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I love lists and I keep them for almost everything, from people I want to work with to weird foods I want to try. If you're not a serial list-maker like me yet, here's five lists to start off your collection which I promise will come in very handy. Keep these in a notebook, on your computer or even in a scrapbook or Pinterest, if you're a more visual person.

1. To-visit someday
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Whenever you see an amazing hotel, restaurant, shop or even just a crazy statue on a blog, website or in a magazine take a note of it on your to-visit list, even if you don't think you'll ever be near the city or country it's in. Also, if you're friends come back from an exciting trip, have them give your their top recommendations. You never know where life will take you in the future and when you're sent on a surprise work-trip to Norway, you'll be so glad of that list of interesting things to kill time with in Oslo. Mine came in so handy when road-tripping around America and we had somewhere fantastic to eat, interesting places to visit and awesome things to take photos of almost every day.

2. Wishlist
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Having a list of all the lovely things you'd like to own may seem a little materialistic but it's a really useful thing to point people to when birthdays come round or someone special wants to treat you. Fill it with all the things you love and make it public, so family looking for birthday ideas can surprise you. I also use mine to motivate myself in to hitting my goals. For each milestone, I'll reward myself with a little something from my wish list.

3. Ambitions & dreams
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This is probably the most important list of all and should be filled with all the things to you'd like to do and achieve in your lifetime. Check out my article on Creating a Life Plan for more help putting this together. Why is it so important to have a list like this? It'll make sure you say yes if an opportunity to tick an item off ever comes your way and it'll feel so good ticking it off when you do.

4. Gift ideas
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Similar to your wishlist, it's a great idea to keep a list of gift ideas for other people. If you see something perfect for a friend or family member, take a note of it and when Christmas or their birthday comes, you'll already have a great set of ideas to pick from.

5. Movies to see, books to read & bands to check out
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This is a very practical list. If someone mentions a movie, book or band you might like, make sure to note it down on your list. Next time your at the cinema, in the bookshop or the band comes to town, you'll know to check them out. If you're lacking inspiration for this list, type your current favourites in to TasteKid to be recommended similar things.

Which lists do you keep?

(Photo sources can be found on my Pinterest.)