Benefits of List Making

I am a recent convert to the benefits of list making. I generally have a good memory and did well at remembering what I need to do, where I need to be and when. The combination of my memory and success and pride I believe kept me from discovering the benefits sooner. List making was suggested to me as a strategy before but I would think, "lists? I don't need lists! I can do this on my own!"

However, once I did begin the list making and started to reap the benefits I have not looked back! The biggest benefit is that it helps with my anxiety, a common and prominent effect of brain injury.  List making also helps reduce feeling overwhelmed, which can shut me down and make it hard to even begin what I need to do!

Life events also gave me a nudge.   A couple months ago a badly broken leg forced me to take off a few weeks of work. A couple nights before my scheduled return date I started freaking out about all I all I had to do upon my return so I decided to make a list. And I learned that while there was in fact a lot to get done, it wasn't nearly as much as I initially anticipated! This calmed my fears and helped me to be more productive. Now I make lists for many things. Groceries, people to call/email, general to do list, etc. I have one for home and one for work, posted in a prominent place with a writing utensil close by.

What benefits have you experienced from list making? What strategies have worked for you?