The List.

Also known as The “Stuff I Want to Do Before I Die” List. A Life List. Some may call it a Bucket List, but my List has been around since before the movie.  I never thought it was such a strange thing to have a Life List until I realized most of my acquaintances don’t have one. I started writing my list in 1999.

We are never too young or too old to be constantly thinking about our goals and what we could be pushing ourselves to do. There are times when you should power down, relax, and enjoy the moment. But between those times, you should be moving yourself forward. Feel free to change directions, turn around, or even sit down and rest, but your actions should be focused on movement.

I’ve never understood people that are ok with “seeing what happens tomorrow.” It is true that eventually life will change you and your circumstances whether you want it to or not, but often if you’re ready with your own plans, you can influence or direct the change yourself.

So back to The List.

What’s in the list?

The short answer is: whatever you want.

Want to…be trilingual? Published in a magazine? Jump from an airplane? Shake the President’s hand? Visit every continent on the planet? Visit the moon? Eat local for 6 months? Own your own business? Sing jazz in a club? Graduate from law school? Adopt a child? Be debt-free?

It’s completely up to you.

How to Start:

I used to keep my Life List in a document on my computer, but now I keep it in a Google Doc online, so I can access wherever creativity strikes me.

So get out that clean sheet of paper, crease open that brand new Moleskine, load up that pearly white Google Doc.

Go on, I’ll wait.

Ready?

Some tips for The List:

• Think big, think tall, write it all. Brainstorm. Who’s to judge what is a good goal and a bad goal? Here’s a hint: not even you. Before you hesitate to write something down because “it’s unattainable” “it will never happen” “it’s a stupid idea” – write it down. There are two sides of you: the rational you, which we’ll engage later to accomplish some of these goals, and there’s the dreamer you. Let your dreamer enjoy themselves a little with your List. After all, it’s your life. Write it all down. Don’t judge your ideas right now.
• If you can do it any afternoon, it doesn’t belong here. Unless it’s a small effort that constitutes a lifestyle change, like taking the stairs everywhere for a year, or drinking a glass of water every day for a month, or writing 2 pages longhand every morning for 6 months, etc., it probably doesn’t belong on your list. This is not a grocery list or the day’s to-do list. It’s goals, it’s dreams, it’s accomplishments, it’s pride.
• It needs to be measurable. You should be able to recognize when you’ve actually accomplished the item on your list. “Read more” or “be kinder” or “lose weight” are not specific enough, and are definitely not measurable. Give yourself a specific goal so that you can make it easy to identify the goal when you get there.
• Number them, order them…who cares? Don’t feel the need to order, group or prioritize your List – that’s not what the List is about. That comes later, when you face your fears and start to really attack an item on your list. For now, just let your imagination run wild. I put the date that I added them to my List – I like to look back and see when my bursts of creativity hit me, and also know how long something stays on my List before I accomplish it.
• Make growing your list a priority. Perhaps not as obvious as accomplishing your goals is making sure you have some! The List needs to constantly grow. When you’re first starting, I suggest adding “Add 2 things per month to The List” as a goal, and that will force you to think about it and make it grow.
• Talk to your friends and family about The List. While I am definitely not recommending you make your List public, talk to your friends and family about the fact you have The List. Perhaps share 1-2 goals with them that are not too personal. Engage in talking about your dreams and about having goals with everyone! You’ll see that new inspiration as well as encouragement will come out of it. Dreaming is contagious.
• When you accomplish something, don’t remove it. Date it. The List is not only about your future goals, but it should also be a reminder of what you’ve done and to motivate you to keep accomplishing. Once you achieve a goal, don’t just regale it to your memory – put a date on it, so later you can review some of your accomplishments when you need to.

Want to see some examples of some Lists?

I think peeking into someone’s Life List is a little like giving someone a sponge bath before you even shake their hand – you get a very intimate look into what some of their goals, desires and fantasies are in an instant. Luckily, a few have shared their life lists with you, so you can get that intimate look, and some inspiration for your own Life List.

