List-o-Mania!!

My family laughs at me (in the kindest possible way).  My husband accuses me of making lists of my lists.  But guess who they rely on to keep track of things, to help pack all the necessities for camp or travel, to ensure the groceries and such are purchased...? :-)  For me, lists help me keep my sanity.  They save me time, and they save my sanity when my brain cells take an unplanned vacation (which happens more frequently, directly correlating to how important it is that they work!).  I have a few "list strategies", and while not every method works for every person, I thought I would offer mine, in the hope that someone else's sanity might be helped, or at least that it would spark some new ideas and conversation for everyone.

One tool I have found to be a real time and sanity saver over the years is a Master List.  I have had Master Lists for grocery shopping, Guide camping, wedding planning, square dance teaching, and more.  My definition of a Master List is a list that offers a template for an activity, with all the possible items listed in sections or categories.  This allows instant customized planning by merely highlighting wanted items or crossing off unnecessary ones, without having to use time re-thinking what all the possibilities could be.  This means I seldom missed having or packing or buying an item through its being absent from my list.  I will try to describe my process for creating a master list, and then I will offer you some sample ones.

Probably everyone who has ever attended high school, or a conference, course or seminar of any kind has heard of "Brainstorming".  This is a great tool to get creative thought processes started and to gather a multitude of thoughts, ideas, or points from which to organize.  While the term is usually used for a group setting, I think of my starting process as brainstorming, all by myself.   Do you remember the "rules" attached to those brainstorming sessions you've attended?  No censoring, no organizing/categorizing, no idea too little or too silly - blurt everything out and write it down.  I start out the same way, with a small difference.  I DO make categories first.  For example, for a Grocery master list, I would make columns:  Meat, Dairy, Bakery, Produce, Baking, Beverages, etc. etc.  Then I would list every single thing I could possibly think of under each of those titles - things I would buy each week to things I would only buy at holiday times, for instance.  Once I think that list is complete, I would sort it.  I have a couple of different ways to sort grocery lists, I must admit.  One is by department, and then alphabetically or whatever.  The other, when I shopped at the same store alllllll the time (Mackenzie Co-op, if you are curious :-) ), was by aisle.  Yes, I knew that store so well I could make my list by aisle.  With master grocery lists I usually have some columns beside each item to indicate how many I want, what they usually cost, and how much it actually cost at the time of purchase (I can use that to update the cost amount for next time.)  This helps me with my grocery budgeting, too.  I usually include a section near the end for other shopping things like birthday gifts or other "non-usual" purchases.  I photocopy the grocery master list, highlight the items I need, maybe mark with a "*" anything that is on sale that week (or that I only want to by IF it's on sale!), add in any special items like a birthday gift or other seldom bought product, and off I go to the store.  Sometimes I have scribbled my menu for the week on the back, just in case I want to check on something if inspiration strikes while I am out.

Event master lists come about in a similar fashion, only the categories are parts of the event instead of departments in the grocery store.  For example, if planning a Girl Guide fun day, sections of the list might include program, registration, paperwork, staff, supplies, equipment, clean up, evaluation.  That can be fleshed out, but you get the idea.  I use the same process to plan for my Unit for the year, starting with a year long calendar with a list of all the things that always take place, by month -- Thanksgiving, Halloween, Christmas, Valentine's Day, Thinking Day, etc.  Then I add in things that happen locally every year, cookie sales, Canada Day celebrations, Community Awareness night (leisure fair),  and so on.   Then it is time to start roughly putting in program plans - what will we cover this year, will any of it tie into the calendar activities, do any of them have prerequisites....  Once those roughed in timelines are in place, it is not an onerous job for my co-leaders and me to fill out weekly meeting plans, complete with equipment needed and any other preparation required, in plenty of time to be prepared!

Reading the theory of list-making and planning can be dull and I congratulate you for making it this far!  As promised, I will offer you a couple of sample Master Lists.  You are welcome to use them as templates for your own use.

Grocery List Blank

Guide Camp Equipment List Blank

One more thing I want to tell you about:  the list is no good if you don't use it.  If you are like me, and you like to have your list at your fingertips all the time, in case you think of something to add, or if you have a question about what's on it, that can be a challenge.  But fortunately, because of the era we live in, we can make use of many different applications that will allow us access to ALL our lists anywhere, if we just have a computer, a tablet or a smart phone around. (Boy, would I have liked that when I was Guiding in the '80s!)  The one I personally use is Evernote, a program that stores my lists in "the cloud" and is accessible on my phone AND my computer, synced together.  It's a free app, although they do have a premium version.  So far, I am finding the features of the free version suit my needs just fine.  Anyone have any other programs they like to use?

I just read over what I've written and, you know, my husband might just be right - I DO make lists of  my lists! LOL! But, list making helps me to "download" my brain, and it often helps me delegate tasks to others, too.  That lessens my stress, and enables me to enjoy what matters most -- time with the people I care about. I would love to see and hear what YOU do with lists and planning - please comment!

Now, where is that notepad....
Till next time!
North Owl