Listful Thinking

I have a confession to make. I was a latecomer to the digital world, and I thought apps were stupid. There, I said it. I had a tiny flip phone for way too long and just couldn’t wrap my mind around the necessity of an app for anything. And I certainly couldn’t figure out why it was such a big deal that I had to tap thirteen times to type out the five-letter word “hello” on my trusty “not-smart” phone. Frankly, I was turned off by the iPhone and thought my little flip did everything I needed it to—ring and connect me with whomever I wanted to talk with. I also had my paper and pencil for all my list-making needs, thank you very much.

But after much nudging from my husband, I finally made the switch to an iPhone, and I will say it: I was totally wrong on this one. I do not know how I lived life without it. It’s beyond amazing for keeping track of everything in my life and helping me do more in less time. So if you’re a holdout like I was, please give it a shot, a real shot, and I promise you will see the value in all things digital as well.

I still make my handwritten lists, but digital lists and apps are a much needed complement to being more productive. Turns out I’m not alone on that front. A study conducted by Forrester Research for Livescribe, the makers of digital smart pens, found that professionals use laptops and tablets for their work needs, but 87 percent of them use handwritten notes too.

There are pros and cons, of course, to moving your list making to the latest technology. Here are a few of them:

✓ You can sync. Most of the apps that you’ll use will sync over multiple platforms so that you can access your list anywhere at anytime. This means if you write a list on your desktop on a website it will also be on your smart phone when you leave work and head to the grocery store.

✓ You won’t lose notes. One of the top complaints about writing lists on paper is that people lose them. Not anymore! When you use technology, your lists will be stored for the long haul.

✓ You’ll revisit your lists. Often when you’re writing out your bucket list or your packing list, you’ll lose track of which notebook you put it in. But if you have digital lists, you are much more likely to find them easily, check them out again, and actually use them.

✓ Searching will be easy. No matter when or where you wrote that list, you’ll be able to find it. There will be a digital record that you can pull up anytime.

✓ You’ll enjoy some great conversation. People love talking about apps. They love to share them, they love to Google them, they love to show them off. You’ll be in the know if you have a few good ones to chat about too.

✓ Handwriting boosts brainpower. You may not get the same mental bang for your buck as you would if you were to handwrite your list. Studies show that writing by hand helps with idea expression and improves fine motor-skill development. It’s even been shown to keep aging baby boomers’ brains sharp.

✓ Technology can be overwhelming. I get it, because I thought the exact same thing. Why would I download an app when I can just write down the note I need?

✓ Creativity can get squashed. If you like to draw pictures, diagrams, or tables when you take notes or make lists, it may be a bit more difficult to do digitally.

✓ You need to do your homework. Not every app will do what you need it to do, and not every app I love will work for you. The secret is to try it out and find which apps best serve you. This can be time-consuming and sometimes frustrating, but when you find the right app, it’s life changing.

Now that I’ve laid out the pros and cons, I have to tell you that all of the cons can be overcome. You don’t have to give up your pens and paper just yet. There are ways to use digital and traditional list-making methods together, and there are wonderful benefits to be had going digital. When I chatted with technology expert Carley Knobloch, she told me that using technology has been a game changer for her as a mom. “Now I have a place where I can capture fleeting thoughts that are going to absolutely leave my brain if I don’t shortly capture them. There is just too much happening, too much going on,” she said.

For those of you who think you’ve found the perfect to-do list app with the Notes app on your iPhone, I urge you to use some of the following suggestions. There is life outside of that Notes app! The secret is to use many of them and to find the one that will do exactly what you need it to do to make your life easier. Some will remind you of tasks, others will make it easy to share with friends, and still others will ride you until you check off items. Find one that works for you.

Evernote. If there is only one app you download in your lifetime, make it Evernote. As I mentioned in Chapter 4, Evernote can be used when working with other people because it makes collaboration a snap. But it’s also a wonderful tool when you’re handling everything yourself. It’s incredibly versatile, whether you use it to help manage your expenses at work or to plan the perfect birthday party for your kids.

