Procrastination plagues even the best of us. Sometimes everything that needs to be done in a day looks overwhelming and the urge to just not can win the day instead. But, hark! There is a solution: lists.
Aside from obvious reasons for owning notebooks as a writer, one of the main reasons I own so many notepads is to make lists, breaking down Mount Overwhelming into tiny rocks of I-Can-Do-That ore.
For example – Today:
- Feed self
- Clean room
- Reading Challenge
- Schoolwork
- Upcoming blog posts
- Daily writing stretch
- Early to bed
That’s a basic example, but it reduces the pressure of a busy day, especially when you also have writing bouncing around the back of your mind as well. The process works just as well for any writing project, from an overall outline kind of list to a list of character likes and dislikes.
Still a university student, I usually don’t have classes on Fridays, making them available for household tasks and for creative influx. Keeping all my tasks listed out means less time being stressed and more time being creative.
Whether you make your lists on notepaper, sticky notes, an app, or Excel spreadsheets, lists are a highly recommended part of organizing writing, work, and a busy mind.