The big book of lists

I have told y’all about my notebooks before, but I recently adopted an idea from Juleyka Lantigua-Williams, a dear friend and Cohort sister (We attended #50WomenCan together).

It’s the big book of lists.

Juleyka has a single notebook, that is full of notes, but mostly lists. Lists of things to do and read and ideas, etc.

I already do a version of the Strikethru method, an offshoot of Bullet Journaling. I added a big book of lists because I wanted to see if it would help with my “idea anxiety.” It’s the anxiety I give myself about all the ideas I have and my inability to start or complete most of them.

My current big book has the following lists:

• a list of water plants I want to buy
• random life lessons (ie Marines should never be called soldiers)
• A powermap of people within my company
• Random big ideas for work
• Books to read
• Words to add to my bio whenever I get around to rewriting it
• Newsletter ideas

The simple act of writing a big idea down, and then knowing it’s there, and OK to file away. I don’t need to get it done now, because I won’t lose it and it’s always there. Anxiety solved. Sort of.

Recommendations

I read a lot of newsletters.

Stoop Inbox is the best app I’ve come across to manage this problem. It’s an iPhone app, but also looks like it’s in the works to be a desktop/web version very soon.

Its also great for not clogging up your inbox with marketing emails. I used to use Unroll.me for this, until it got kinda weird. Stoop gives you a new email address and lets you easily subscribe to new newsletters. The interface is pretty great. You can also save links and issues right within the app.

Reading // Eating // Playing // Watching

Reading //
The Overstory by Richard Powers // How not to manage someone with ADHD, though it applies to pretty much anyone with chronic illness (Medium) // What is a good or a bad habit and how do you identify them? (James Clear) // How journalists imagine readers (CJR)

Wearing //
I am renting my clothes. This is kind of weird, but also amazing, considering I had been buying dresses for specific events and wasting that cash. It’s also one more step toward me not buying any more fast fashion. Also, apparently millennials don’t want to own anything.

Referral links for the two I’m trying out right now: Gwynnie Bee ($80 a month) and Armoire (higher quality, $149 a month)

Playing //
Harry Potter Wizards Unite. Dont’ hate me. My code: 1610 3958 4637

Watching //
The second season of Absentia. It’s about an FBI agent who was captured for 7 years, and how she picks her life up after. Also, serial killers. It’s fluffy and pretty logistically improbable, but isn’t TV about fantasy anyway?