In addition to downloading the app, you can log onto their website, Evernote.com, and access all your notes on a desktop, laptop, or tablet just about anywhere. Evernote is a cloud-based system where you can keep just about anything you want: notes, photos, website clippings, and even audio files. A friend who is also obsessed with it once called it an “extension of her mind.” I think that’s pretty accurate. Anything you want to keep track of but might forget should go into Evernote. And you can create multiple notebooks to keep all your ideas organized.

Outlines and Ideas. Ideas for blog posts, stories to cover for work, writing projects, etc.—these pop into my head at the weirdest times. But now I can open Evernote on my iPhone anytime and jot down whatever I’m thinking about and follow up later. I also make outlines for scripts and blog posts when I’m commuting so that when I get to a computer I can be more efficient.

Web Clippings. Evernote has this cool bookmark feature for your browser; when you click on it, it saves the page you’re looking at. So if you want to save a recipe, an article, or a gift idea, just click on the little elephant icon, and it’ll do all the work for you.

Vacation Prep and Research. Whenever I plan a vacation, I do it in Evernote. It’s an organized system that keeps all my documents together. You can send an e-mail to your personalized Evernote account, and your documents, travel information, and itinerary will automatically be saved. Then you can put them all together in a notebook for easy access while you travel. These notes can be downloaded right to your phone, so you won’t need to worry about having Wi-Fi to access them.

I also compare vacation spots, resorts, and more using a note in Evernote, and I keep these so I can always refer back to them. For example, every November my husband and I try to go away someplace warm. I do lots of research on multiple locations every year. My comments and the pros and cons on each resort are saved in Evernote so that the next time we’re planning a trip I don’t have to start from scratch.

Record Interviews. If you need to record a conversation or a speech, you can do it right into Evernote. There is an option to record audio, and it comes in handy more than you think it might. If you’re at a conference, you can take notes or just record it. I’ve captured audio from interviews I’ve conducted over Skype using this feature too. You can also drag preexisting MP3 files into a note and store them that way.

Passwords. You can keep all your passwords in a note so you’ll never forget them again. You can even put a password on this note in case you want added protection.

Note-taking. Whenever I go to a conference, I take all my notes during sessions using Evernote. I’m able to take photos of the presenters, record the audio of their speeches, and type out notes too. I even use it to make a list of important contacts I make and how I need to follow up with them when the conference is over. Evernote makes this much more manageable for me.

List Keeping. I’ve been known to keep a few to-do lists and restaurant lists in Evernote. But for the most part I use other apps for these specific tasks.

Holiday Shopping. This is probably one of the most consistent uses I have for Evernote. Each year I make a list (in August) of all the people I need to buy holiday gifts for. Then I write in some ideas I already have and add to that list later when something occurs to me, wherever I am. Evernote makes it easy to keep track of everyone on my list and to check people off when I’m finished with them. I also use the web-clipping tool to save gift ideas throughout the year. When I’m stumped on what to get, I just refer to my notebook in Evernote and find inspiration.

Having Trouble Making Evernote Work for You?

People tell me all the time that they’ve downloaded Evernote but could “never get into it.” I get that. Evernote does require a little bit of a commitment at first before it can be really useful. Here is my list of tips and tricks to help make Evernote one of the best things that’s ever happened to you.

1. Use it often. The more you use it, the more useful Evernote becomes. Believe me. Notes in Evernote last forever, unlike that Post-it® stuck to your cell phone. When you can go back through weeks of to-do lists and breathe easy because you didn’t miss a single thing, you’ll know what I mean.

2. Download the Web Clipper. It will become second nature to clip all the things you want to save. Anything you can think of will be easy to stow away, like an article you want to read later, a job you want to apply to, or an idea for a Christmas gift for your mother. It works on any website you visit, and there’s even a handy way to write yourself notes and tag them so you can easily find them when you need them.