• John Goddard’s Life List

Calling himself the “World’s Greatest Goal Achiever,” he definitely has some interesting things on his List he created when he was only 15…and he’s crossed a lot of them off!

• Mighty Girl’s Life List

Living in public? Why not share your entire List, blog about what you accomplish…and even get sponsored to fulfill your Life List? That’s that Mighty Girl’s job.

• Nicole is Better’s Life List

Nicole wants you to know how she’s progressing with her Life List and hopes you’ll give a small donation to help her on her adventures. She’s got some really fun items on her List.

Need some inspiration for populating your Llistist?

• The New York Times’ explores Life Lists
• MSNBC talks about Life Lists
• Life Lists of Cool People I know (no, I don’t know them)
• Smithsonian’s 28 Places to See Before You Die—the Taj Mahal, Grand Canyon and More
• Travel & Leisure Travel Life List
• A very comprehensive guide to creating a Life List
• 1000 Places to See Before you Die – the book
• 50 Things to do before you die – Matador Network
• Forbes 10 Things to Do before you Die

Do you have a Life List? Tell me how you fill it up and check it off!

Image by koalazymonkey / CC BY 2.0

These are the pillars of how I organize my day:

• GTD Inbox
• Task Lists
• Info Dump/Tickler

If you haven’t heard of the “Getting Things Done” method by David Allen, or GTD by those that know and love it, it’s definitely worth checking out. It bills itself as a “The Art of Stress-free Productivity.” The book goes into a lot of detail about the method and how to apply it to your life. A lot of detail.

I don’t follow the GTD method to the letter, but I do employ several of the fundamentals of the method. The GTD Inbox is one of them.

GTD Inbox

It’s inevitable that you’ll have multiple email addresses, or use filters to redirect or route important emails so that they get the attention they deserve. I actually use one address for all my online signups / accounts and newsletters so that I can separate notifications and newsletter/promotional mails more effectively from personal correspondence, and I use some other addresses for other specific reasons.

I prefer to have a “Zero Inbox” when dealing with email. That doesn’t mean that I won’t have unanswered emails, but I use a filtering method to check all my incoming mail and decide what’s best to do with it and move it immediately out of my Inbox (or various incoming mailboxes).

The GTD method tells you to immediately answer anything that will take less than 2 minutes to respond to, and to not put it off. Emails that don’t need an answer get archived immediately, and any emails that require a response or further action on my part before I can respond get filed into my “ACTION” tag/folder.

Thus my Inbox looks like this:

• 1-ACTION - emails that require a response on my part or require me to do something so that I can remove the email and archive it. I added the “1″ so that the folder will always be at the top).
• 2-HOLD – the GTD method can also call it WAITING – emails that I need an answer to, or information from that person that is keeping me from completing another task (i.e., task: pay invoice. I sent an email asking for the invoice (ACTION) but I’m still waiting for a reply (HOLD)). It’s important that you don’t put every email you’ve replied to here, but only ones that are necessary or blocking you from completing another task, AND you’ve already done your part in providing info/responding.
• Archive: Thanks to advanced email search, you really don’t need to tag, star or put your emails into multiple folders, in my opinion – a full-text search is sure to find the information you’re looking for in a few seconds. All my answered emails get archived. Emails I don’t need to reply to get archived. Emails that have been too long in my ACTION folder get archived.

Task Lists

One of my favorite things growing up was making to-do lists on these 1/2 size yellow pads. I think my family bought them at Costco so it seemed that there was always one around but I’m sure we had to refill them multiple times.

Making lists for me is crucial because it’s a key component for visual brainstorming – you can break down a task into approachable bytes and bits that can be accomplished quickly, delegated or investigated as necessary. I can write everything down before I have to filter, judge or prioritize ideas and items.

There are so many choices to manage lists it can get confusing. There are any number of list management tools online and offline. I prefer to do my task-list management online now, because I find it’s easier to re-organize, move and add/change additional information and metadata like due dates, relative URLs (when’s the last time you wrote down a long URL in a notebook?) and typing it out is usually quicker than writing it.

