Love It and List It

Yo homies what's good!?!?!? 

Today we're talking about listing. Anyone who knows me would know that I love making lists and planning out what I'm doing. They help me stay on track and know what I have going on all the time. Since I'm involved in so many things on campus, sometimes I actually forget everything I have to do in one day, and lists are my #bae.

My big making fun of me during Secret Week.. -__-

I just Instagrammed this photo the other day and it sparked a lot of talk. I figured that you'd all enjoy hearing about how to make effective lists and the tips I have for doing so. Listing does not come easily to everyone, but they take very little time and can make you so much more productive if you know how to use them effectively.

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VICTORIA'S HOW TO AND TIPS FOR LIST MAKING

1 // Get some bright colored markers, pencils, or pens! I'm serious about this one. Do what you need to get yourself motivated. Tumblr users joke that we love buying office supplies because of the "illusion of productivity." I don't know about you guys, but when I go out and buy nice office supplies, I actually want to use them! If you need stickers and glitter and gel pens, go for that. I really like using Papermate Flair pens - they are my special list making pens and I don't use them for anything else.

2 // Keep everything in one place. I have a huge notebook that I keep my lists in, and so they're all in one place. I swear, this notebook isn't going to be filled up any time soon, so even when I'm a senior in college or post-grad, I will still have my trusty notebook for list making. It's a great way to stay organized and if you ever need to look back at an old list you made, you know where to find it!

3 // Figure out what you're making a list about. Do you want to write out your day and all you have planned? Do you want a checklist of work that needs to get done? Is it a grocery list? A shopping list? Don't try to mash them all together. Break it up, and make lots of little lists. Right now, I have tons of lists sitting as post it notes on my computer. Their headings are Service Hours, Receive, Outfits, Random, and Shopping, and no list has more than five items.

4 // Prioritize. Sort your list's items either by chronology or by importance. For the list I made above, I wrote assignments in the order they were due. For other lists, I will put the most important or most time sensitive items at the top so that they don't get forgotten or hidden in the middle of a list. If you want to make your list as you go and not think about ordering the items, use a red or other bold colored pen to *star* the important things!

5 // Keep your lists fairly short. Looking at a list that goes on and on can be very daunting, so if you keep your lists to a minimal length, you won't be as overwhelmed when it comes time to tackle your work. It can also work to break up your list by category so that you have a whole bunch of mini lists. This is sort of reiteration from Tip #2, but it's a good point to remember nonetheless.

6 // Checkmarks are key! People enjoy the feeling of accomplishment you get when you finally get to cross something off a list. I always keep a pen handy and either cross out, or check off (like you see in the photo above) the items that I have completed. It makes you feel good and motivates you to want to do more!

7 // Plan out your day like a pro. When you want to organize your day, arrange all your tasks into easy hour, half-hour, and fifteen minute blocks. Start by filling in all the times that you know you will be busy in class, at an event, eating, etc. Then take the leftover chunks and figure out what you want to do with your time. Maybe you're better at getting work done at night, but you want to get your laundry done during the daytime. Or maybe you need to wake up extra early that day and finish some work, and then you will give yourself an hour or two timeslot just for watching Netflix. Find a method that works for you, but always start with the big, unchangeable tasks and fill in the rest. Be flexible! 

8 // Don't be overbearing on yourself. I used to write lists where I would say "from 4-5 I'm working on this specific assignment" and if it took longer, I would get stressed out because then I couldn't fit everything I needed to do into my day. It was really stressful, but I was advised to not focus so much on the specfics - which assignments I wanted to work on from 4-5 PM - but instead highlight the important goal - getting homework done. This has helped me to not stress out because I know I have a certain chuck of time to work with, and the order in which I complete my assignments in not what matters. It also creates more flexibility in your schedule in case something runs early or late. You have the power to change your schedule if it's not too rigid! 

9 // Feel free to add to your list. If something new comes up that you need to do, don't be afraid to add to your pre-existing list, so long as it's on the same topic. If the thing you need to write down is completely irrelevant to the list you already have made, start a new one! Lists are meant to work for you however you need and use them, so don't be afraid to experiment with your list making!

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I think that wraps up all of my tips and tricks for making lists! Hopefully some of you found this helpful and can start making fabulous lists of your own. Comment below with any of your own tips, tricks, and thoughts about list making!