3. Sharing is caring. The ways you can use Evernote to collaborate are endless. If you’re planning a wedding far from your bridesmaids, start a folder to keep ideas. Then each of you can add to it and comment on the things you like and don’t like. The Web Clipper makes it super simple. Try this when planning events, vacations, collaborating on blog posts, and so much more.

4. Use the e-mail feature. Every Evernote account comes with a personalized e-mail address. Use it. It is a great time saver. When you get a confirmation that you want to keep track of, such as the receipt of a gift you’ve purchased, send it to your Evernote e-mail. It will automatically be placed in your notebook, making it easy to access whenever you need it.

I also use this feature when making charitable donations or paying professional organization fees. When the e-mail confirmations come, I forward them to my personalized Evernote e-mail account and save them as the tax write-offs they are for that year. Everything is nice and neat and in one spot. I could go on and on and continue this list forever because there are so many ways to use Evernote. And the truth is I’m finding new uses all the time. But my best advice to you is to just start using it. The more you use it, the more you’ll think of it as a second brain, and the more useful it will become.

Clear—Tasks, Reminders and To-Do Lists. Clear is by far one of the most beautifully designed apps you will ever use. It’s very clever and user friendly. It will make you want to add things to your to-do lists.

2. Easy and fun to use—swipe to delete or complete, drag to reorder tasks, etc.

6. Great place to keep track of lists of things, such as lists of restaurants to try, books to read, or tasks to do on a specific day

I use this app to keep track of blog post ideas, long-term goals, and quick shopping lists. It’s definitely worth a look. A common complaint, however, is that it’s a bit too flashy.

Carrot To-Do. I don’t usually respond well to bullies, but for some reason I like the pushy ways of this app. The idea is that this to-do list with a personality will help you get all your tasks checked off. And when I say “personality,” I mean “attitude.” Carrot’s mood changes depending on how productive you are. It’s pretty funny actually. As you finish a task, you earn points and unlock new features and rewards.

1. The fun game-type format makes you want to complete tasks to find out what Carrot has in store next.

1. Not a very forgiving app if you make a mistake at first. As you work your way through the levels, however, you are able to edit, undo, and change tasks.

2. I could see people getting tired of Carrot’s shtick and not using it after the novelty wears off.

I think this could be a fun way to get more done for a lot of people. It’s definitely worth a try.

Wunderlist. This is a great app for organizing your to-dos or lists. I use it when I’m making a quick trip to the grocery store or the drug store. It’s easy to get distracted by the shiny things you encounter at the store, but this app will keep you on track. I like it for short lists. It’s pretty simplistic—but anything is better than the Notes app on the iPhone!

Any.DO. I like this one because it is also a calendar, so you can easily set deadlines and invite people to help you check off some of your to-dos. The other nice feature is that you can write notes inside your to-dos. So if you have an item like “make dinner,” you can add notes with ingredients right inside that item. Carley Knobloch points out that it will help you identify free time and suggest things on your list that you can do with that time. Talk about managing your day!

Todoist. Priority is the name of the game with this app. You can prioritize each to-do, file them in different projects, and make subtasks if needed. I like this one because it has a lot of flexibility. It’s not simplistic, like some of the others, but it’s also not complicated. There are also many plugins for Gmail, Outlook, and several browsers and computer systems to help you integrate your task mastering. Use the features that work best for you and ignore the others. It’s ideal for the novice as well as the seasoned list maker.

I told you all about catalog lists in Chapter 2. These are the lists we keep of things, not tasks. Sometimes having a specific app for each of the things (books, restaurants, birthdays, etc.) you want to remember is the way to go because then you know exactly where to find those lists.

Goodreads. Are you always looking for book recommendations? I love Goodreads because you can link up with friends who like the same kinds of books you like and get their recommendations easily. I also like it because it’s where I keep all the books I want to read. People tell me about great books all the time, but if I don’t write them down, I’ll never remember them. Instead of writing them down on a piece of paper that I might lose or file somewhere on another app, I save books in Goodreads because it’s only for managing book lists.

