I’m a list guy – to-do lists, procedure lists, material lists, lists of ideas. You get the idea. I can get so hung up about making lists, that one time my spouse wrote “kiss wife passionately’ on my daily list when I wasn’t looking, jokingly, I think.
Lists help me be more productive. They help me organize my thoughts. They help me be more creative. They help me be a better delegator by providing more thorough instructions. While you may not be as left-brained as I am, I challenge you to consider the benefits.
But here’s a secret I learned a long time ago – Always add another bullet. When you think you have compiled every element, issue, component, or person needing to be considered, add another bullet at the end of the list. Why? Because the brain hates incompletes. Incompletes create uncertainty and uncertainty creates discomfort. The brain hates discomfort because its first job is to keep you safe. That’s why you can fill ill at ease when you feel like something’s missing.
Using its pattern recognition, the brain will bring to your attention other tasks, ideas or people it associates with the list you are making. It may not happen immediately. But adding that extra bullet gets the brain working toward resolution, even if it wakes you up in the middle of the night with a new idea or missing element.
A corollary to this is numbering the list you are making from one to ten, especially when brainstorming. The first five or six ideas may come easily. It’s those last four that can get you. But once again, the brain will work to complete those thoughts. When you do get to ten, add another bullet. If you’re building a bubble chart, add another line.
This is one of the reasons why the best thinkers are the best thinkers. They make a habit of always adding another bullet.