I would like to share my approach to writing lists as a vital tool for managing my way through life.

When I'm sailing through a positive phase, my list is merely a reminder of 'stuff to do', but during the low times it becomes a significant weapon in my armoury to find my path, till the light shines again.

Things about my list:

• It lives in 'my' box, in the heart of the house, the kitchen.

• My list must be pen on paper for easy reference and adding new items, and, more importantly, I get to physically cross out a finished item. Yay!

• When the list gets too messy or the page is full, I write a fresh list omitting all the completed jobs. I love the pristine list that is, for now, shorter than the old one.

• It has both long term and small immediate tasks – plan a holiday or book an appointment for the cat vaccinations. Non-urgent items can stay on my list for years if they don't bother me.

One day I will fix the wobbly door handle, but it involves going to B&Q – Ugh.

But what happens when I'm in a low place?

Granularity.

I've got out of bed, showered and breakfasted - quite an accomplishment. Even the easy jobs look daunting – booking the cat jabs seems colossal.

So I break it down and add each component to the list:

1. Find the vet's number.

2. Choose a convenient date and time.

3. Ring the vet.

Right, I've found the number; I can cross that off the list and have a cuppa and/or a rest.

Checking my diary, I see that Thursday is blank. I'd like sometime mid-morning to prevent me from sitting in my dressing gown all day. Decision made.

Now job three is only to call and book an appointment on my preferred date and time.

Best of all, I have crossed three items off my list. Result!

Most jobs can be broken down into smaller tasks and I can see the measurable progress towards the bigger job.

I can put "Kiss " on my list as often as I like.

Susannah

A Moodscope member.