Time Savings Tip: Make Lists!

     I constantly make lists, whether it's a grocery list, or what I need to get accomplished by the end of the day, or the items I need to pack for vacation. Lists help me keep my sanity. For some reason, I get some satisfaction from crossing an item off my list. This is especially true when I have about a million items on my "to do"list. It can become very overwhelming. If you're like me, you feel like you don't have time to breathe sometimes. I work full time, attend graduate school, am married, have a 2 year old, and a 6 year old step daughter who spends weekends with us. My plate is more than full, so I make lists. I recommend keeping a grocery list going at all times. Leave a notepad next to or on the refrigerator, and as soon as you think of something you are out of, jot it down. This way when grocery shopping day comes and you draw a complete blank as to what you need to shop for, you can refer to your list. I know that just about everyone knows they should make a grocery list, but you would be surprised how many people are wandering around Wal Mart with no list and end up spending twice as much money, and twice as much time, as was necessary. If you have a lot of tasks you need to complete each day, then start a daily list and mark things off as you finish them. Even if you don't complete your list that day, you can still look back and see how much you accomplished, and it will make you feel better. I also recommend making a list of items to pack for vacations and other trips. How many times have you gone on a trip and after you unpacked, realized you forgot something important. The time that stands out to me the most is when I went to the beach and forgot my hairbrush! My only alternative was a tiny comb, and combs don't really mix with long curly hair. So then I had to pay a fortune for a hairbrush at the closest souvenir shop. Now I make lists and cross items off as I pack them. A current list that is very important to me is a list of debts that my husband and I are trying to pay off. I can't tell you how great it felt to cross off the first one today! By making a list, I think it motivated us more. Sometimes you don't realize how much debt you have until you write it down and total it. It wasn't the best feeling in the world, but it has given me the motivation I needed to get started on paying those debts off.  
       No matter what your list may be for, I believe it is a great time saving and organizational tool. In our busy lives, we all forget things, and lists help us to remember.