What It Costs of Not Using Bulleted List

Few weeks ago, I sent a product order to Vic, one of my kind and very good friends, in Philippines.

Along with the sales order, I also added instruction to send a package to Dubai and some packages to other regions in the Philippines.

Since I was in hurry to send the mail, I put the list and instruction together in one loooooooong paragraph.

Vic responded quickly to the instruction. He purchased the products and sent the packages to the respective addresses I have given him.

About two weeks later, I asked Vic to give me the tracking number of the packages he had sent. As quick as he could, he emailed to me the tracking numbers with corresponding list of items in every package.

Oh my God! He missed to include four boxes of items into the package for Dubai. The shipping fee for UEA of the forgotten items is too expensive—with crying smiley.

Immediately, I replied and ask him why he did not include the four boxes of that particular item; I did not get a long answer from him but a simple apology and a short note.

“Next time Kuya, since I am a visual [learner], please itemize it,” he said with extra smiley. And he added an example like this:

• 4 boxes of ABC product
• 2 packs of KLM product
• 1 kit of ABC product

Yeah, I realized that I had forgotten to use bulleted list in my instruction. I just laugh and told him that it’s okay because both of us have mistaken.

To you who is reading this post, this simply means that BULLETS are friendly and easily remembered. I encourage you to use bulleted list in:

1. Giving written instruction,
2. Presentations,
3. GRAPHIC DESIGN
4. To do lists, and
5. Other instances that it is applicable.

Thanks you for reading. Godspeed!