I use Remember the Milk online and offline (“offline” with my Apple iPod Touch and the RTM application – requires a Pro account). It has many features and can interact with Twitter as well as your Google calendar and receiving tasks via email.

I have my lists broken down into sub-lists/groups per website, organization, event, etc., plus “MIT” – Most Important Tasks and “Up Next” – upcoming tasks lists as a way to focus my most important activities of the day and near future. GTD is a big proponent of having a Most Important Task to get done that day, so it should be accomplished within that day or in a time frame that you decide. It’s a good way to get re-focused after a break or if you feel a bit overwhelmed with all you need to do. If you complete your MITs for the day, at least you’ll have accomplished something!

My “Up Next” are things that I think will become MITs soon, just in case I finish my MIT list and have some time to do some more tasks or want to get a headstart on something.

Info Dump – Tickler

One of the things I like most about GTD is the emphasis on the brain/info dump – get it out of your head, so you’re not thinking about it, and therefore you can get back to attacking your projects and tasks.

I consider my info dump “Tickler” the most important part of my organization system. While it’s technologically basic, and requires no special software or skill to enact, it is a practice that needs to become ritual.

The crux of the info dump-tickler is to get ideas out of your head to a holding or evaluation place, and then return back to the most important tasks of the day. I can’t stress how much this practice of consistently writing down ideas in a safe place when they come to you can free up some of those critical brain cycles.

I keep something close at hand at all times so that I can get things out of my head as soon as possible – into my online list management (RTM), into my iTouch Notes or into my Moleskine. I always add these offline ideas to my online lists later or at the end of the day.

If an idea comes to me that is related to a specific project, it goes into that task list. But often I find the most disruptive ideas I get are orphan, spontaneous new ideas that are just plainly that: ideas or glimpses into the future. Buy this domain, start that project, email this person, invent this, improve that this way…These are the types of ideas that can really occupy your brain for fear of losing it.

I put these “orphan” ideas into what I call my “Tickler” list – a list of things I haven’t started yet (or perhaps will never start) but they are worth noting and returning to later when I have a little extra time or I am searching for inspiration. The existence of my Tickler list also allows me to stretch my imagination a bit, knowing that whatever I come up with won’t be lost but will be addressed later.

Working the Components Together

The key to the task lists, info dump and processing your emails is of course systematically checking your lists and email systems so that you can regularly modify, accomplish and change your priorities.

GTD suggests a weekly review of all of your projects and priorities to see what’s going to be a future priority, further define tasks that seem vague and/or stuck, and of course, delve into the Tickler to find some new inspiration and projects.

Resources

• Remember the Milk
• Gmail’s Task List feature
• Moleskine notebooks
• Todoist.com online list management

So there you have it! My Holy Trinity of Organization. How do you stay organized?

image by Uwe Hermann

1. net@night (TWiT.tv)

The focus of this podcast is mainly on the Internet, with interesting highlights, interviews and discussions regarding sites and tools. net@night is also part of the Twit.tv group (below), but the camaraderie between Leo and Canadian co-host Amber MacArthur makes it an interesting podcast as well as the fact Amber is constantly talking about new sites and things to try out, so I recommend listening to it when you’re near a computer, so you can play, too.

• Frequency/Duration: weekly, Wednesday. Approximately one hour.

• Links: net@night website, iTunes podcast link.

2. BBC Digital Planet (BBC World Service)

“How Digital Technology affects our lives around the world” – a wide range of topics regarding events, things and people shaping our digital world. The Internet definitely plays a part but often stories are much closer to how technology is changing people, and most episodes are a few in-depth news stories rather than the latest headlines.

• Frequency/duration: weekly, approximately 26 minutes.

• Links: Digital Planet podcast site, iTunes podcast link.

3. The Guardian’s Tech Weekly (Guardian.co.uk)

Hosted by Aleks Krotoski, an avid gamer and journalist, she’s accompanied by Jemima Kiss and other Guardian.co.uk journalists, covering general topics in a conversational manner and in-depth interviews and on-location reporting.

• Frequency/duration: weekly, approximately 20-30 minutes.

