A list is a list, right? Wrong! There’s a world of difference between a bulleted list and a numbered list. Here’s what you need to know:

When to use numbers

Use numbers when the sequence is important. For example, if someone is house-sitting for you, the instructions for setting the alarm will be something like this:

1. Type in the code.

2. Press Exit.

3. Leave the house within 30 seconds.

4. Lock up.

It would make no sense to instruct the person to leave the house before setting the alarm!

When to use bullets

Use numbers when — you guessed it — the order is not important.

On the subject of bullets, I prefer to avoid fancy ones. The reason is that once the reader starts to notice things like the style of the bullet points, you’ve lost them. It’s just a distraction in my view.