Personal Organization & Lists: Map or Guide? You Tell Me.
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It is truly amazing how different things are interpreted between different people. Take the usage of lists.
When I use a list, I use it as a guide. What I’ll do is try to remember everything that I can, then use the list to verify that I’ve not forgotten anything. That way, I can train myself to remember things, and eventually I won’t need a list.
But there is also a way of using a list a a map: you follow it from the get-go and go through and check items off one by one: hence it “maps” your path. I don’t like this way for a couple of reasons, and here’s why.
You are not putting trust in yourself. By using a list as a map, you are basically “showing” yourself that you cannot remember anything from the list and that you must use it to get through the list. When you don’t trust yourself, this creates more stress and anxiety in different situations down the road, This can become a horrible self-doubting loop that will hinder you from working through it.
I fully realize that there are times when a list must be used as a map: when you are learning something brand new, or are trying to do something new that has a very specific order, like assembling a piece of furniture.
For more routine things, like what to pack on a trip, use a list as a guide so that you can double check it once you have everything packed that you can remember. Trust yourself to gather everything that you need, then check your list.
What do you think about this? Should a list be used as a map or a guide? Do you feel that there is validity in the statement that a self-doubting loop can occur? Thoughts, please….place them in the comments!
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I’m a firm user of lists as a map. I totally trust all of my lists to ‘remember’ what I need to know, living by that mantra of David Allen; “your brain is a place for having ideas, not holding ideas”.
I used to use them as a guide, trusting that I’d remember the stuff that wasn’t on a list and hoping my memory capacity would expand to cope with the plethoa of new inputs, however it never did. Once I started totally trusting my GTD solution (low tech ubiquitos capture device, backed up by omnifocus on a mac and iphone), I didn’t have to stress that I didn’t remember things, because I didn’t have to.
General lists live in evernote, so things like what to take on a business trip, what wines we like, birthday gift ideas etc, all live in evernote and are available wherever I am.
I certainly can see why people would shy away from the map aproach, but I think that’s often (not always) because they’re not 100% invested in the lists. If you get EVERYTHING down, you don’t have to worry that you might miss something you’re trying to remember.
Answer back...
Kris reply on January 21st, 2009 12:42 pm:
I think perhaps I wasn’t clear. What I meant by using it as a guide is to gather everything that you can, THEN check our list to assure that you have ecerything. Not look at each item on the list and then gather it. Using the list as a checking device rather than something you have to look very frequently.
Does that make sense?
Answer back...
My mother would always advocate the making of lists. As I’ve gotten older I’m coming to a sneaking suspicion that I should have been listening to her more… Parents actually knowing something???? Nah! Well…… ok, maybe.
While I use lists for their ability to allow me to not forget everything, I also find one of the best features is their motivational value. As I complete a task, I get a boost when I get to check something off. After an hour or so of working on various tasks I can look at a partially completed list and see the progress I’ve made. And when I’m getting to the end of the list I can see the end in sight, so I know it’s not a hopeless, always receding end-point, even if I don’t have a time deadline I’m working against.
This only works if the task list is manageable however. If the task list i really an outline of everything you are trying to accomplish in your life it will seem overwhelming, and do more to de-motivate you and you’ll find yourself avoiding checking the list. The context lists for the GTD system in my view help bridge the gap between “overwhelming list of everything in your life” and “what tasks can I do while I’m out running errands”.
Answer back...
Kris reply on January 21st, 2009 12:43 pm:
I completely agree on the motivational value. Nothing like being able to see, at a glance, what you have accomplished off of your list.
I think that it’s good to start youngsters on this path as well. What do you think?
Answer back...