The Power of a List

The struggle to be more efficient is universal.  With all of our electronic devices, efficiency apps, and technological advances, we still struggle to get the most out of a day.  One of the most simple tools I have discovered is the use of a “to do” list.  Last week I wrote, in my post “Traction from Distraction”, that we should never allow our list to control us.  I stand by that comment.  However, while a list should not be our task master, it is certainly an effective tool.

In 2002 my wife quit her job and a telecommunications company to be at home with our soon to be born son.  After her last day on the job she asked me if I would go out to the car and get her stuff out of the trunk.  Since you do not mess with a woman who is eight and a half months pregnant, I agreed.  I was completely flabbergasted when I opened the trunk and found dozens of legal pads; every page had a date at the top and a list on it with every item on the list crossed off.  I stood there wondering, do I throw these away or save them.  I was also thinking that maybe I ought to get my wife some counseling to temper her type A personality.  I finally convinced her to throw them away and thought little more about it. 

As time has passed I have realized something, lists are a powerful tool.  Lists do at least seven things for us:

1.  A list is a beacon of accountability calling out to you, “Don’t waste time, you have things to do.”  Lists help us get off of social networking websites, lists stop us from reading the news, lists stop us from wondering aimlessly around the office.  Lists help to keep us on task.

2.  Lists make the invisible visible.  I hate the sinking feeling I get when I come home in the evenings and my wife asks me “what did you do today?”  For some reason, regardless of how busy I have been that day, I can never remember what I spent my day doing.  In ministry so much of what we do is sort of invisible.  In other words, we are not making widgets.  We are often studying, praying, reading, or counseling.  The use of a list helps you to see exactly what you accomplished that day.  Seeing what you accomplished helps you feel more productive and stay energized about your ministry.

3.  Lists help build momentum.  Everyone has those days that they just have a hard time getting it in gear.  A list allows you to pick out a couple of simple task and get them done.  You would be surprised how much crossing off an item or two on your list will motivate you to attack the larger tasks.

4.  Lists help us prioritize.  I always think I can do more in a day than I actually can.  A list allows me to decide which tasks can be pushed to a later date and which tasks need done now.  They even have an app named, “Do it (Tomorrow)”.  I love this app.  With the simple swipe of a finger you can move tasks from today’s list to tomorrow’s list.

5.  Lists allow us to redeem the minutes.  I have always hated the feeling that I am losing minutes.  Often I will finish the task at hand only to discover that in 20 minutes I have a scheduled appointment.  Twenty minutes is too much to waste but not enough time to get another major task done.  A list allows me to quickly scan and see if there is a small task I can get done or if I can do a piece of a larger task.  Redeeming these minutes is a big deal when you total up all of the “lost” minutes there are in a week.

6.  After holding you accountable, a list will shout, “Good Job!”  There is nothing quite like looking at a completed list.  There is something about being able to go home and know you did everything you needed to do that day.

7.  A list provides a record of your activity.  Being able to see the number of tasks you accomplish in a day will do several things.  One, it provides a record if you are questioned as to the level of your productivity.  Two, a list serves and a journal of sorts if you ever want to look back and see what you did on a particular day.  And third, a list will help you assess when you have taken on too much and need to share some of your tasks with others.

Never let your list control you.  Lists are not our task masters.  Lists are inanimate objects that we use to make us more efficient.  If God makes it clear that He has another agenda for you that day, then swipe everything to tomorrow and do what is before you.