Making a grocery store list is fine, and all, but have you tried making a list of the stores that you need to go to along with the grocery store and a list of the specific item you need at each specific store? I make a list for everything, literally everything! I have lists about the lists that I need! And I love it.
Why I Make a List for Everything
Maybe making a list for everything is a little overboard. Do I really need a to-do list, a keyword research list, a list of when I’m going to publish each article, a list of all the important novels I’ve read, a list of chores, and a list of all the things I want for Christmas ?
Maybe not. But I love having it!
Making Lists Keeps Me Organized
If you’re someone who can keep all their tasks organized in their head, then I hate you. Okay, not really. I’m just jealous that I’m incapable of doing that. If I don’t write something down, it’s gone, never to be remembered again. That is until someone else brings it up, and I realize I completely dropped the ball.
Writing out a to-do list keeps me on track and helps me remember the important things I need to do. I need this type of organization in my life.
Lists Prevent Me from Overspending
Yes, we all know that grocery store lists help us with the budget. Making that list for grocery shopping and sticking to it is a tried-and-true way to save money on groceries.
But it also helps me at other stores as well. Have you ever been able to avoid impulse buys at Target and Bed, Bath, and Beyond? It’s really freaking hard! You go there for one thing and come home with a cartload! I’ve been there.
Sometimes you just need to make a target run, though. You need new dish towels or a new coffee pot. Whatever it is that you need, put it on a list. And when you see that shiny new adorable knickknack (or basket, or plant, or name your poison really) that you can’t help but toss into the cart, check your list. Is it there? Do you really need it? Will it really bring you joy?
If these answers don’t check out, put it back!
There’s Nothing More Satisfying Than Crossing a Task off a To-Do List
Seriously, my favorite thing in the world is picking up a pen and crossing that horrendous task that I just accomplished off my list. Sometimes, I’ll even put something on my list that I finished, just for the satisfaction of being able to cross it off. It’s so good.
A completely crossed-off to-do list is a work of art. Try it sometime, and revel in the feeling of accomplishment you have for simply completing a list.
How to Create a List
We’re going to get super meta here and write a list about how to make a list. It’s wonderful, isn’t it!
- Get out your pen and paper
- Brainstorm the things you need on your list
- Write them down!
As far as paper goes, I freaking love Post It’s post-able lists. They are the best thing ever. I have like 6 pads lying in random places around the house, so there’s always one readily available. I love that they come in a variety of colors, that they are lined, and that you can easily peel the top one off to take it with you.
Email Lists
Speaking of lists, have you signed up for my email list yet? You know you want to! I’ll drop in my mind map to achieving financial freedom for you if you join! That has a giant list on it as well.
If you need to make an email list, try using Mailchimp or Convertkit. I love Convertkit kit and use it for my own email list needs, but lots of others have found success with Mailchimp, and it’s a bit cheaper. But Convertkit has more options and functionality, in my opinion.
List Making Apps
I’m old school. I’m no technophobe, but I love the simplicity of a pen and paper list. But, I know all you young ’uns these days like your technology and would prefer to use a mobile app for all of your list-making needs.
This is where it gets weird, though. I may love lists, but I hate listicles. I’m still going to do it, because, you know, you have to give the people what they need. But sometimes, writing a blurb about each item on the list gets tedious. I like my lists without any additional information, please!
I know that’s not realistic, though. People looking for the best list-making apps need a little more on the benefits of each, am I right? So, here’s a shortlist of the five best apps for making a list.
Microsoft To-Do
I like Microsoft products. I use Microsoft Windows operating systems on all of my computers, and I use their office suite regularly. Even though their internet browser kind of sucks, I thought they would be a good bet on making a great to-do list app, and I wasn’t wrong.
To-Do is a basic personal task management app. A cool thing about it is that it integrates with Outlook, so if you use that as your primary email provider, you can have it all in one.
Google Keep
Of course, Google has a competitor to Microsoft. Google Keep doesn’t have the functionality of Microsoft’s app, but it’s a great option if you don’t need something that integrates with your work life. If you need a simple to-do list app, Google Keep has you covered.
One great thing about Google Keep is its note-taking functionality. You can even dictate notes to the app rather than writing them down!
Remember the Milk
Remember the Milk is a task list app with a lot of functionality, but unfortunately, you need to upgrade to the pro version to get all that. At only $39 per year, though, it’s one of the cheapest paid list-making apps.
However, if you don’t want the bells and whistles, you can easily use Remember the Milk for free. The biggest limitation of the free version is that it won’t send you in-app reminders, but you can still get free text and email reminders.
Todoist
Todoist is great because the free option has tons of functionality. When you don’t want to spend money on an organization app, the free versions are important!
Some cool features of Todist are that it allows you to assign and prioritize tasks and add tasks via email. The calendar view isn’t the greatest, but I prefer a list view anyway.
Habitica
Habitica is a great app because it seeks to gamify getting things done. Productivity and gaming – that’s kind of my jam, right? At least part of it anyway, I have tons of jams.
But anyway, for those of you who don’t like making lists and crossing things off them just for the sake of doing it (what’s wrong with you?), there’s Habitica which makes it a game. You can even have a little character that levels up when you get something done!
Get Your List On!
Yes, I wrote an entire blog post about list-making. This is how much I love lists!! Try it. You’ll probably love it too.
Melanie launched Partners in Fire in 2017 to document her quest for financial independence with a mix of finance, fun, and solving the world’s problems. She’s self educated in personal finance and passionate about fighting systematic problems that prevent others from achieving their own financial goals. She also loves travel, anthropology, gaming and her cats.