not. I'm a terrible housekeeper, and you should definitely pity my poor husband who has to put up with it. Now, don't mistake me: we don't live in squalor. I've sorted the tasks into daily, weekly, and monthly tasks. It's not exhaustive, but I felt it was doable for me at this stage. I have only three tasks for each day: pick up clothes, prepare dinner, and make the bed. There are a lot of things that should be done daily in additon to those, but I want to succeed, so I'm starting small and selecting things that I think will be accomplishable. If that's even a word.

I've also generated a list of about 35 main menu items that I can make (and that we've enjoyed in the past), so that when it comes time to prepare that weekly menu, I can do so easily and also plan meals that will use some of the same ingredients so that the remaining doesn't go to waste. For instance, I don't drink milk, and only use to cook/bake with, and I can't tell you how much milk we've poured down the drain because it spoiled before we used it all. (And I rarely buy more than a half gallon at a time!) But, if I planned better, we could use it for several dinners and baking so that none of it went to waste. Not only does throwing out food waste money, it also just plain wastes the food, and I hate doing that. I also hope that it will help us eat more balanced, not just in an individual meal, but throughout the week. Instead of eating chicken every night, I can make sure we're eating a variety of proteins, and that we aren't eating the same food every week. How boring is that?

I also plan to use the notebook to keep a running grocery list. I typically sit down the night before shopping and generate a list, but I often forget all the things that I ran out of through the week. I think this is primarily one of the reasons I've often had to run to the store 2-3 times a week--I think I have something because I always have it, but when it gets right down to it, I ran out and forgot to pick up more at the store. A running list, where I can record quickly the things I'm out of when I run out of them will help I think.

I'm sure other things will come up as I continue to use it, and I think that's one of the things I like most about using a plain old notebook. It's so flexible. It's not a day planner, it's a simple notebook. I don't like being told how to structure my scheduling device, and it's kind of ironic that I'm sharing it here, hoping it will help. So, I'll end this with a direction.

If you don't already have a scheduling system that works for you, think about your life and what you need to help you. Do you need a regular day planner? Do you need a calendar on the wall where you can pencil in big events? Or a big dry erase calendar that you can update and change each month? Or a simple notebook next to your desk? What kinds of lists help you stay on top of your life?

After you answer those questions, go forth and be organized. Good luck!