Life happens. It always does. And when that time arrives, writing is always the first thing to go.
I myself often fall victim to the increasing demands of life. Of having to earn a living. Of preparing to have a family. Of dealing with emergencies. But that doesn’t mean I have to set my writing aside.
Which is why I’ve come up with these lists that turbocharge my writing.
Sometimes, the muse blesses me with her presence, and with whatever writerly planets being in retrograde, I magically get ample time to explore the magic of words.
Most times, however, it’s like trying to get a bunch of cats to line up—impossible even if I had professional training.
That’s where the system comes in. It allows me to hit the ground running when I’m finally able to face the blank page. So here they are, listed out for you, in hopes that you’d find use out of a couple.
1. The ideas list
We begin with the most common one. So common, in fact, that I’ll assume you already have one. My ideas list is where I list my… well… ideas.
But its utility lies not in the list itself. Instead, it’s in the ease of recording ideas. Which is why you need to create a system that has the least friction possible.
I personally use Obsidian since my phone or laptop is always within reach. It’s snappy enough to record quick thoughts, and it syncs to the cloud as well. Can’t ask for more, really.
I use pen and paper too. The only problem is that I might never see those notes again.
Oh, by the way, it’s important not to qualify your thoughts at this stage.
Saw a squirrel in your garden that inspired a new plot for a zombie-rodent flick? Write that down. The word ‘hummus’ sparked a particular scene in your mind? Write that down. The phrase ‘I wonder what a love letter from Satan looks like’ comes to mind but you don’t know why? Write it down.
You’ll find that these ideas, once on paper, will start to grow now that you’ve nestled them in your compost bin. You can always come back to them or ignore them forever.
Whatever you do, don’t overcomplicate things. So leave your colour coding or alphabetised indexes to your bujo instead.
2. The to-do list
Another no-brainer. You’ll probably have used this a lot too. It’s a great way to stay on track, especially if you’re easily distracted by tasks like seasoning your cast iron pan when you really should be writing.
Why are to-do lists important? Because as writers, we tend to underestimate the time we need to write. We assume that one hour’s all we need to draft a story, then we realise another day’s passed and we’ve barely written two sentences.
I keep a to-do list because it’s my way of cheating myself into action. I have tasks grouped by levels—tough, medium, easy—and I pick them based on my mood.
I use a perpetual rolling list. So no keeping checked boxes just to relish my past productivity. I delete my finished tasks and add new ones as they come along into one master list. Both personal and work tasks go here.
Even if it’s a 50/50 chance I’ll do something, it still goes into the list. That way, I don’t need to feel like I might’ve forgotten something important.
3. The reminder list
I like socialising on WordPress, but I can barely remember my own birthday. Which is why electronics come in real handy.
The reminder list is where I record every detail about bloggers like you, especially on this platform. So I’ll log down your real name (especially if you use a nickname for your blog), your backstories, any follow-ups, or thoughts on your posts that I like.
This is so that when I browse websites like KM Allan’s, for instance, I’ll know to call her Kate, as her name isn’t readily available on her blog.
Want me to remember something about you? Just drop a fact in the comment box below and I’ll add it to the list.
4. The shortcuts list
Building upon the above point, I also comment a lot on WordPress. I’d roughly estimate having written about 15,000–20,000 comments to date (that’s 20–30 every day for about three years).
Which naturally means I tend to repeat certain phrases over and over. The most common ones being ‘thanks for this post’ and ‘thanks for sharing’. You might’ve noticed them if we’ve traded comments.
Why do I do this? Because it’s my way of ending the conversation. I can’t just leave a comment hanging. That’s like having a phone conversation in the movies. You know how the characters always hang up without saying goodbye? Yeah, that drives me nuts.
So I make sure to avoid abrupt endings by including proper farewells. All I do is type ‘tftp’ or ‘tfs’ and the corresponding phrases show up.
I have a bunch of other shortcuts too, and they probably save me a couple of seconds each time I use them. Not a lot, right? But multiply that by 20,000 posts and you’ll probably stop scoffing at my horologic-frugality.
5. The learning list
Every once in a while, I find new interests within the subject of writing that I’d like to explore further. There was a period when I wanted to learn about all things journalling. My latest pursuit involves the Gregg shorthand system. Only natural, seeing how I always have a pen in hand.
I do learn about the subjects I write about too. So productivity lessons make it into this list. Health. Cooking. Mindfulness. Some subjects may not relate exactly to writing, but they still grow my craft nonetheless.
6. The to-consume list
This list is similar to the above, but it’s geared more towards consumption. So if someone mentions an interesting video or a great novel, then I write it down here.
It’s my way of scratching the itch of information hoarding without actually doing it. And when I’m bored, I just pull something off this list to consume.
7. The novel editing list
Last but not least is my novel editing list. For every manuscript, I keep a running list of questions and editing notes. Here, I ask myself questions like ‘how would the hacking work?’ or ‘what’s the quickest-acting anaesthetic?’
I also remind myself what edits I’ve made and why, just so that I won’t feel so lost in future revisions.
This isn’t the same as my world-building bible, though. The bible holds every detail about my characters, worlds, and behind-the-scenes elements, like currency. The novel editing list, on the other hand, is more like patch notes for myself.
It’s not the most useful for general writing, however, which is why I saved this for last.
Just put it on paper
I feel like a broken record saying this, but that’s not going to stop me from repeating how I’m in the ‘just write’ camp. That’s because no matter what your goals are as a writer, the only way you’ll ever achieve them is by having written.
But that also applies to the thoughts and problems bouncing about in your head. To process them better, it makes sense to put them on paper first and ask questions later. Literally.
So it doesn’t matter if it’s a list on your phone or a long-winded story on a letter pad. When in doubt, just write. There are worse things you can do after all.
What things, you ask? Well, I guess I’ll have to write a list for that.
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Stuart Danker 
I’d love to hear your thoughts!