Episode 16: Lists or Not – How Do We and Those We Love Keep Organized?

What is the role of lists in our lives? How do we each make lists, or not? Is list-making essential to organization or are there other ways to plan and keep intentional about things? How are our personalities and learning styles and those of our children reflected in the way we each make sense of information and understanding ideas in our lives? Is there a societal bias toward certain styles of organization and even organization itself? And could list-making be deeper and more creative than imagined? Please join us as we dive into a topic that seems practical at first glance but took us into some interesting discussion. We Discuss:   Kinds of lists – Joy, Adventure, Project  What is the relationship between the way we organize information and what helps us individually? What overwhelms us? How do we organize information if we don’t use lists? Prioritizing responsibilities to other people over our own things Hands-on lists and mental lists versus written lists “Stacking lists” The role of personality in the way we plan and keep track of things. What is our tolerance for change or a need to pivot? The link between list-making and how we individually process things – internal versus external and somewhere in between Verbal processing versus written lists The way that lists can help in an unschooling life to see new ideas as invitations That lists aren’t necessarily “to do” lists, but can also be a sort of menu Our children seeing their input as respected when it’s written down Family culture – the very different ways that each family and family member processes things The danger of lists? Too much planning, not enough action? Planning in unschooling? Sometimes there’s actually more organizational skill involved! Self-directed learning as a process that makes use many planning tools How a loosely held list can be a sort of “living document” “Planning for personalities” in our families Societal biases toward certain styles of planning Planning and lists for self-care List-making as a recipe for disappointment depending on how we see it. How do we remain forward-thinking and plan for our kids and also let go of the outcome? Could a list be seen as brainstorming? Lists as ways to be helpful and pass on information to other people “Not to do” lists as an idea! Resources  Joy Lists: A Home Education Essential – Taking a Kinder Path The Four Tendencies Gretchen Rubin How Do Unschoolers Plan and Record Learning? Happiness is Here Self-Soothing checklists – Taking a Kinder Path