• Links: Tech Weekly website, iTunes podcast link. Twitter: @guardiantw

4. TWIT – This Week in Tech (TWiT.tv)

This Week in Tech is not only a podcast, it’s a conglomerate of podcasts and a site (www.twit.tv) ranging from Windows and Mac-specific to security and gizmos, and mommy topics. This Week in Tech is a roundtable of tech talk with interesting guests like Pete Cashmore and Jason Calacanis. Don’t expect a really structured podcast, and they often go off-topic, but the conversations are very interesting and you feel like you’re sitting at the table with them. Leo Laporte has a perfect DJ voice as it was a past job for him. They often broadcast live.

• Frequency: weekly, Sunday. From 1-2 hours.

• Links: TWiT podcast website, iTunes podcast link.

5. PRI’s The World Technology Report (theworld.org)

A combined effort from Public Radio International, the BBC and WGBH, this podcast is interesting because it focuses on several stories of science and technology and their humanitarian impacts.

• Frequency: weekly, Friday. Approximately 30 minutes.

• Links: PRI podcast website, iTunes podcast link.

Honorable Mentions:

• New York Times (NYT) TEch Talk: Though I’m not really a fan of the main host’s voice, these short weekly podcasts are packed full of information linked back to NYT articles.
• CNET Buzz Out Loud (BOL) Podcast:  They call it a “podcast of indeterminate length” and this daily podcast also has corresponding blog posts with sites/articles mentioned during the podcast.
• Engadget Podcast: This weekly podcast is very chatty and focuses on Smart Phones and other gadgets. A bonus is the podcast website will provide minute/segment breakdowns of each episode so you can skip straight there.

Do you have one to suggest?

image by rutty

• What is a Podcast?
• Why are Podcasts better than Radio or Websites?
• What Do I Need to Listen to Podcasts?
• Start Listening to Podcasts Now!

What is a Podcast?

Contrary to popular belief, you do not need an Apple iPod to listen to podcasts. Of course, the name “podcast” definitely recalls the Apple ipod, but podcasts can be played directly on the internet, downloaded to your computer or mp3 player. Some also call podcasts “netcasts” so as to further distance themselves from the misconception you need an mp3 player to listen to them.

At the heart of a podcast is the notion that you can subscribe to the series and your access to the information can even be automated through automatic downloads of new episodes.

Podcasts are not only audio. They can include video, too, and video podcasts are quickly gaining popularity as mp3 players are including high-quality screens that can display video.

Why are Podcasts better than Radio or Websites?

The spoken word will never go out of style, and to hear the inflection and the passion of some of these podcasters and their guests will invigorate you as you listen.

• Podcasts are Great Learning Tools

The great thing about podcast creation and distribution costs is that since they can go further for the money specialized podcasts are readily available and interesting. Want to learn about cooking? There’s a podcast for that. What about renewable energy? There’s a podcast for that, too. Combine the possibility of using video as well, and you have a visual and audio tool that can’t be beat and gives complete control to the listener.

Single subject podcasts can deepen your knowledge quickly. The great thing about reviewing podcast episode summaries or archives is that you can choose which subjects and topics are most important to you. You’re not limited to downloading just the latest episode, nor do you have to subscribe to every podcast you find – you can just access the information that interests you.

• Control the Information Flow to Maximize Comprehension
  

Start and Stop when you Want. Go back, Listen better the second time. How many times have you been listening to something when the phone rang, a noisy car goes by, or a friend stops by to ask a question? With a traditional radio program, that information is lost forever. With a podcast, you can pause, go back, even save the episode for another time when you’re in a quieter environment.

Just like the experience of recording TV shows has given the power to the viewer to pause, stop or fast-forward, podcasts give you the same control and most importantly, give you the opportunity to make sure you really understand something or listen to it twice!

• Portable – Listen Online, Offline, or Inline…skating!
  

The great thing about podcasts is that you completely control when and where you listen to them. In the car, on the bus, while you’re cleaning the bathroom, you can have your podcasts mobile and and accessible. Even around the house, if you have to run around cleaning or doing errands, turn on your mp3 player and stick it in your pocket as you move around. They can give you energy and keep you informed at the same time! Listen to podcasts while working on the computer, too!

