Lists that work.
WHAT LISTS ARE FOR
Items of the same kind Steps in a sequence Options to choose between
WHAT THEY ARE NOT FOR
Breaking up prose to appear organised Arguments requiring connection between ideas
WHY THAT SECOND POINT MATTERS
Lists remove the relationships that carry reasoning.
WHAT TO DO WITH AN ARGUMENT
Write it as prose.
WHAT MAKES A LIST READABLE
Items of similar length Parallel grammatical structure No more than a handful of items
WHAT PARALLEL STRUCTURE MEANS
Every item beginning the same way: all verbs, or all nouns.
WHY
Inconsistency makes the list harder to read.
WHAT TO AVOID
Items that are full paragraphs Sub-lists several levels deep Lists of lists
WHAT TO DO IF ITEMS ARE LONG
Use headings instead.
WHAT TO PUT FIRST
The most important item.
WHY
Attention declines down a list.
WHAT TO DO ABOUT LONG LISTS
Group them under headings.
WHAT TO INTRODUCE A LIST WITH
A sentence saying what it contains.
WHY
Lists without introduction are disorienting.
WHAT TO NUMBER
Sequences and anything referenced later.
WHAT NOT TO NUMBER
Items with no order.
