The Yellow List

I’ve mentioned before that we use the EOS / Traction model in our agency, and it’s been awesome. There are a lot of great pieces that we’ve implemented from it, but one of my favorites is the concept of the “IDS List” (Identify, Discuss, Solve). In short, it’s a place to leave ideas until a future meeting to avoid interrupting each other constantly as new things pop up.

In reading “A Minute to Think“, author Juliet Funt described the exact same system (with the exact same benefits) but under a different name:

The Yellow List is your solution. It’s a document where you “park” items that you need to discuss later. The name came from the notes icon on the iPhone, where it was born, but also holds the implied meaning as the color of deceleration between Go and Stop. With a robust use of this tool, you can strengthen your impulse control, moderate urgency, and dramatically cut down on unnecessary communication. Technologically agnostic, the Yellow List is used to collect all non– time sensitive questions, ideas, and issues for anyone you connect with frequently. You can keep one list per person or a master list separated by first names. Instead of letting any old thought plop out as it enters your brain, you use the tool to consolidate communications that can wait.

It’s been one of the best things we’ve added to our company in the last decade. It allows us to come up with as many new ideas as we can, know that they’ll be heard, but they won’t be distractions throughout the day.

Whether you call it an “IDS List”, a “Yellow List” or something else entirely, it’s a fantastic simple little tool for your team that can have a huge impact.