As is probably obvious from this blog, I am a big fan of lists! So when a friend mentioned this book on twitter about a year ago, I bought it and promptly forgot all about it. /o\ But I'm glad this challenge got me to read it finally!
This book is a bit scattershot, for me. I didn't know before reading it if it was going to be an examination of why people like making lists, or an organizational self-help book on how to write better lists and Live Your Best Life, and the answer is that it's both and neither at the same time. The analysis of why people make lists was fairly shallow, and while I found some of the list making tips helpful, most of them seemed pretty self-evident to me. And as always with list writing advice for the office, it would be nice to be able to only focus on my pre-determined to-do list for a day, but in practice it's never possible (at least not for me). So I spent a bit of time rolling my eyes at that sort of advice.
Having said that, one kind of list that the book did delve into more deeply is the checklist, the sort that surgeons use before each surgery to make sure they have everything ready and pilots use before takeoff. I like the idea of applying those kinds of checklists to recurring work projects I have, because I definitely spend more time than I need to reinventing the wheel whenever I start a new project. As much as I'd love for writing out lists to be something that magically controls the entire world and prevents any outside forces from affecting my ability to cross off everything, I know that's not realistic. But creating lists that free up mental space and make it easier to handle unanticipated additions to my day seems like the best of both worlds, a way to be both productive and flexible when I need to change course. Ideally I'd like my list writing habit to help me keep my life in order so that when I want to be spontaneous everything doesn't fall apart as a result.
The book also made me want to take another look at Evernote, an app I've had forever but haven't used frequently enough to really appreciate, I think. The book suggested a bunch of other apps as well, but nothing that jumped out at me.
Overall, I think this was a book that didn't quite know what it wanted to do, and while there were a couple of good observations and suggestions, I don't know if this is a book that will either fully satisfy the dedicated list maker or make a believer out of a novice.
Grade: C
This book is a bit scattershot, for me. I didn't know before reading it if it was going to be an examination of why people like making lists, or an organizational self-help book on how to write better lists and Live Your Best Life, and the answer is that it's both and neither at the same time. The analysis of why people make lists was fairly shallow, and while I found some of the list making tips helpful, most of them seemed pretty self-evident to me. And as always with list writing advice for the office, it would be nice to be able to only focus on my pre-determined to-do list for a day, but in practice it's never possible (at least not for me). So I spent a bit of time rolling my eyes at that sort of advice.
Having said that, one kind of list that the book did delve into more deeply is the checklist, the sort that surgeons use before each surgery to make sure they have everything ready and pilots use before takeoff. I like the idea of applying those kinds of checklists to recurring work projects I have, because I definitely spend more time than I need to reinventing the wheel whenever I start a new project. As much as I'd love for writing out lists to be something that magically controls the entire world and prevents any outside forces from affecting my ability to cross off everything, I know that's not realistic. But creating lists that free up mental space and make it easier to handle unanticipated additions to my day seems like the best of both worlds, a way to be both productive and flexible when I need to change course. Ideally I'd like my list writing habit to help me keep my life in order so that when I want to be spontaneous everything doesn't fall apart as a result.
The book also made me want to take another look at Evernote, an app I've had forever but haven't used frequently enough to really appreciate, I think. The book suggested a bunch of other apps as well, but nothing that jumped out at me.
Overall, I think this was a book that didn't quite know what it wanted to do, and while there were a couple of good observations and suggestions, I don't know if this is a book that will either fully satisfy the dedicated list maker or make a believer out of a novice.
Grade: C
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