List of likes
August 18, 2015 7:35 PM   Subscribe

I recently wrote a list of the foods I like and it was liberating. What other topics can I make lists of likes about? Mundane to the metaphysical, all are welcome.

I'm recently single and I'm seeking my authentic self after years of attending to others' needs. Concentrating on my likes in a list of foods was very self-affirming and grounding. And now I want to make lists of likes, or at least contemplate making a list, about almost every aspect of my life - like an audit of likes.

What lists could be on my list of lists of likes?
posted by Thella to Human Relations (37 answers total) 131 users marked this as a favorite
 
Best answer: Sounds
Smells
Colors
posted by Night_owl at 7:41 PM on August 18, 2015


People you want to meet.
posted by redlines at 7:42 PM on August 18, 2015


Best answer: Places to be. Anything from a whole city to, like 'the left corner of my couch by the window' or something.
posted by showbiz_liz at 7:47 PM on August 18, 2015 [4 favorites]


Books and TV shows. Hobbies.
posted by slateyness at 7:52 PM on August 18, 2015


Best answer: Make a list of things you like to do. You could get a little meta with it and include "writing lists of things I like to do" on it. But seriously. As simple/ dumb as it seems, sometimes just having a visual reminder like that helps me remember to spend my time in ways that make me happier.
posted by lettuce dance at 7:53 PM on August 18, 2015 [10 favorites]


Things you want to learn.
posted by Enki at 7:55 PM on August 18, 2015 [2 favorites]


Books!
posted by ferret branca at 7:58 PM on August 18, 2015


movies, tv shows
posted by hydra77 at 8:00 PM on August 18, 2015


Best answer: - smells I like (not forgetting smells that aren’t generally considered “nice smells” but that evoke nice things for you)
- words I like
- characters I like
- characters I’ve had crushes on
- clothes/outfits I like
- websites I like
- personality traits I like
- aspects/features of various religions that I like
- documentary topics that I like
- physical sensations that I like
posted by hotcoroner at 8:08 PM on August 18, 2015


Best answer: Traits/aspects that I value in my friends; comedians' lines I find most true; funny/endearing things my pet does; satisfying movements I can make; things I think but wouldn't say. A few months ago I did a similar thing and wrote 10 desires and 10 skills I want to develop. 10 is really too many but gleaning my stack of papers tonight I found that listing, and mentally relisting them helps me practice being me.
posted by perrouno at 8:10 PM on August 18, 2015 [3 favorites]


Restaurants you have liked (possibly in different categories, like "quiet restaurants" and "cheap restaurants" and "Greek restaurants")
Restaurants you would like to try
Words you like
Names you like
Cars you like
posted by lakeroon at 8:14 PM on August 18, 2015 [1 favorite]


Music, or more specifically bands, singers, albums, songs, even instruments. (Accordion to Zither!)
posted by The Wrong Kind of Cheese at 8:18 PM on August 18, 2015 [2 favorites]


Best answer: People - just people. Look very hard at the people in your life, and if they don't bring you joy or stimulation or something, cut them off.

Dishes you like to cook, or like to eat, or like to see, depending on your preferences

The kinds of quiet you prefer (the quiet of yourself in your kitchen is quite different from the quite of you and a friend in your kitchen, or you and a sibling in your kitchen, or etc.)

Things you're scared of. I have this, and it's useful.

Ways to travel. Like most people, I default to cars and planes, but I'm trying to explore other paths (bikes, trains, rideshares, etc.)

This might be specific to my city, but bridges to walk. One of the things I've enjoyed most in the last couple of years is crossing as many bridges as I can (I live in Pittsburgh; we have bunches.)
posted by punchtothehead at 8:25 PM on August 18, 2015 [9 favorites]


Best answer: Favorite clothing, from socks on up (I recently did a major clothing overhaul so that's on my mind right now.)

Media: Books, dances, songs, movies, plays, video games, artworks. Actually, when I go to a new museum I sometimes pick one favorite thing out of every room. It makes me pay more attention. If you feel like getting an activity out of your lists, that might be something to try.

A step more complex than foods is full meals you like, since not all great tastes taste great together.

