Lists are always something we make in a hurried manner, with a feeling of obligation as we write them. Usually they are reserved for to-do lists of things we don’t want to do: grocery shopping, bills to pay, appointments, reminders of things we resent doing; they just number our responsibilities.
I think they should be transformed into something we do for therapy. There is something soothing about scrawling on paper in a measured way, rather than in a final frenzy to get out the door.
Here is a list of lists you can make just for fun:
- Your favourite moments in the last month.
- Kind things that you have seen people do recently.
- Small things that make you happy.
- Your favourite quotes (look up things that inspire you and make a list to refer back to in a low moment.)
- Ideas of gifts for upcoming birthdays/things you could make for people you know.
- Specific things you want to buy for your home.
- Look up a genre of music you like, write down every band you haven’t heard of and then find out if you like them.
- Your favourite things about each season, eg, marbled autumn leaves, cuttingly-cool Christmas air.
- Things you have done that you are proud of.
- Qualities you admire in people you have met.
- The best ways you have spent a day.
- Movies you want to see by a director you like.
- Things you want to research for fun/skills you want to acquire.
- Good things that have come from the mistakes you have made.
- Records you want to buy.
- Mini goals for the next month (only fun things are allowed.)
- Places nearby that you haven’t visited yet, eg, a bookshop, a nature reserve, a restaurant.
- Search for free local events and make a list of the ones you want to attend.
- The seemingly insignificant moments of your week (eg, a kind word from someone, hearing a good song somewhere, the taste of buttercream, the sound of rain.)
- Your favourite items that you have ever owned.
- Things you could easily live without.
- Ways to simplify your life.
- Things you want to add to your day.
- The most memorable gifts you have received.
- Your favourite scents, sights, etc.
- Your favourite words in the English language.
- Your favourite writers.
- The best books you have read since you were a kid.
- Things to do that don’t involve technology.
- Your favourite places to go for a walk, eg, a stretch of a city street, a pebbled beach.
- The funniest things that have happened to you to date.
- Things you want to save for that you will cherish.
List-making can be really cathartic and emptying your mind on a piece of paper needn’t be done only by necessity. Enjoy listing for relaxation 🙂
The Funky Thrifter 