All about lists, #1: Get rid of those sticky notes

This is the first in a series about lists: tools for making them, ways of making more useful—even using them as creative tools. Check back tomorrow for more list goodness.

I don't know about you, but the only way I can get anything done is by making lists. Otherwise, I'd lose track of all the ideas that flit through my brain.

Sticky notes are okay, but very unwieldy (that is, I can't wield them.) If I don't move them around constantly and re-write them, I am quickly buried under a horrible shade of yellow.

But recently, someone (I can't remember who) turned me on to Ta-da Lists, another elegantly simple Web-based tool from the guys over at 37 Signals (innovators of Backpack and Basecamp and other project management tools).

Ta-Da Lists is basically one big bucket for all the lists you want to keep -- both professional and personal -- all in one place.

I keep mine open all day and just keep checking to make sure I'm on  task.

• I can add to a list as a thought flits through my brain without stopping what I'm doing.
• I can edit and reorder the lists ad nauseum, as my priorities shift.
• I can share my lists with a colleague.
• I can send myself a copy of a list via email if I want it in my inbox. 

Plus, I can check things off as I complete them, which is incredibly satisfying -- better than chocolate.

And best of all, it’s free.

For a peek under the hood of my business, here is my list of lists:

• Today (for all the things I'm supposed to finish today, whichever day that happens to be. Must be updated daily.)
• Prospects to follow up on (because if I don't keep track of those who take advantage of my free consultation, they may forget that Marketing Mentor is on their To Do list)
• People to meet with (so I don't lose track of everyone who says, "Hey, we should have coffee.")
• Discuss with PT (Peleg Top, my business partner, because we have tons of great new ideas that could easily get lost)
• Discuss with Alan (Alan Seiden, my IT guy so I don't forget those little things I want him to fix)
• MM Store products (because we want to keep growing the offerings in the www.Marketing-Mentor-Store.com)
• MM Blog ideas (because this is the only way to get in the habit of blogging regularly)
• Changes to MM web sites (for all those details people point out to me that I want to remember when we do the next revamp)
• Big picture projects (so I don't lose sight of my long term goals)

And here's a list of lists suggested for inspiration by the guys over at 37signals.

What kinds of things would you like to make lists of, if keeping track of the lists were no problem at all?

This is the first in a series about lists: tools for making them, ways of making more useful—even using them as creative tools. Check back tomorrow for more list goodness. —Mixmistress Colleen

Comments

[Alan Seiden]

Freestanding lists such as tadalist are great.

In addition, because my e-mail inbox is a to-do list in itself, I've expanded what my inbox can do. I "stick" electronic sticky notes onto incoming e-mail messages, adding information when I think of it, making it easier to respond when I'm ready. For example, I can type a person's phone number and a note of what I'll say. When I view the e-mail message, my note pops up. All the relevant information is right there. It's easy to create and edit the notes.

I add these notes with XNote, (https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/thunderbird/addon/3093) an add-on to Thunderbird (http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/thunderbird/), the e-mail program I use. Both XNote and Thunderbird are free and work on Windows, Linux, and Mac.

[Angie]

I really like the features of rememberthemilk.com

same concept, many more features -- if you want them...

[Kelly Parkinson]

I signed up for Highrise last week, in conjunction with Backpack (a sort of calendar combined with organization catch-all that lets you create pages of lists, notes, and other stuff). I like being able to separate lists out into projects as you suggest. Highrise lets me do this with "Cases." And it will set automatic reminders. Highrise also has an easy CRM functionality, which is really great, as you can set follow up reminders for each contact and track your communications. You can also forward e-mails and notes to yourself right into Highrise, and set tasks so you remember to follow up with people. Highly recommended.

[Milli Thornton]

I loved this suggestion from Ilise. I've been using Ta-da Lists for one week now and I'm hooked.

Prior to Ta-Da, I was pretty good with hand-written To-Do lists, but this takes it to a whole new level. I now have 25 separate lists, but rather than feel overwhelmed with that many, I feel more organized. It's so easy to navigate in Ta-da and you can add to your lists or move things around with lightning speed.

Ta-da is even helping me eat better and stick to my exercise routine. I'm more focused and productive, but also more conscious of balancing work-time with down-time (since I work at home).

Thanks, Ilise! Great recommendation.

-Milli

[Janet Goldstein]

I don't know if the Marketing Mentor community is familiar with David Allen, his book Getting Things Done, and the whole GTD methodology of personal productivity (www.davidco.com). His advice about to-do lists is elegant and intuitive once you start implementing it. One example: He advocates determining a "next action" for every item on active to-do lists so there's a specific task (phone call; set a date; research info; draft outline; etc.) associated with each item. As David says, many items on our to-do lists are projects, not tasks, and you can't "do" a project. And another one: the 2-minute rule (we all know but often ignore) which says to deal with email and other tasks that will take less than 2 minutes immediately. This really works, especially if you have data you need at hand (email address or phone #, for example).

I've been meaning to post for a while and this thread of conversation inspired me to write.