• Subscribing can Save You Time

Being able to subscribe to podcasts means that when new episodes are ready, it will be pushed to you. You will be notified, or simply hitting “Refresh” in your podcast manager may download any new episodes of podcasts you’re subscribed to.

• An Integrated Experience: from Podcast to Website, and Back
  

Most popular podcasts will have their own websites or pages with further information and relevant links for each of their podcasts. So don’t think of podcasts as an isolated listening experience: it’s a fully integrated experience that can peak your interest and take you from subject to subject with links for further informario

What Do I Need to Listen to Podcasts?

You need a mp3 player, a media player software, and/or a computer. The computer can function as just a means of transferring the podcasts to your player, or it can also serve as a playing device using a media player software on your computer, or through streaming the podcast directly from your web browser. When you’re at home or in the office, use the computer to play all of your downloaded podcasts and to keep them organized between the mp3 player and the computer.

Apple iPod. If you have an Apple ipod, you’ve got both the mp3 player as well as the software iTunes to find, download and manage your podcasts. I’ve had a good experience with the Apple iTunes podcast directory, as it’s easy to navigate and understand, though it’s quite slow (the entire Apple iTunes Store is, really). You can also filter out video podcasts by looking just at the audio podcast section. There are more details how it works on the podcast section on the Apple website.

Listening on an Mp3 Player. A mp3 player can play both audio and video podcasts, depending on its capabilities. The basic mechanism is downloading the podcast files, and transferring them to your mp3 player. To transfer the files to your mp3 player you may have to use the player’s software or it may be as simple as dragging and dropping the files onto the player. Consult your manual for your mp3 player for more details.

Listening on Your Computer. If you don’t have an mp3 player, or you just prefer to listen to the podcasts directly on your computer, you can do it several ways. Many podcasts have a dedicated website and will allow you to stream (listen) to the podcasts directly through the web browser. So, you don’t need to install anything!

If you’d prefer a slightly more sophisticated and efficient way to track and listen to your podcast subscriptions, download software and install it on your computer.

Some free podcast playback software:

• Juice, the cross-platform podcast receiver, is a free download from Sourceforge.net (a wonderful and huge repository of open source software). The FAQ explain how to subscribe to podcasts with Juice.
• Miro, free, open source internet tv and video player.
• VLC: a free, open source media player. It is not able to manage your podcast subscriptions and download new episodes automatically, but it can play downloaded podcasts or stream podcast episodes.
• Other podcast software: for Windows: Nimiq,  iPodder.NET, Doppler, jPodder; for Mac: iPodderX

Start Listening to Podcasts Now!

Here’s a quick introduction to {5 Free Podcasts I can’t Live Without}, but there are also many Podcast Directories worth noting:

• BBC Podcast directory
• National Public Radio (NPR) Podcast directory
• CNN Podcasts
• New York Times podcasts
• PBS Podcasts (including NOVA science podcast!)
• NASA Podcasts
• Podcast.com

Further Podcast Resources

• Wikipedia’s History of Podcasting

Image by: luizfilipe

1. APM: The Splendid Table

From the same network that brings you A Prarie Home Companion, Lynne Rossetto Kasper is the host for this weekly culinary show for “People who love to eat.” Much more than that, it delves into single subjects and trends mixed with recipes. Lynne is an excellent host who takes calls from listeners in the latter part of the podcast.

• Frequency/Duration: weekly, around 45-50 mins
  
• Links: Splendid Table website, Apple iTunes podcast link.

2. KCRW Good Food

Evan Kleiman is such a great host and it’s hard to remember that she’s also a cook! And it’s this expertise that shines through the podcast, as it is organized very well and has a mix of new and regularly-occurring features like visiting the Santa Monica Farmer’s Market and learning how to use in-season fruits and vegetables. Her guests are a mix of experts (chefs and scientists) and bloggers who are extremely knowledgeable and passionate about the subject.

