diff --git a/include/sta/tacos.hpp b/include/sta/tacos.hpp
index b92f699..c5d6edc 100644
--- a/include/sta/tacos.hpp
+++ b/include/sta/tacos.hpp
@@ -68,7 +68,7 @@ namespace sta
 		 * @ingroup tacos_api
 		 */
 		template<typename T, typename ... Args>
-		std::shared_ptr<T> addThread(std::list<uint16_t> states, Args ... args)
+		std::shared_ptr<T> addThread(std::set<uint16_t> states, Args ... args)
 		{
 			std::shared_ptr<T> thread_ptr = std::make_shared<T>(args...);
 
diff --git a/include/sta/tacos/manager.hpp b/include/sta/tacos/manager.hpp
index e9e7120..58e67a1 100644
--- a/include/sta/tacos/manager.hpp
+++ b/include/sta/tacos/manager.hpp
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ namespace sta
 			/**
 			 * @brief Register a thread to be managed by the manager.
 			 */
-			void registerThread(std::shared_ptr<TacosThread> thread, std::list<uint16_t> states);
+			void registerThread(std::shared_ptr<TacosThread> thread, std::set<uint16_t> states);
 
 			void init() override;
 
diff --git a/include/sta/tacos/statemachine.hpp b/include/sta/tacos/statemachine.hpp
index 030e903..9305316 100644
--- a/include/sta/tacos/statemachine.hpp
+++ b/include/sta/tacos/statemachine.hpp
@@ -69,6 +69,23 @@
 
 #include <functional>
 #include <tuple>
+#include <set>
+#include <algorithm>
+
+
+/**
+ * @brief Addresses all states from 0 to STA_TACOS_NUM_STATES-1.
+ *
+ * @ingroup tacos_statemachine
+ */
+#define ALL_STATES std::set<uint16_t>{[]{ std::set<uint16_t> states; for (uint16_t i = 0; i < STA_TACOS_NUM_STATES; ++i) states.insert(i); return states; }() }
+
+/**
+ * @brief Shorthand to make own sets of states. Primarily for exlcusion via "-" operator.
+ *
+ * @ingroup tacos_statemachine
+ */
+#define state_set std::set<uint16_t>
 
 namespace sta
 {
@@ -204,4 +221,12 @@ namespace sta
 
 #endif // STA_TACOS_NUM_STATES
 
+/// Overwrite "-" operator for set.
+template <typename T>
+std::set<T> operator-(const std::set<T>& set1, const std::set<T>& set2) {
+    std::set<T> result;
+    std::set_difference(set1.begin(), set1.end(), set2.begin(), set2.end(), std::inserter(result, result.begin()));
+    return result;
+}
+
 #endif /* INCLUDE_TACOS_STATEMACHINE_HPP_ */
diff --git a/src/manager.cpp b/src/manager.cpp
index 468c5fb..1c853a4 100644
--- a/src/manager.cpp
+++ b/src/manager.cpp
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ namespace sta
 {
 	namespace tacos
 	{
-		void Manager::registerThread(std::shared_ptr<TacosThread> thread, std::list<uint16_t> states)
+		void Manager::registerThread(std::shared_ptr<TacosThread> thread, std::set<uint16_t> states)
 		{
 			for (uint16_t state : states)
 			{