Birthdays. There are several apps that help you manage all the birthdays, anniversaries, and special days you need to remember. I use a very simple one called Birthdays, which links with Facebook and imports all the birthdays and photos of my friends and family. Using an app like this is a good practice because this is the only information you’ll be keeping there so you’ll never forget where to find it.

Matchbook. Matchbook allows you to enter the name of any restaurant or store you want to remember. In the old days you used to take an actual matchbook to write down and remember your favorite spot; now you save it to the Matchbook app. You can also add tags to remember certain things about a place— like if it’s got a great brunch, is loud, or is super trendy. If you’re stumped for a spot to meet friends after work, you can search via neighborhood and tags.

Matchbook works all over the world and organizes your bookmarks by area, which makes it easy to find a place quickly. There’s also a map so you can see your bookmarks laid out in front of you and see what’s closest to you. You can share places with friends, but you don’t have to “friend” anyone through the app. Matchbook will help you with lots and lots of list making.

Dashlane. This is an app dedicated to saving all your passwords. It’s much more secure than writing your passwords on a sticky note or storing them on your computer. Plus it will help you come up with more powerful passwords based on the ones you use everyday. Think about all the times you’ve been locked out of your accounts because you forgot your password. This app is a must-have for anyone managing multiple accounts—and who isn’t these days?

Most of us want to put our head in the sand when it comes to managing our finances. But ignoring your bills won’t make them go away. So my advice is to be out in the open with all of it, and get the right tools to help you deal.

Mint. This is a great way to stay on top of your finances without doing much work at all. All you have to do is link your bank accounts, any investments, and any loan information, and Mint keeps track of everything for you. It will keep those accounts up to date and allow you to see them all at once with just one password. It will even categorize all your expenses to show you where you’re spending the most money and give you suggestions for ways to save. It’s a wonderful way to be reminded when a payment is due and to check your accounts at a glance. It’s much easier than signing into multiple accounts. The website and app sync, so you can check out your accounts anywhere.

Expensify. This is a wonderful app for keeping track of all your expenses for work and submitting them right to your boss. When you purchase something, whether using a credit card or cash, you import that information into the app. You can even take photos of the receipts and attach them to the expense report. It makes this tedious task—dare I say it—fun!

OneReceipt. You will never save another receipt again with this app. You can snap a photo of all your receipts and keep track of purchases. It allows you to make different categories for work, home, health, travel, and so on so you can monitor spending. It will even keep track of your e-receipts and allow you to link up your e-mail account so you don’t even have to remember to add information.

I’ve always been a shopper and pride myself on sniffing out a good deal. However, now there are tools and tricks to help us do this better. From remembering where you left your grocery list to making sure all your coupons are in one place, there’s definitely an easier way to do it. Apps are your answer.

ZipList. This app makes food prep easier, one list at a time. ZipList’s app and website let you browse recipes and quickly add all the ingredients to your shopping list. It makes listing everything you need at the grocery store a snap. You can also import your own lists and save recipes from other websites as well as your own family favorites. Plus you’ll never experience the frustration of forgetting your grocery list at home again!

CardStar. Keychains are for keys, and CardStar is for your loyalty cards. This is a great way to keep all your loyalty and discount cards in one easy-to-find place. Just scan each one and then pull it off your keychain forever. The app will even let you know when a particular store is having a sale or has a coupon available.

Slice. This is one of my favorites around the holidays because I do so much online shopping. Slice syncs with your e-mail account so that whenever you get a confirmation on a purchase, the app will track the delivery for you. You’ll get friendly little reminders when the package is out for delivery and when it makes it to your door. Not having to remember which order is coming on which day is a huge time saver. As if that weren’t enough, Slice also alerts you when the price of something you just bought drops, and it will help you get money back when that’s possible. Finally, Slice will also alert you when the Consumer Product Safety Commission has recalled a product.

