Sometimes I can feel the neurons jumping from one side of my brain to the other … a task will remind me of something else I have to do, which triggers another internal reminder, and another … like pushing over a line of people in a bank queue, or a bunch of phone boxes. Only maybe not quite so fun, and a little more frazzling!

Phone Boxes Triggering Reminders - Keep your mental phoneboxes in order!

I have a great memory, and it is rare that I forget to do something – but I also find the hours melting away from my workday quite often because of this internal reminder system that I have going. Research has revealed that it can take anywhere from 8 to 20 minutes for you to regain proper focus for your task after an interruption … and internal interruptions are just as insidious as annoying colleagues! Perhaps even more so, as you can’t lock them out and pretend you’ve gone to lunch. So what’s the solution? Make a list!

Lists are one of those love or hate items, and almost all people who hate them don’t know how to use them properly. If you feel that lists take up more time than they save, we have a list of lists of lists (ha ha! Made you look ), that will actually SAVE you time, as well as mental space. Check them out after the jump.

David Allen is a GTD (getting things done) coach, and these lists are some of his personal favorites. They are a tried and tested balance between spending time creating and maintaining them, and saving time by both having more headspace and averting various listless crises. Without further ado:

Lists Should be Useful!

Important number list: Not every service for which you need a password has a simple email retrieval service. You could be without a credit card for up to a week if you have to get your PIN re-issued, and Paypal makes you jump through similar hoops. Keep your list of PINs, account numbers, etc. in a safe and secure place.

Less secure personal numbers: These include your drivers license, insurance policy, and social security numbers. Having them all handy will save you hours rooting around your filing.

Birthdays: Create this list in Outlook or a calendar service like Google Calendar, and you can set up reminders for these, and stop thinking about them otherwise.

Borrowed items: A list of things of yours, that other people have.

Checklists: These save you time when you’re planning for something. For example, you might make a checklist for overnight travel, of things that the kids need packed for school, or any other regular activity.
For example – ‘Going To The Pub Checklist’: Cheesy aftershave, check. Best Pick-up Lines of the 1980s book, check. Hair gel, check. And so on!

Ideas: You can make various idea lists – work ideas, home ideas, friendship-related ideas, and other miscellany. Write it down, to save hours of rooting around in those neural pathways!

Purchase possibilities: Things that you might like for your birthday or Christmas, or stuff you might buy for yourself, just because. How many times have you answered “Oh gosh, I really don’t know … just anything”, when your Mom asked you what you wanted for CHrissy … and then smacked yourself in the head afterwards?!

Activity possibilities: This list might have places that you want to visit, or websites that you need to check out more fully, etc.

Quotes: Don’t keep them on your Facebook page anymore … the sneaky so-and-so’s are trying to keep all of your personal information, in perpetuity. Make a list, stick it in a drawer, and refer for instant inspiration.

Shortcut lists: This will probably be several lists – you might have hotkey lists for various programs or applications, or how-to with new technology lists. Looking up the manual every time you need to program your new VCR takes valuable time away from flopping on the couch!

Product and model numbers for purchases: If you have to get out your owner’s manual every time a car-parts salesperson asks you what type of engine you have, or if you make two trips to the store to buy vacuum cleaner bags EVERY DARNED TIME because you forgot the model, keep a list!

Gifts: If you spend ages researching what to get somebody for their birthday – even though you had a dozen cool ideas for it in the previous nine months, this is another great time-saving tip.