I’ve concluded that blogging from the land down under has its disadvantages. In an effort not to fall behind, I start writing the next blog as soon as I post the last one, but that means I miss the email that has the Tip of the Day for the Ultimate Blog Challenge (UBC) in it. But I’ve worked out how to solve the problem.
I’ll try to follow the tip of the day, but it will always be a day behind everyone else’s.
The Tip of the Day for Day 10 is Lists, but my list will feature in Day 11’s post. I might be a day behind on the Tips, but I’m keeping up with the blogs (so far đ¤).
I like lists, well, bullet points, mostly. I’ve given up on paper lists because no matter how meticulously I write them, they’re usually nowhere near where they need to be when I need them.
Take shopping, for example.
I used to write a shopping list, only to find when I got to the supermarket that the list was sitting on the kitchen table, or wherever I was when I wrote it. Trying to wing it through a supermarket without a list is like baking a cake from memory – chances are I’d forget something important, except I can’t bake a cake even with a recipe.
So shopping lists, handwritten, are out, and digital lists are in. Since I started using tap and go on my phone to pay for everything, I make sure my phone is securely tucked into a pocket of my bag before I leave the house. Having my phone with me ensures the list is in my hand, not on the kitchen table.
But I don’t think this discussion is what UBC had in mind for Tip of the Day, so here’s an example of what a digital list looks like.
A digital list is:
- easier to read (you’ll understand that, if you’ve seen my handwriting)
- easier to edit (there’s a built-in eraser called the delete key)
- easier to share (you can air-drop a digital list from one Apple device to another – can you still buy carbon paper for sharing paper lists?)
- easier to search for specific items (this is good if you are a list-aholic)
- better for the environment (this is debatable, so don’t get too hung up on the intricacies of paper versus digital components in landfill)
- compatible with smart devices (Siri. Google, Alexa, or your refrigerator could make the list for you if you ask nicely)
- always accessible (if you have cloud storage that saves information across all your devices)
And just to take the humble list up a notch, you can use numbers to keep things in order. A numbered list is good for shopping. Theoretically, you go into the supermarket for twenty items and you leave with twenty items (I’m interested to know if anyone has achieved that, numbered list, or not).
A numbered list:
- keeps things organised (you could list items in order of priority, like chocolate at the top, Brussels Sprouts at the bottom)
- is easier to scan the overall list (numbers help you see where you’re up to)
- Looks neat (I’m not a neat freak, but the numbers look pretty cool)
- is easier to share (you find items 1-4; I’ll take care of the rest)
- makes it harder to miss something (this is theoretical only; I reckon I could still miss something)
So there it is: my post about lists. How did I go? Is this what Day 10’s Tip of the Day is supposed to look like?