For a short time I had a party-planning business with a friend of mine. I guess it stemmed from my love of organizing things and my enthusiasm for putting together perfect events. I get that not everyone loves the task of planning outings, vacations, and parties. So, why not embrace technology to give you a helping hand? I use Evernote for a lot of my planning as I mentioned earlier, but there are other great tools as well.

TripIt. Put all of your travel plans in one place with this app. Your account is linked to your e-mail so that when you get confirmation for upcoming travel, it’s added right into TripIt for you. So, your flight information, car service confirmations, hotel bookings, and more are all in one place. The app will even give you directions to get from one stop to another, which I love because then I know exactly how long it should take to get from the airport to the hotel.

There’s also a website where you can manually enter information. You can forward messages right to your personalized TripIt e-mail and import anything else you’d like to add, such as tour information or that pasta-making class you signed up for. If you upgrade to their premium service, TripIt will notify you if your flight has changed and what gate you’ll be leaving from. It’s a time saver and a headache reducer in every way.

Pro Party Planner. Planning a party can be a huge undertaking. If the thought of organizing a bar mitzvah, sweet sixteen, or wedding makes you cringe, then this is the app for you. You can create a timeline linked to the tasks you need to accomplish with their deadlines. A budget feature will keep you informed of how much you’ve already spent and how much money you still have for your party. The task management tool allows you to outsource each task and check in with the people helping you via e-mail, text, or even FaceTime. There’s even a seating arrangement tool.

Keeping up with your family can be a job in itself. Appointments, events, classes, your kid’s sports commitments and dance classes—these all fill up your life, but they can be tough to organize in one place.

Hatchedit. This is an app and website that handles your family’s calendar. You can share it with several people, such as your significant other, baby sitter, or dog walker. The site will help you keep track of upcoming events, invitations, daily to-dos, favorite blogs, and groups you’re a part of. So whether you want to plan an event with your book club or your child’s soccer team, all the information can be stored and shared. When you sign up, you get your own dashboard, which you can easily make a part of your everyday routine. If you’re drowning in paper calendars or want to ditch your dry erase board, this is a great way to organize your life.

Cozi. One-stop shopping will organize everyone in your home. Cozi allows you to share lists of tasks or items to get at different stores with family members. It will also sync with your calendar so that you can keep track of where everyone needs to be. Each family member gets a color. There’s even a journal where you can share photos and thoughts with your “inner circle.” Another nice feature is that you can share this journal with people who aren’t on Cozi by sending them an email or setting up a monthly newsletter of updates. It’s a cute way to keep your family members in the know.

As I mentioned in the last chapter, I’m all about outsourcing the tasks I don’t need to do so I can focus my attention elsewhere—not unlike Tom Sawyer and his painting project. There are some pretty great apps and services out there that will handle the to-dos that you’d rather not.

Path Talk (formerly TalkTo). Never waste time again on the phone with a customer service rep, searching for a shoe at a store, or changing an appointment. Path Talk is an app that lets you text any business in the United States and ask them a question. It conveniently helps you reserve a table, find out if an item is in stock, find out what a store’s hours are, compare prices, and so much more. My requests were responded to in as fast as five minutes. My favorite part is that you can put in a request and then forget about it. Even if the question comes to you in the middle of the night, you can just send it to Path Talk, and once the store or restaurant opens, it will be addressed.

Fancy Hands. I’ve been a big fan of FancyHands.com since they first launched. It’s like having a personal assistant at your fingertips. For a price, you are given a certain number of tasks per month that you can delegate—things like researching the best restaurants in Rome, booking a car service to the airport, locating a guitar teacher in New York City, and just about any task that can be done using a phone and a computer. They won’t pick up your laundry, but they’ll find the best service that will help you get it done.

