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I encourage everyone to write lists outside of to do lists, or the bite-size packaged “listicles” we come across as clickbait (i.e.“ten signs you’re dying”). ​ Auto-biographical list-making is a pathway to rediscover memories, preserve stories, kickstart creative projects, visualize dreams, and keep a record of books, films, music, and all the other experiences that have transformed you. Making a list also augments our brain's storage capacity. If it's in a list, then memories are never lost; they never fall behind the mind’s filing cabinet. If I asked you to list "memorable objects inside your childhood home," or the "places you've lived," a colorful assortment of memories would surface that are unique to you. THIS IS YOUR LISTOGRAPHY. A completed list on, let's say, "songs that remind you of loves from the past" might bring up feelings and memories in the unique way a photograph can––sometimes even more so. I can't make a list on "my favorite games from childhood" without remembering

WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH YOUR MEMORIES? Many of us make lists every day—but usually the practical kind: grocery lists, to-do lists, reminders we immediately forget once they're checked off. Or the bite-sized “listicles” that flood the internet (“10 Signs You’re Secretly Becoming Your Mother”). But autobiographical list-making is something entirely different. Making lists about your life is a way to rediscover forgotten memories, preserve stories, spark creative projects, map dreams, and keep track of the books, films, music, people, and experiences that shaped who you are. A list becomes a…

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