People are always looking for smarter ways to work, especially when business challenges force them to rethink and reassess. It’s easy to lose perspective in a typical workday under the pressure of so many things to do. People lose confidence and waste time waffling over what they are doing and what they are not doing. The worst part? It shows. Getting wrapped up in a project, people often fail to see that they are taking the wrong approach.

If I told you that having an integrate system of lists that you review once a week would save you a lot of grief, would you believe me?

One set of lists covers the details of your life and the other set describes the blueprint for future outcomes and achievements. Grounded in your own thinking, you would exude confidence and, in a business crisis, lend an unflappable voice for solutions.

You want two sets of lists: one to track your best thinking about actions and one to guide your actions. Creating these lists engages your intellect in distinct ways, which I call thinking about doing and doing.

The Mountain Top and The River

In practice, it helps to have a visual. In your mind, stand atop a mountain, high above the tumult of a typical workday. The quiet mountain top and wide views help to broaden your thinking. Create the first list, include everything you want to have, do and create.

Once you have a list that reflects your current desires, take advantage of this elevation to rethink and reassess your projects.

Scan the horizon looking for what you want to do and by when. As you examine a project, problem, or topic; capture the results or outcomes in a list.

• A trip coming up? (Plan itinerary for Berlin trip.)
• Need clarification on deadlines and other issues? (Clarify project parameters with client.)
• Need to look into changing platforms for your website? (Research web platforms.)

Creative list-making requires looking into the future with the intention to shape events and outcomes. This is the enjoyable part. It also makes it easy to check things off as done. As long as your thinking is unfettered and free-ranging, trust that you will cover the project with the appropriate amount of detail. Three bullet points on a cocktail napkin may suffice. Other projects require days of planning with your entire workgroup churning out pages of outlined steps and charts.

Coming down from the mountain top, you may have 20 to 50 projects, which is typical for business owners and executives. Shift your thinking from brainstorming and reflecting to dynamic, in-the-action thinking.

Working is like paddling toward a pre-defined destination with numerous course corrections. While the river flows constantly under you, you want a list that makes you feel positive and dynamic. Your action lists guide you from one milestone to the next.

But these lists have to reflect the inherent complexities of life in a river with occasional class-five rapids. During any 24-hour period, think of how you assess and reassess the dozens of things that engage your time, energy and resources.

A dynamic mind is flexible and can recalibrate what actions to do in light of the multiple things going at once. Until you arrive at your destination, anticipate changes, additions, modifications in your course. The action lists reflect that reality and continue to change until you arrive at the desired outcome (or destination to continue the river metaphor) and the project is completed.

My calendar application used to serve as my action list but I wasted time inputting all the changes and course corrections. Now I keep simple lists in a database. Technology has done little to change the simple list, but I’m very glad my lists are available anywhere, any time. I can sync my Filemaker Pro database to my iPhone, iPad, MacBook and MacPro.

This is important because I go to a different coffeehouse to review my lists. The change of venue helps me disengage from the speedy part of my mind and open up to mountain-top thinking.

Having an integrated system of lists that I review each week, I am more proactive in my professional and personal life.

What motivates you to review your lists?  What do you do to bring a fresh perspective to your creative thinking?