TaskRabbit. Another of my favorite services. This app and website links you up with people in your community who will go grocery shopping for you, deliver a birthday gift to your mother, or even assemble your furniture. TaskRabbits will bid on your task, and you can check out reviews on their previous projects. I’ve used it to log phone interviews, set up an inventory of blog posts, and deliver a gift.

Asana. I began using Asana with my interns for my blog. It’s a web and mobile service, designed by Facebook employees to improve the company’s productivity. We like it because it has allowed us to send fewer e-mails, and it never lets us busy ladies forget anything! You can work on multiple projects at once with the same team and create specific tasks within each project. You can easily assign different tasks to different team members. The mobile application features notifications that let you know when it’s time to complete a task. You can use it at home too—say goodbye to chore charts forever! It allows you to see what everyone is working on without nagging! The service is free for teams with fifteen or fewer members.

As a huge fan of bucket lists, vision boards, and gratitude, I believe you can’t set anything positive into motion without envisioning it first. And yes, there are digital solutions to help you live a more positive life too.

MyLifeList.org. Sharing your dreams and goals is simple with this site. Simply write out all the things you’ve wanted to do and then answer a few questions to help you achieve that goal. This online community shares your goals with others who can talk about their own experiences or who share the same dream. Imagine linking up with someone who also wants to travel to India to practice yoga. It’s a great motivational site, inspiring you to achieve your goals.

DreamItAlive.com. If you’ve ever made a paper vision board, you know there’s a bit of assembly required. But a virtual one is pretty simple. This website allows you to scroll through hundreds of pictures for inspiration and then attach photos of your goal. I never realized how much I wanted to make homemade pasta until I saw how happy it made someone else. The site features a community where you can share support with others. It’s a great source of motivation! You can even help fund someone else’s goal or ask for help with your own.

Pinterest.com. I could get lost for hours on this site. If you haven’t already gotten hooked I suggest giving it a try. Type in anything that interests you, maybe visiting China, and the inspiration will surround you. Make your own boards with your aspirations and refer back to them often.

Gratitude Journal at HappyTapper.com. What a wonderful way to end your day, with a gratitude list. At first it can be a bit of a task, but once you get the hang of it, this will be extremely therapeutic. Think of all the things that you are thankful for—big and small. I’m talking about things like a quiet office, make-up sex, bagels, free lunch, intelligent conversation, or walking in the park. Anything and everything that makes you smile should go into this journal. And studies show it will make you happier to be more grateful.

If you’re still on the fence about going digital, here are a few solutions to satisfy both your need to handwrite your lists and your curiosity about going digital:

Livescribe. This company makes a lot of different pens that come equipped with a camera. So you write your notes and lists as you normally would, but it’s all captured digitally too. The catch is that you need to use their special paper to write your notes. This can be a bit annoying, but the technology is super cool and worth a try. The notes sync up with an app that goes with the pen, and you can export those notes to Evernote.

Boogie Board. These tablets are perfect for list makers of all ages. They also sync with Evernote and social media platforms so that you can share your work. Think about all the doodles, lists, and charts you could write and keep track of. If you are notorious for losing your notes, this e-writer is a good solution for you. It’s an ecofriendly way of taking your written notes and turning them into something digital to use.

I do hope these solutions have inspired you to get digital. Two words of caution, though: go slowly. You don’t want to blow out your technology tendons too quickly. Carley Knobloch says, “A one thing at a time approach that helps you gain confidence and build habit as opposed to trying to get everything synced and everything done and changing your whole life and all your systems just doesn’t work. People fail that way, and then you’re taking steps backwards in confidence.”

1. Just start listing. It’s always hardest to get started. I like to tell people to make a bucket list first. You know yourself better than anyone, so write down all the things you’d love to do if money, time, and responsibilities were no object.

2. Figure out what works for you. It’s not always easy at first, but believe me, it’s worth it. Try different notebooks, apps, pencils, pens, etc. One system will work for you.

6. Drop me a line if you have any questions, dilemmas, or just to say hello: paula@listproducer.com.