"Someone is staring at you in 'Personal Growth.'"

I'm starting something new, which I will furthermore categorize as "Good Habits." This will be a once-in-awhile-to-regular series about things I'm learning about getting my rear in gear. If these good habits are of benefit or inspiration to others, all the better. This series is in fact a good habit in itself, because it keeps me in the habit of writing.

Good Habit: Make Lists

Okay, this is a pretty obvious one. But it's foundational for this "good habits" series.

I was once interviewing people for a job and one of the questions I asked was, "What's your system for multitasking?" The answer for everyone - literally, everyone: lists. I probably should have asked the question in a different way because maybe the answer was too easy. But what made this especially eery was that all these people followed it up with some version of, "I love checking things off, and I sometimes even put things on my list that I have already done, just to check it off." It was like they consulted with each other ahead of time.

But back to the subject. Lists help you get stuff done, keep track of tasks, feel accomplished, remember things, and in job interviews, they may help prove you're the right person for any job where you're responsible for lots of tasks at once. For me, though, lists aren't always about doing, they're about staying centered and focused and developing my sense of self. My main reasons for having a notebook filled with lists:

1. They serve as a strange diary. Even if it's a grocery list, these itemized collections remind me of the context in which they were gathered. Not long ago I came across a page in my notebook that listed dried currants, beef brisket, pink salt, peppercorns, cabbage and buttermilk from March 2014. It was from the time I made corned beef (a days-long process) and Irish soda bread. I'm not saying every grocery list is meaningful, but in this case, I can remember that particular setting of spring that year, watching "Waking Ned Devine" while eating that homemade Irish meal, at a time when I was almost done with the biggest freelance project of my life, during the last month Joel and I spent without a dog in our lives. My mind fills in the details with just this weird list of things. If grocery-lists-as-diaries is a little too out there, consider list-keeping as an easier way to keep a  diary. When I'm traveling, I find it's easier to just write a list of the things I noticed or ate or places I went, fun moments, etc., rather than bother with commentary about everything. It's much less intimidating because I can jot things down as I go. Again, my mind often fills out the in-between. (The key, of course, is to always carry your notebook.) Photos help too, of course.

2. Lists often reflect an idealized vision of myself: The Person Who Gets Things Done,  The Thoughtful One, The Self-Care Aficionado. Rarely do I get to cross everything off of these lists, but it shows me where I struggle. I suppose these undone lists could make me feel pretty bad about my shortcomings, until I realize I can just make a new list! And starting over with new momentum is great.

3. Lists serve as reminders, but not always the kind to be checked off. The whole "gratitude journal" idea is simply one magnificent list of what makes your life rich. Similar to the first point, it's something you want to look back on and remember. Other lists to not cross off are about things that remind me of what I enjoy or have enjoyed - movies, books, experiences, things to do when I'm between projects, my million-dollar ideas.

4. They serve as a brain dump that sometimes reveal patterns. This especially happens to me at work. I build a list anytime something is on my mind - anything from a big idea to small details - and like my brain, it's not always that organized or structured. But it's only in making these lists, often several at a time, that I can start to see patterns and decipher ways to categorize and prioritize, or combine ideas with existing projects.

My favorite system for list-making is a combination of a bullet journal, which I keep in my purse at all times (for personal daily things, indexing of places to go/things to do/books to read/movies to watch, aspirational thoughts, and quick to-do lists), and Wunderlist for lists that I use over and over again and/or share with others (grocery staples, packing lists, work tasks). Before I landed on this system I struggled to keep list-making a habit, but I think the bullet journal is so fun in its analog but efficient nature (I just learned that there are Pinterest boards dedicated to the Bullet Journal...I'm not nearly this creative), and I just love the "ding" of a completed task on Wunderlist.

I've started my new bullet journal for the year and am enjoying looking back at last year's. Many pages are filled with notes from when we were buying our house - people to call, things to inspect, prices of things, and pros and cons. And also grocery lists, trip plans, the exorbitant amount of money I paid for a beer in the airport while waiting for my plane ($9 for a Negro Modelo!!), names of knitting patterns, etc.

Do you love lists? Are you one of those people who write things down that you've already done, just so you can check it off? (I'd probably hire you, if so.)