Listing is one of the essential practices of the 2Time Management system, especially for users above the Novice or White Belt level.
The premise is simple: it is easier and more manageable to add an item to a list than it is to add the individual item to a schedule in the calendar. For example, a savvy user would schedule the following item in their calendar:
2 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. Monday, August 10th. Pay bills in bill list
At the appropriate time, they would consult their list of bills to pay which might look like the following:
- Light
- Water
- Cable
- Phone
- Visa
This is a much more convenient way to manage a set of similar items than to do the following:
2:00 p.m. – 2:10 p.m. Monday, August 10th. Pay light bill
2:10 p.m. – 2:20 p.m. Monday, August 10th. Pay water bill and so on.
Lists are created for one of two purposes. Some have a psychological function, while others have a more practical function.
- Psychological Lists
These include lists that are made for the purpose of preventing stress or some form of distraction. Examples include:- Some Day List – a wish-list of possible time demands that come to mind from time to time
- Waiting For List – time demands that are awaiting the arrival of key information before making a decision on whether or not to
proceed - Thinking About List – time demands that being worked on by the subconscious with no strict due date
- Practical Lists
There are an infinite number of ways to group and categorize Time Demands into lists, and here are some popular examples:- Meeting Agendas
- Meeting Lists
- Lists of Projects
- Project Actions
- List of Personal Goals
- Home List
- Call List
- List of Bills
- Grocery List
One thing to keep in mind when making lists if that they should clearly state the Time Demand by writing in the verb or action to be performed.
More complex activities can be grouped into Projects, and given a Project Outcome, which is merely a statement describing the final end-point of the project.
The Danger of Lists
The danger of lists is that they can rapidly get out of hand, and become unmanageable. During Reviews, they need to be carefully examined to ensure that they grow to be too long.