• Frequency / Duration: weekly, around 45-50 minutes.
• Links: Good Food website, iTunes podcast link, Good Food blog.

3. NPR Food Podcast

Not a podcast program per se, NPR picks a selection of health/food-related stories from various NPR shows: “Recipes, interviews and the story behind your favorite foods from Morning Edition, All Things Considered and other award-winning NPR programs.”

• Frequency / Duration: weekly, 15-50 minutes.
• Links: NPR Food Podcast website, iTunes podcast link.

4. ReMARKable Palate

A mixture of video and audio podcasts by personal chef Mark Tafoya, a “Food and Culture Podcast” including on-location and guest interviews with other chefs, farmers and suppliers in the food chain.

• Frequency / Duration: weekly, various durations.
• Links: Remarkable Palate website,  iTunes podcast link.

5. NPR Kitchen Window

As a complement to their written articles, NPR Kitchen Window speaks with their authors (who are often bloggers) about particular topics and issues they have covered online.

• Frequency / Duration: bi-weekly, 10-30 minutes
• Links: NPR Kitchen Window Podcast website, iTunes podcast link.

Honorable Mention:

Bon Apetit Podcast

Though it had a lot of potential, Bon Apetit’s podcast hasn’t been updated since mid-2008. But, you can get access to their archives online and hopefully they will start updating the podcast again soon. Link to BA Podcast site.

Is there an audio podcast that should have made this list? Have your say in the comments!

Image by Steve Wampler

But you don’t have to be a public transportation commuter to love and listen to podcasts! Read {WHT: A Guide to Podcasts}

1. Fresh Air (NPR)

The strong point of this podcast is really the host, Terry Gross. She has such an easygoing demeanor that during her interviews she almost certainly puts the guest at ease and her evident research into the topic or guest’s life makes the interview very informative and interesting. I am always learning when I listen to her podcast, and picking up a new book, or discovering a new cause or personality to check out.

• Frequency/duration: daily, 45-60 minutes.

• Links: Fresh Air website, iTunes podcast link.

2. BBC Global News (BBC)

I don’t spend a lot of time on news sites, but what I do do is consistently listen to the BBC Global News podcast which gives you a highlight of their global stories, with just enough information so that you have a good picture of the story. And, the fact that it’s available twice daily means that the information will always be fresh and relevant.

• Frequency/duration: twice daily (at 3:00GMT and 15:00GMT) on weekdays, approximately 30 minutes.

• Links: BBC Global News website, iTunes podcast link.

3. This American Life

Even though the title implies only for an American audience, I think this podcast transcends many cultures. This American life is something I like to listen to when I have a little more time available to get lost in a story. Each week the hosts choose a theme, often as abstract as “Getting what you deserve“  or “Matchmakers,” and will select a series of stories and first-hand recounts that are weaved around this theme. It’s definitely great storytelling and at times can be very emotional listening to the stories, from overcoming racism to living through the Depression, to searching for the American dream.

They offer their podcast free on their website for one week and afterward, it can be bought and downloaded from their extensive archives. Episodes can also be streamed for free, and using iTunes you can easily download the latest 10 or so episodes.

• Frequency/duration: weekly, approximately 60 minutes.

• Links: This American Life website, iTunes podcast link.

4. 60 Minutes

The 60 minutes podcast is different from the others in that it is the audio portion of a full video broadcast. You get to hear the entire program’s audio which, on its own, I feel is still a complete experience even though you may miss a few images or charts that accompany the video broadcast. Guests and topics are always high-quality and in-depth.

• Frequency/duration: weekly, 60 minutes.

• Links: 60 Minutes podcast site,  iTunes podcast link.

5. BBC World Service: Documentaries

BBC delves into their archives to provide you with single-focus podcasts like “The World without Copper,” “AIDs and the Caribbean” or “Football’s Conmen” there is a wide range of stories and focuses to interest everyone.

• Frequency/duration: several times weekly, approximately 21-23 minutes.

• Links: BBC World Service Documentaries site, iTunes podcast link.

What podcasts can you not live without??

ipod Headphones picture by flod