Getting It Together: Lists Put Your World in Order

Lists are a powerful tool to getting and keeping your home and family in order. If you have ever experienced “Information Turmoil,” then please find out what putting all of your mental debris down on paper can do for you.

I am one of today’s over-extended mothers who no longer find comfort nor satisfaction in a spotless house. Both of my grandmothers’ homes were always impeccable. I never thought much about it until I started running my own household and wondered where they found the time and devotion to clean windows, walls, and ceilings.  

Cobwebs? They don’t really bother me. Modern moms struggle more today with juggling schedules and playdates, work, and homework than with mops and dust rags.   

One thing I do have in common with previous generations is the necessity and the aptitude for making a well-thought out list. What would we multi-tasking moms do without the ability to sort out some of the jumble in our minds? I savor the sweet release of putting it on paper, and I do mean paper. I need to not only see my list, but I must be able to hold it, check it off, and possibly fold it up. It oftentimes needs to be an ongoing list that I can store in my trusty binder and add to it whenever something new and important is introduced to my information-overloaded world. 

The beauty of the list is manifold. It: 

1) tracks personal family or business goals

2) provides an opportunity for achievement

3) can be compact and portable

4) operates as a tool for delegation (e.g. Honey Do lists, chore lists)

5) teaches self-discipline

6) produces enormous gratification with each task completed 

So rediscover the power you wield when you print a list. Take out your pen and begin to LET GO of your “Information Turmoil!”