The best types of lists to write

OK, so you’ve heard all kinds of things about all kinds of lists… to-do lists are the most prominent ones, where you write out a bunch of stuff that you need to do, then go about your day ticking stuff off the list.  But what if there were other lists, more important lists… ones that you don’t need to cross things off, but help you get further in your life?

Even in the hardest of times, and worst of situations there are always things to be grateful for.

It may not be easy to start, but when you do it will become easier.

Think about the things you’re grateful for, what they bring to your life, what they take out of your life, the lessons you have learned… write a long list.  Keep a gratitude journal on you at all times, and fill it whenever the mood strikes.

This is a different take on the pros and cons lists but focuses on what you will achieve once you’ve completed a task.

Say, for instance, you want to start a new business, but fear is holding you back.

What are all the reasons you have for starting your own business?  What does having your own business bring into your life?

You could use this for any daunting task you come across… even organising the loft space 😉

To-do lists are great for keeping us on track with everything we have to do, but sometimes we don’t seem to get much ticked off, despite keeping going all day long because y’know life.

So write a list of all the things you’ve done in your day.  From getting up, to going to bed.  It doesn’t matter if it’s something small and trivial if you’ve done it, get it on your list.

This type of list works two-fold;

1 – You realise just how much (or how little) you’ve actually accomplished in your day, whether it was on the to-do list or not

2 – It can help you plan your future days better.  Once you really know what you’ve done and how long it takes, you’ll be able to have more realistic expectations of how much you can get done each day, and stop beating yourself up about those tasks that are still on your to-do list

Positive affirmations are great for changing our internal dialogue.  By taking what/who you want to be, turning it into a positive current statement (I am instead of I want to be… etc) reinforces that belief in your mind.  There’s literally a whole science behind it, so having a list of your favourite and strongest affirmations is definitely a list worth writing

Normally it’s best to stick to a few affirmations for a set period of time, but there’s nothing to stop you writing a list of your favourite affirmations and keeping them close by for when you may need them.

This can be your own private positivity party.  Wake up with them, read them aloud when you’re getting ready, or when you’re feeling a wobble coming on.

For boosted positivity, say them aloud while looking in the mirror.  Yes, you’ll probably feel like a total goof the first few times, but it works!