5 Little Lists That Make a Big Difference to My Week
If you’re looking for simple lists to organise your life, they don’t all have to be shopping lists and endless to-do lists. These are five little lists I come back to again and again because they help me clear my mind, protect my energy and make even the busiest weeks feel a little calmer.
I’ve Always Been a List Person
I’ve always been a list person.
I’m quite a visual thinker, and I’ve never had the sort of memory that effortlessly remembers everything. If I write something down, I’m far more likely to remember it than if I simply tell myself I’ll keep it in my head.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve carried a notebook with me. Sometimes it’s filled with shopping lists or jobs that need doing. Other pages hold ideas for blog posts, books I’d like to read, birthdays I don’t want to forget or little thoughts that pop into my head while I’m walking the dog. Writing things down has always helped me make sense of a busy mind.
But over the years, I’ve realised that some of the most helpful lists I write aren’t really about time management and getting things done at all. They’re the little lists that quietly support me through the week. The ones that remind me to slow down before I become overwhelmed, protect my energy, notice the good moments that might otherwise pass me by and make more intentional choices with the time I have.
They’re not productivity hacks, carefully colour-coded systems or another way to squeeze even more into an already busy week. Instead, they help me feel calmer, a little more organised and more present in the life I’m already living.
I’m sharing them here not because I think everyone should make exactly the same lists, but because they might inspire you to create your own. None of them takes more than a few minutes and none of them is another job to add to your to-do list.
They’re simply small ways of checking in with yourself, listening to what your body, mind and heart might need, and making sure that alongside everything you have to do, you’re also making space for the things that help you enjoy your life.
Sometimes that’s all a good list really is—a gentle reminder of what matters most.
1. My “Not Today” List
Most of us are familiar with a to-do list. Mine are usually scribbled across the pages of my notebook, reminding me about work, family life, errands and all the little jobs that seem to appear every day. But every now and then, I find it just as helpful to write a completely different kind of list.
A Not Today list.
Instead of asking myself what I need to do, I ask myself what I’m giving myself permission not to do.
Perhaps today isn’t the day to deep-clean the house. Perhaps I don’t need to reply to every email the moment it arrives. Perhaps the ironing can wait until tomorrow. Perhaps saying no to one more commitment is exactly what I need.
I’ve noticed that writing these things down somehow makes them feel more intentional. Rather than feeling guilty about what I haven’t managed to do, I’ve consciously decided that they don’t need my attention today. That small shift helps me stop measuring my days by everything I’ve left undone and reminds me that protecting my time and energy is just as important as being productive.
Sometimes the kindest list I write isn’t a list of everything I need to accomplish.
It’s a list of everything I’m choosing to let go of—for today, at least.
2. My “Tomorrow Will Thank Me” List
Most evenings, before I finish work or settle down for the night, I write one very small list.
It’s rarely longer than three or four things, and it’s certainly not an ambitious to-do list for the next day. Instead, it’s simply a few little jobs that will make tomorrow feel easier.
It might be taking something out of the freezer for dinner, filling up my water bottle, putting my notebook and laptop where I need them in the morning or writing down the three most important things I’d like to achieve the next day.
None of those jobs is particularly exciting, and they don’t take very long. But over the years, I’ve realised they’re never really about the task itself. They’re about removing little obstacles before they have the chance to become frustrations.
I love waking up knowing that a few thoughtful decisions have already been made.
Tomorrow’s clothes are ready.
I’ve already captured the ideas that were swirling around my head the night before, so I don’t have to start the morning trying to remember them.
Those tiny acts of preparation don’t make life perfect, of course, but they do make it feel a little gentler.
I’ve found that the easiest way to reduce tomorrow’s stress is often to spend just five minutes thinking about tomorrow today. It isn’t about trying to control every detail or planning every hour. Life will always surprise us, and that’s part of what makes it interesting.
It’s simply a quiet way of saying to my future self, “I’ve thought about you already.”
And somehow, that’s a lovely way to end the day.
3. My “Don’t Forget the Good Stuff” List
It’s surprisingly easy to reach the end of the week and only remember the things that didn’t go to plan. The jobs that are still waiting, the email I forgot to send, the room I never got round to tidying or the conversation I wish had gone differently.
Our minds seem naturally drawn to what’s unfinished, and before long it can begin to feel as though the whole week has been one long list of things we didn’t quite manage.
That’s why I’ve started keeping a different sort of list.
Every few days, I write down a handful of things that made me smile. Sometimes they’re wonderfully ordinary—a cup of tea in the garden before everyone else was awake, the roses finally beginning to flower, a walk with the dog on a cooler evening or one of my daughters laughing about something that happened at college.
