Once upon a time, I loved shopping, which I saw not as an errand or even a past-time, but a responsibility to use my God-given talent not unlike that of Van Gogh or Mozart, although perhaps more practical. I was one of those people who kept tabs on when a certain item would go on sale, all the while factoring in the liklihood that my size and preferred color would be available. Keeping up in this way required nearly daily trips to the mall, a habit that, while time-consuming, I didn't begrudge, any more than Van Gogh would begrudge time before his canvas, or Mozart at the piano. Greatness requires diligence, and I was nothing if not a Great Shopper.
And then something happened--I'm not exactly sure what or when--but I stopped seeing shopping as a Great Adventure and started seeing it as a Great Pain in the you-know-what. Nowadays, given the choice to go to the mall or scrub out the toilet, I'd almost always opt for the latter, which is done and over with in a few minutes, costs nothing, and doesn't involve parking or waiting in lines.
That said, I've come up with a couple techniques that make the inevitable shopping trip at least a little more bearable:
The On-Going Shopping List
While there's nothing particularly new about writing a list before shopping, a twist I've found to be particularly helpful is to keep a running list of items, according to the specific store or type of store (i.e. "hardware store"). This is to say, I don't sit down and write out a list before I shop as much as note the items I need as I run out of them or as the thought occurs. When I find myself in the vicinity of the given store, my list is ready (in my Circa organizer) to pull out and use.
The Aisle-by-Aisle Grocery List
I've recently taken to grouping my grocery store items by the aisle of the store I usually go to, which makes for much faster trips.
The Circle-the-Item, Printed Grocery List
I've also seen printed lists; Levenger, for one, offers such a product, but I have my doubts about how useful it would be. For one, it won't be in the order of your local store, and for two, it would be filled with items you don't need, while missing items you do. If you like the idea of just circling the items rather than making a list out fresh, consider making your own list, which you type out in Word or another word processing program in whatever order seems to make sense to you. Leave a few blank lines at the end of every category to add any items not included on your list. Alter saved lists to include or delete items as your taste and shopping habits change.