The main reason for the list is because the idea is it's gonna be a big world that I can have multiple games set in (Like elderscrolls) and possibly books (like ASOIAF)Then you need empty spaces in your world design. A list of places, cultures, races etc. is negative work: you spend effort to constrain your future creations without need, while you should instead design one game at a time leaving the rest of the world open for further developments.
For example, take the Warcraft franchise, which shares a kitchen sink approach to race selection with your notes. The RTS games are about orcs and humans, with elves, ogres, dwarves, trolls etc. as less detailed allies, and they care only about the military aspect of their cultures. The recent film is even more focused on orcs and humans only, and on very specific groups of each (a couple of special orc tribes, the king's court and the wizards, etc.). World of Warcraft adds less traditional, if not exotic, new races to add novel character build options and interesting enemies, not simply because they are cool.