15 List Ideas For a Busy Mom

At the risk of sounding profound, when you use a list well, it can change your life. Because we believe that to be true, we've added list pages to all of our core planning products. Find them in the Reminder Binder® Planner, Peek at the Week® and Dad Pad® Weekly Planning Pads and the Monthly Planner Desk Calendar.

Here are some ideas how to "change your life" with lists:

Grocery list (duh) - The easy tear-out lists are perfect for your trip to the store so you don't forget any essentials and not-so-essentials, too. (Notably, the tearing out part is optional. A well-checked list is like a status symbol.)
Packing lists for vacays - Procrastinating packing? A list can help. Grab your favorite pen (and beverage) and download your must-haves from your mind for all that is planned for your vacation. Remember the Aloe Vera. [You're welcome.]
List of summer activities - Make "Mom, I’m bored!” a thing of the past. Jot down ideas like blowing bubbles, streaking around the house, frosting cookies, hosting a lemonade stand (with those newly frosted cookies poised as an impulse buy item) or making a sprinkler water park in the backyard. Tip: get your kids to help with the list making to really get them engaged in the process (and the activities.)
Track how many books you/your kids have read - Shout out to Whitney English for this #momwin idea! Unlike Whitney's millennium of books...make the goal of 20-30 books. Once achieved, start the next list...you're on your way to reaching the 1000 book goal!
Shows/movies you want to watch - Hear about a good series from a convo at GNO? Maybe co-workers chatting about their binge-worthy series? Jot it down so you can see first-hand what the allure is all about.
To-do list for organizing the house - Warning: Listing what should be done is defined as a form of procrastination, but there's no judgement here. In fact, you're invited to map out your to-do's merely for the gratifying sake of checking them off. Creating sub-tasks for a single task (like "organize garage") is also quite welcome. After all, such monster-sized to-do's are much more manageable when defined as bite-sized pieces. As my father would often say, "Do it in squirrel fashion."
List of ideas that come to you in the shower - Yes, this is a thing. Possibly because it may be your only private time in a day where you and your thoughts share some quiet time together. Personally, some of my greatest breakthroughs have come to mind some time between the "rinse & repeat" steps. Towel off and jot those amazing ideas down...you'll be so glad you did.
Bucket List - It’s never too late or too early to get a jump start on your bucket list. What better place to write down all your bucket plans than in umm...your planner?
Track your fitness -Check off completed workouts each week, water intake daily, healthy habits every month or whatever you need to keep you motivated to reach your goals!
Find your gratitude - If you look for something good in a day, you will find it. In fact, challenge yourself to find something great each day. Finding something to be thankful for in daily life helps you realize what matters most. At year end, reading through 365 grateful thoughts will fill your heart and may brighten your mood! Which leads me to the next idea...
Track your moods - Keep track of how you feel each day to help you acknowledge your emotions and make adjustments as needed.
Honey Do List - Making organized lists on sheet for hubby helps him remember what needs to be done without the hmmm, how do we say... "benevolent, incessant reminding" from you.
Quotable quotes - Whether they are funny, inspirational, thought-provoking or just downright silly, write down your favorite ones to relive the moment when you found it so appealing.
Gift List - Your kids collectively have (6) teachers, (4) administrators, (2) bus drivers, (3) preferred sitters while you have (3) direct reports and a domestic assistant...managing the gift giving during holidays and appreciation weeks can be daunting. Taking the time to write down the list of gift ideas will not only save you valuable time, but gives you time to think through how to efficiently and cost effectively order them on Amazon Prime*. Click on the image below to get a FREE digital download for a pre-designed nifty gifty checklist! [*We are not affiliated with Amazon or its subsidiaries in any way. We just don't want to know life without it. Like ever.]
Daily To Do's - This may be the most obvious, but worth mentioning. In my own life, I don't know a day when I didn't have a to do list within arm's reach. Jotting down your to do's liberates your mind to focus on the task at hand. If you're constantly mentally managing all that it is swimming in your mind, it's unlikely you'll be productive at anything. Get it out of your head and onto paper and let the sense of accomplishment envelop you. Ahhh...see?