I was sent a PDF preview copy of the book Listful Living by Paula Rizzo a little while ago. I kind of wish I had a paperback version of it so I could fill it all out… because yes, you are supposed to write in this book.

The book’s sub-title is “A List-Making Journey to a Less Stressed You”. I like that it doesn’t promise stress-free, because that’s not realistic. But being less stressed? That’s something I could really use. There are things in my life that making a list isn’t going to solve, but with some guidance it could actually help stop catastrophizing things and not giving them so much power toward my well-being.

The book starts off fairly simply, just choose which things you like more!

Sometimes it helps to just remember who you are and what you like, right?

But the book then moves into the 3 main parts and things get deeper pretty quickly. The first section is about “Where are you?” – or basically it helps guide you through making lists that will help you sort out how you’re feeling at the current moment.

The second part is “Where are you going?” – this helps you plan out the direction you’d like to take your life in. I liked the pages about designing your ideal day… but also know that my ideal day doesn’t look anything like my current days! (I mean, my ideal day is never going to consist of being startled awake at 4am by my kiddo, but I’m a parent and it happens!)

There were some pages where you can build “to not do” lists, which made me chuckle. But again, not always in my control. I don’t enjoy meal planning and making dinner, but that’s also part of being a parent! (The good things outweigh the bad in parenting… most days!)

The last section builds upon everything you’ve been writing down and discovering about yourself in “Your Passport to Stress-Free Living”. Ah…. this one promises stress-free! But really, if you have the tools at your disposal to know how to evaluate things, it can work to greatly reduce stress.

When I decide to start buying things for myself again, I may order the paperback version of this book. I keep thinking I should try to journal, but freeform journaling doesn’t stick for me. Maybe something like this with some more guided prompts would help me sort out my jumbled thoughts more.

The author also maintains the website ListProducer.com where there are all kinds of resources for using lists to help improve your life.