Master Your Life: 45 Essential Lists to Organize Every Aspect of Your Day

Time-Based Lists/Routines and Habit Lists

1. Daily list

2. Weekly list

3. Monthly list

4. Yearly list

5. Morning, afternoon, night routine list

6. Route to work list - This is one of those lists that is completely random, but if you discover a route outside of your normal drive to or from work that you found saves time or you pleasantly enjoyed, write it down and reference it for the future.

Holiday list (movies, events, decorating, etc.) - If you're like me, then there are certain things that I like to participate in during the holidays. Otherwise, it just doesn't feel like the holiday. To ensure that I make that happen, I have a list of movies for certain holidays, foods for certain holidays, and seasonal activities that are only available during certain holidays 

Goals and Personal Development Lists

1. Goals list

2. Personal development list

3. Gratitude list

Entertainment and Leisure Lists

1. List of places to try eating at

2. List of books to read

3. List of movies to watch

4. Workout song playlist

5. Date night ideas

6. Vacation list

7. Favorite quotes

8. Favorite blogs

9. List of hobbies (tried and not tried)

Health and Wellness Lists

1. Self-care list - This is one of those lists that is unique to you. I recommend first Googling a list of self-care suggestions and as you test these out, keep a running list of which ones felt like you were rejuvenated and felt better afterward. That way, when you feel like you're being run down, you have a go-to list of things that you know make you feel better.

2. List of medications

3. Workout list

4. Stress lists - Okay, so these next three all sound the same, but each has its own specific purpose to be here.

   • Stressbusters list - Use this to help pre-plan and prevent stress from coming up. If you can't or didn't before you felt stressed, that's okay. Write it down for future reference and come up with a game plan.

   • "Overwhelm" list - This is for when you're in the midst of work and feeling like you don’t have any control over your day or your emotions. Just start writing down a list of the things and feelings you are experiencing. This will give you control over at least one thing because, after all, this is YOUR list.

   • Brain dump list - Sometimes you're not stressed but just hyper-engaged in a lot of things and need a brain reset. Offering a braindump to offload what you're currently thinking will often help provide that simple reset you need.

Home and Personal Management Lists

1. List of bills

2. Meal planning list

3. Recipes list

4. List of fridge/freezer cleaning and bathroom inventory

5. Grocery shopping list

6. Home cleaning list

7. Future home project ideas list

8. Car maintenance list

9. List of stores with clothes that fit - Because we all know not all stores fit the same, so why waste time?

10. Bug Out list - I could have made a separate category just for this list by itself, but it wasn't necessary. Since this is about emergency preparedness and where you would keep it, either in your car or home, making this category the perfect spot.

Professional and Work-Related Lists

1. List of your strengths

2. "On Hold" list - Almost as it sounds, on hold is something that is preventing you from completing a task or project, typically due to a third-party person or company.

3. Acronym list - This is what I call my definitions list. Every company I’ve worked for has its own version of acronyms, so I started making lists of them along with what they meant. It turns out it is very useful for future use when training new employees.

4. Resource list (websites, links) - Same thing with the acronym list. Companies often provide training and go so fast that it's hard to remember everything. So, when websites or links are shared with me, I save them under resources because there's going to come a time when we will need that resource.

5. Usernames and passwords list

6. List of inventory items & vendors to buy from

Relationship and Social Lists

1. List of birthdays, anniversaries, and present ideas

2. "I Owe You One" list - This is a unique list that I think most people forget about, but when you make promises or commitments to others, such as “let's get coffee” or “sure,” write that down and make it a commitment.

3. Upcoming events list - As straightforward as this one is, I always take it a step further. For example, I like to go to the state fair each year, so I make sure to have the dates of the fair, Country Thunder, and any other major festival-type events that come up.

4. List of spouse/significant other's favorite things