An important part of creating documents, emails, and website information is the ability to organize data in a simple, readable manner. My favorite way of organizing data is to use lists. And there are tools available to make using lists even easier.
Simple or Unordered Lists
If the order of your information doesn’t matter, use unordered or bulleted lists. These lists use a symbol, usually •, to begin each entry. For example, you might use an unordered list when creating a grocery list, since the ordering is unimportant:
- Apples
- Cinnamon
- Ice Cream
- Lettuce
Numbered or Ordered Lists
When sequencing is important, you can use ordered lists. These lists number each item so one can be sure what comes next. For example, you might use an ordered list to show the steps in completing a task, such as how to wash your hands.
- Turn on the water
- Wet your hands
- Add soap and rub your hands for 30 seconds
- Rinse your hands
- Dry your hands.
Tools for Creating Lists
Whether creating emails or documents in a program like Microsoft Word, tools exist to help make using lists easier. These tools automatically add numbers or symbols at the start of each entry so you don’t have to remember. This also permits you to add entries or move them around without having to manually change sequence numbers.
And my favorite part is being able to put lists within lists. This lets you create an outline or to mix bullets and numbers. Here are two examples:
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© 2012 by Sherry Goncharsky
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