What trips do you most enjoy? What trips would you most enjoy going on in the future?
posted by tchemgrrl at 8:36 PM on August 18, 2015 [1 favorite]


Best answer: Write down the address of every place you've ever lived. Then, write three things you liked about living there for each one. It could be tangible like "had sweet window seat" or "around corner from neat coffee shop" to more intangible things like "felt safe" or "had a lot of friends over during that time."
posted by missmary6 at 8:47 PM on August 18, 2015 [9 favorites]


Songs! I love making lists of songs.
Places you'd like to visit
Things you'd do if you won a large sum of money
posted by SisterHavana at 9:05 PM on August 18, 2015


Best answer: Colors, patterns and fabrics. Because, why not?
posted by Toddles at 9:15 PM on August 18, 2015 [1 favorite]


Best answer: I would do an inventory of hairstyles/fashion statements of mine in the past that I liked. Simply because I've rarely dated a person on the same page as me fashion-wise, so it would be nice to feel like I could say what I appreciate about myself without worrying about pleasing anyone. (If you are female, this can be especially fun, since the expectation is generally on you to be sexy/feminine/high-maintenance and sometimes you do all that and then become single and realize you actually really like short hair and that pair of soft comfortable-yet-stylish culottes.)

Similarly, your favorite traits about yourself in general. There is a scene in an episode of New Girl where a character dumps a guy because he says his favorite thing about her is that she's "nice"-- she's like "nice? What the hell? He clearly didn't know me at all, because I am not nice!" Sometimes it's good to remember what you like about yourself and not what other people want to like about you (or make you feel like you are/should be).
posted by easter queen at 9:16 PM on August 18, 2015


One thing I like to do periodically is make lists of ten things about myself that would make me recognizable if I was translated into a character in a movie, book, or song, or some other medium. So, like, in high school my friend was me for Halloween and people recognized her because I had a really distinctive set of things I always wore; at that time my wardrobe standbys were on my list. Later as I was less interested in expressing myself through fashion it got more interesting. It's a fun exercise because it's not necessarily about coming up with the things that are *essential* to you - it's about coming up with the things that would make you instantly recognizable if you were, say, reading a book by a friend and discovered a character loosely based on you.
posted by town of cats at 9:35 PM on August 18, 2015 [6 favorites]


Oh hell yes, I'm a list maker.
Everyone you've ever had sex with
Out of those, who did what awesome-est
Favourite paintings/ artists
Favourite buildings anywhere
Best books that made you cry eg Captain Corelli's Mandolin, The Time Traveller's Wife
Best TV series or movie bits to make you feel in touch with raw emotions eg end of Six Feet Under, end of Out of Africa.
Top ten best photographs of myself, not necessarily most 'beautiful'
Ten hilarious things I laughed at in the last week/month
Five outfits people have commented upon that I felt happy to be wearing

I'm going off to write my lists too ...
posted by honey-barbara at 9:45 PM on August 18, 2015 [1 favorite]


Best answer: Favorite things to do if you only have 5 minutes, 30 minutes, etc.

Itemized contents of ideal living room, kitchen, bedroom, garden.
posted by delight at 9:45 PM on August 18, 2015 [1 favorite]


Best answer: Things that make you feel good. This could be a physically good sensation, like a foot massage, or a bath with nice smelly things in it, or emotionally good, like a conversation with a dear friend. This is a very useful list to have when you are not feeling good, as it instantly gives you some ideas about how to feel better.

Amazing things you have done. Everyone has them, but you may not think they're amazing. If you have trouble with that, think about things you've done that people have thanked you for. Even if they are not particularly amazing, you did something that inspired someone to thank you.

Things that DO NOT make you feel good. This list is so that you can avoid them. I know it doesn't sound affirming, but it actually is really helpful to do this. I put up with all this stuff I hate? I don't have to do that anymore? Hells yeah!

Your favourite people. Probably better to do this one unranked so you don't get sidetracked into whether it's fair to like one person better than another.

Things that make you laugh.

Things that make you cry that good cry of emotional release and catharsis.

