Quick Lists That Work: Shopping, Packing and Errands
How to write short, practical lists in a text editor so they're quick to make, easy to scan and simple to reuse.
Some of the most useful notes are tiny: a shopping list, a packing list, a set of errands. A few habits make them work better.
Shopping lists
- Group by section of the shop: fruit and vegetables, dairy, tins, household.
- One item per line.
- Note amounts where needed: "milk x2".
- Save a standard list of things you buy often, and edit it each week.
- Delete or mark items as you buy them.
Example:
Fruit & veg
- apples
- spinach
Dairy
- milk x2
- yoghurt
Packing lists
- Make a master list you can copy each time you travel.
- Group by category: clothes, toiletries, documents, electronics.
- Add trip-specific items each time.
- Keep it in a saved file, so you don't start from scratch.
Errands
- Put the most urgent first.
- Add the place so you can group trips: "Bank: pay bill", "Chemist: prescription".
- Include times for anything fixed.
Simple symbols
Plain text has no checkboxes, but you can use symbols:
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| [ ] | not done |
| [x] | done |
| - | item |
| ! | urgent |
| ? | need to check |
Emoji can work too, if your editor supports them: a tick for done, a star for important.
Making a template
Save a blank list with your usual sections, then make a copy each time. It saves you retyping.
Keep them short
A list only helps if you use it. Trim it to what you'll do, and remove finished items regularly.
Share a list
Copy the text into a message to share a shopping list with someone at home.
Quick access
Store your lists in a folder you can open in a couple of taps, and give the files clear names like shopping.txt and packing.txt.
Notepad+ Text Editor
A fast, advanced text editor for notes and code, with emoji support
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