Many moons ago, I told you about the lists I kept for my boyhood coin collection. Yeah, the one I sold buy furniture and pay the first month’s rent on my first law office.

Anyway, I had two lists: one for “want” and one for “have”. I kept these in my wallet so that when I visited the Kennedy Coin Club in suburban Chicago, I would know which coins I needed for my collection and extras I had to trade or sell.

I’ve also written about the value of having lists for running your practice. These can be lists of steps, instructions or checklists, to make sure you don’t forget anything, or to train new employees or temps.

Examples:

• File opening/closing procedures
• Investigating/background checks
• Drafting pleadings/discovery
• Form letters/email templates
• Experts/vendors (stenographers, investigators, arbitrators, mediators, interpreters, repairs, etc.)
• Supplies: quantities, where to order
• How to use software, apps, online services

How about for marketing:

• Prospective clients
• Bloggers/editors in your niche
• Publications that accept guest posts
• Organizations/groups where you can speak/network
• Ideas for blog/social media posts/videos/articles
• Social media posting schedule/process
• Lawyers you know and what they do (for referrals)
• Business owners/professionals who sell to your niche market

And a ho lot more.

We can’t be all work and no play (even if we’re not named Jack) so how about some personal lists:

• Movies/books that interest you
• Your bucket list
• Packing checklist
• Vacation ideas
• Writing prompts
• Health metrics (blood pressure, weight, etc.)
• Exercise routines, workout schedule
• Retirement planning
• Investments
• Debt reduction schedule/journal
• Jokes/stories/quotes/
• Recipes
• Routines (weekly review, inbox zero, computer updates)

And the list goes on. And on and on.

You can keep lists of just about anything, as reminders, as a way to measure progress, or as a way to memorialize your journey.

You might start with a “list of lists”–ideas for lists that can make you healthier, more productive, or more profitable. Or lists that sound like fun.

(Lawyers are still allowed to have fun, aren’t we? Well, as long as there are no witnesses.)

I keep my lists in Evernote

I’m told that perfectionists tend to achieve less and have more stress than other folks.

The struggle is real.

In addition, perfectionists are more prone to procrastination. Because they worry about not doing things right, they delay starting or finishing. They often do nothing at all.

If this sounds familiar, take heart. Most (all?) accomplished people like you and me struggle with these issues, at least some of the time.

But there’s hope.

Sometimes, when I find myself procrastinating, I tackle some of the easy parts first. As you check off items on the punch list, you build confidence and momentum. Continuing is easier than a cold start.

I might review my notes, make a list of ideas, or gather up my research. I might draft some language or brainstorm some of my options.

When I don’t feel like going on my walk, putting on my walking shorts takes me a step closer to getting out the door.

Sometimes, I do the hard things first. I eat those frogs. Once I get something difficult or intimidating out of the way, the rest is much easier.

While starting is the hardest part, finishing is the most important.

How do you finish things you’re having trouble finishing? I don’t know, I’m still working on that.

Joking aside, one thing I do is try not to “break the chain”. I have an app for tracking my daily walking. It gives me visible feedback about my progress (and a little fanfare when I hit the daily goal). What can I say, it helps.

Another thing I do to finish is to focus on the process, not the outcome. With writing, for example, I don’t dwell on word count, I just make sure I do the work every day.

I also bribe myself. I promise to reward myself as soon as I finish things. For example, when I finish this, I’m going to play around with a new app I just downloaded.

Okay, as soon as I get back from my walk.

Whenever you have a big project, decision, or goal, and you’re not sure what to do or do next, here’s something that might help. It’s something I did when I was studying for the Bar exam.

I took all of my outlines and reams of notes and reduced them down to a single page. On one page (of paper), I had a summary of the entire subject. Notes, keywords, lists, definitions, examples.

Most of it was greatly abbreviated, of course, but I knew the material well enough that a single keyword was all I needed to remember a concept or case. By putting everything on one page, drawing arrows to indicate relationships or causality, and underscoring and highlighting for emphasis, I had a clear picture of what I needed to know and remember.

The process of distilling everything down to a single page helped me to understand the essence of the subject. I discovered what was most important and how everything related to everything else.

Try this for your next trial or big project. Try it when need to decide what to do next. Gather up all of your notes, ideas, resources, and research. Write down your questions, doubts, obstacles, and opportunities. Put everything in one big pile. Then, work your way through that pile and reduce it down to one page.

If you start with 100 pages, go through those pages and consolidate notes, eliminate marginal ideas, and re-write your words. Sift and sort and distill those 100 pages down to 20 or 30. Go through those pages and reduce it to 10. From 10 pages, you might get it down to three. Then, from three pages to one.

That one page summary of your project or idea may not tell you everything you need to know. But the process of creating it will.

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