So far we’ve discussed the benefits of lists when dealing with too much information and the role trust plays in finding and building useful lists. Now we turn to more practical matters and what it takes to bring out the best in your lists.
On the surface lists seem pretty straight forward, and once you know the right tricks they are. However, if you don’t understand the pitfalls you can find yourself with a list that takes you further from your goal than closer to it.
First, whether making your list or finding one consider its length. Too many items and you end up with an information overload so the right amount is key, but how many is too much?
Author and surgeon Atul Gawande explains in his best-selling book The Checklist Manifesto that when it comes to lists any more than 9 items results in a list that becomes increasingly difficult for our brains to fully absorb and act on. Considering this, and considering how common and used to top ten lists we are, it’s probably safe to say that ten items or less is best when it comes to lists. What about when it comes to how few items a list should have? Three is probably the minimum. One item isn’t a list and two can feel more like a choice so when it comes to lists three to ten is the place to start.
Next, consider the type of list you’re dealing with. Is it a list of things to do? A recipe? A catalog of your all time favorite actors? Ask yourself: is this list actionable or informational? So how do you tell the difference? If you could imagine the items together as a checklist you could cross off by taking an action then the list is actionable. However, if a checklist format wouldn’t make sense then it’s likely informational.
Understanding the type of list you have is important for figuring out how you will use it and, if building your own, organize it. Here’s an easy example with an actionable list. When building one online or on paper include check boxes beside each item. This helps frame them in a ‘to-do’ format that encourages action and helps track progress adding instant utility.
Focus is also critical. Lists should have a clear subject in mind and not attempt to tackle too many things. For instance, ‘best walking trails in town’ is far more focused than ‘best walking trails and gyms in town’. An example would be if you were interested in a list of places great for a light cardio workout. The focus is places to exercise so both walking trails and gyms could be on that list, but if your focus was on places to get that exercise on a budget a list including costly gyms (even if they have a great cardio program) is much less focused and certainly less useful to the budget-minded reader.
Lastly, understand that information is key. It’s fine to keep a list brief but make sure the most important information is included (or at least linked to). A list of places to hike is a good start, but the next step for anyone that uses that list will be to find a map of the trail, park operating hours, tips and photos of the location. Including some or all of the information relevant to the user of the list can do more than make your list more fleshed out or visually appealing, it can make it more useful too.
Be mindful with this, it’s easy to provide too much information. Remember that we’re talking lists here not research papers. If it’s an actionable list a simple map or a few photos and links should suffice, and if it’s informational no more than a paragraph is needed for each list item. The exception to this is if you’re dealing with broad subjects that require information and examples. In these cases, a few extra paragraphs may actually be beneficial. If you’re making a list for someone put yourself in their shoes and ask if enough information is being provided to keep them from having to do more work to make the list usable.
These are just the major factors that impact the quality of a list, there are many smaller tactics important to creating great lists which aren’t mentioned here.
I encourage readers to explore the subject further.
So now we know how to identify and build a great list, but where do we find lists to begin with? That’s the subject of our next article.
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