Other times it’s finishing a piece of work I’m proud of, enjoying an evening with my family or simply noticing that life felt a little calmer than it did the week before.
I don’t really think of it as a gratitude journal, although perhaps it shares some similarities. It feels much less formal than that. It’s simply a place to collect the little moments I’d quite like to remember before they disappear into the busyness of everyday life.
I’ve found that those moments are very easy to overlook. They’re rarely dramatic or life-changing, but they’re often the moments that quietly make up a good life. Unless I stop to notice them, they’re quickly replaced in my mind by everything that’s still waiting to be done.
When I look back over my little list at the end of the week, I’m often surprised by how much goodness was tucked into ordinary days. Instead of thinking, “I didn’t get enough done,” I find myself remembering the conversations, the laughter, the peaceful moments and the small joys that I might otherwise have forgotten.
It’s a gentle reminder that a good week isn’t measured only by what I achieved. It’s also measured by how well I noticed the life I was living while I was busy making it.
4. My “I’d Like to Try…” List
Not every list has to be about responsibilities.
In fact, I’ve found that some of the most enjoyable lists are the ones that have no pressure attached to them at all. They’re simply little reminders of things I’d like to try whenever the opportunity comes along.
Sometimes they’re incredibly ordinary.
- A new recipe I’ve saved but never made.
- A different walking route with the dog.
- A book that’s been sitting on my bedside table for months.
- A local café I’d like to visit or a garden I’d love to explore.
Other times they’re small ideas that might make everyday life feel a little better, like stretching for ten minutes before bed, putting my phone away earlier in the evening or spending an hour in the garden instead of sitting at my desk.
The important thing is that none of these things has a deadline.
They’re not another set of expectations I’ve placed on myself, and I don’t feel guilty if they stay on the list for weeks. Instead, they’re gentle reminders that life isn’t only about crossing jobs off a to-do list. It’s also about making time for curiosity, enjoyment and trying something that simply sounds nice.
I’ve realised that it’s very easy for the practical things in life to take over. Work, family responsibilities and everyday chores will always ask for our attention, and quite rightly so. But if we’re not careful, we can reach the end of the month having looked after everyone else’s needs while quietly forgetting the little things that bring us joy.
Keeping this list reminds me that my life shouldn’t only be filled with things I have to do. It should also include things I’d love to do.
Even if I only manage one of them every now and then, that feels enough. Those small moments of curiosity and enjoyment have a lovely way of adding colour to ordinary weeks, and I’ve found they’re often the moments I remember long after the jobs have been forgotten.
5. My “What Really Matters This Week?” List
At the beginning of most weeks, I ask myself one simple question:
What do I want this week to feel like?
- Not what do I want to achieve.
- Not how much can I fit in.
- Not how productive can I be.
Just… what really matters over the next few days?
Sometimes the answer is rest because I’ve been feeling tired. Sometimes it’s being present with my family or finally making time for a project I’ve been looking forward to. Other weeks it’s simply creating a little more breathing space in my diary so I don’t spend every day rushing from one thing to the next.
Writing the answer down helps me make better decisions as the week unfolds. When something new comes along, I already have a quiet reminder of what I’d decided was important. It doesn’t mean life always goes to plan, but it does stop me saying yes to everything and wondering why I feel stretched so thin.
I’ve noticed that when I don’t pause to ask this question, it’s very easy for other people’s priorities to become my own. Before I know it, the week has disappeared and I’ve spent most of it reacting instead of choosing. This little list helps me come back to myself and remember what I wanted these days to be about in the first place.
The answer is rarely anything dramatic.
More often, it’s the ordinary things that make life feel good: a calm home, enough sleep, meaningful work, time with the people I love and a little space to simply breathe.
Those are the things I hope I remember at the end of the week, and this small list helps me keep them in sight when life starts to feel busy.
Conclusion
None of these lists is complicated, and none of them takes more than a few minutes to write. They won’t magically organise your life or remove every stressful moment, but I’ve found they do something just as valuable. They help me pause, notice what matters and make small, thoughtful choices instead of simply reacting to whatever the week brings.
You certainly don’t need to make all five of these lists. In fact, I’d encourage you to choose just one that resonates with you and give it a try this week. See how it feels. Adapt it to suit your own life, and don’t worry about getting it “right”. The best lists are the ones that genuinely support you, not the ones that become another thing to keep up with.
Sometimes it’s the smallest habits that make the biggest difference. A few quiet minutes with a notebook can help you feel calmer, clearer and more intentional, and that’s a lovely way to begin any week.
I’d love to know—which of these little lists do you think would help you most? Let me know in the comments below, or share one of your own. I’m always looking for new ideas to add to my notebook.
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