Things you can do now that you're single, from picking your nose to sleeping in the middle of the bed to doing what you want without checking with someone else, the whole banana.
posted by Athanassiel at 10:27 PM on August 18, 2015 [5 favorites]


Similar to what others have said--I keep a list of recipes I've liked. It's a shorter version of the family recipe box, because I can always look up the recipe online. I also keep a Fraulein Maria-type list of my favorite things: "Arnold Palmers, board games, camellias, dominoes..."
posted by Jane Austen at 11:25 PM on August 18, 2015 [2 favorites]


Best answer: A really helpful category of list is "things you've liked about the ______ you've had." Favorite things about each job, each city you've visited, each apartment you've lived in, each season, each friend, each book you've read more than once, each favorite t-shirt. (Stay away from categories that might bring back bad or scary memories.) These become lists of things to look for in future jobs, friends, books, etc.
posted by Metroid Baby at 3:25 AM on August 19, 2015 [3 favorites]


Best answer: Personal symbols. What symbolic things show up in your art, doodles, writing, etc?
posted by Serene Empress Dork at 4:56 AM on August 19, 2015


I've stumbled across lists of quotations I liked, that I'd made when I was younger - in addition to being something I found rewarding to compile at the time, it can also be kind of neat (and/or mildly embarrassing) to see the kinds of thoughts that felt particularly important, funny, or otherwise memorable to years-ago you.

(on a completely different note, lists of every dog/cat/whatever names you think you'd give the right pet can be fun, too)
posted by DingoMutt at 5:30 AM on August 19, 2015 [1 favorite]


If you can remember, it can be fun to list your favorite songs at different periods in your life (Like, "songs i liked when I was in middle school" or whatever. It's sometimes fun to cringe a little bit at your past self or rediscover just how great your taste was when you were 12). Or maybe favorite songs for different occasions/moods. ("Songs I like to listen to when I'm sad" or something).
posted by dismas at 6:38 AM on August 19, 2015


Things you like about each holiday (and don't like!). For example, I love Christmas, but it took me years to figure out that in order for Christmas to be special/half-way successful I had to do the following:

- have all the planning/shopping/wrapping/baking taken care of by 30 November (so that I wasn't running around and fussed and tired during the month when I wanted to appreciate the season, and also to allow for work crises/illness)
- make sure that music played a big part
- make sure that the Christmas tree looked just right (I only like blue lights on it, darn it!)

And so forth.
posted by Amy NM at 7:05 AM on August 19, 2015 [1 favorite]


favorite architecture & design styles, fabrics, furnishings.
posted by pointystick at 7:15 AM on August 19, 2015 [1 favorite]


Best answer: Lots of good answers. When I was doing a similar thing after a long relationship, some of what was helpful for me was remembering my own habits.

- how I like to do laundry/dishes
- how and when I like to sleep
- how and when I like to eat/snack/have coffee
- how I like to celebrate holidays
- how I like to relax
posted by jessamyn at 7:15 AM on August 19, 2015 [5 favorites]


Best answer: List journaling is a thing around the scrapbooking/planner communities online.

Some resources for prompts/things to list about:
Listers Gotta List
30 Days of Lists
52 Lists Project

Happy listing!!
posted by watch out for turtles at 8:25 AM on August 19, 2015 [6 favorites]


A list of what you wanted to do/be when you grew up (vet, dog trainer, homicide detective, criminal psychologist, etc.).
posted by Sassyfras at 8:49 AM on August 19, 2015


How you like to spend each holiday (and who with), and how you do not want to spend each holiday. Ditto for vacations.
posted by vignettist at 12:53 PM on August 19, 2015


There are these Listography books.

List of fantasy dream jobs
List of mostly useless topics in which you are an expert (1990s teen movies, indie pop circa 2005, colonial Virginian history, etc)
List of elements that immediately make you want to read that book/watch that movie/etc (boarding schools? Teen witches? Intense sibling conflict? I'm in!)
List of dream vacations, but with specific details (leisurely 10 day bike ride through southern France in May)
Your ideal day mapped out hour by hour
List of celebrity crushes now and when you were 15
List of hobbies you would pursue if you had all the time in the world (then maybe you will realize you can make time for one or more of them now!)
posted by wsquared at 10:47 PM on August 19, 2015 [1 favorite]


Response by poster: Fantastic! I have so much to go on with here. Happy listing!
posted by Thella at 5:54 PM on August 21, 2015


The art influence list/map! Or you can list things that are part of your aesthetic.
posted by glass origami robot at 1:44 AM on August 25, 2015


Just thought of another: your celebrity appearance contract rider. What needs to be in your dressing room? No brown M&Ms! etc.
posted by Jane Austen at 5:32 AM on November 1, 2015


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