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Making Words Work For You |
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Why I Love to Write Lists
I’m an avid list writer, something that drives my wife mad. She has got a point I suppose – I’ve currently got so many lists that I’ve actually had to make a list of my lists...
I’ve always been a great writer of lists. Things I have to do today, things that I have to do this week, things I need to get done this month. Then there’s the sub-lists: household jobs like fixing that leaking tap, cutting the grass, changing the bulb in the table lamp. The slightly longer-term, less urgent items: re-turfing the front garden, shopping around for cheaper insurance, getting quotes for that new fence.
That’s not to mention the business-related items, and it’s here where the ‘list’ really comes into play. There’s my immediate ‘Today’ list, backed up my secondary ‘Today’ list, ie, the things I’ll do IF I get through the things on the first list. Then there’s the standby list containing all the ‘work in progress’ items which I can chip away at gradually as time permits – not urgent enough to warrant ‘secondary Today list’ status, but still too important to ignore altogether.
Then there’s the 6-month plan list, the 12 month plan and of course – no list writer worthy of the title should be without this one – a 5 year plan. Ah, so many lists – so little time!
As I mentioned, my wife is almost completely opposed to this concept of writing lists – she sees it as a waste of time and would much rather just ‘get on with things’ than spend time analysing and deliberating over the latest list. ‘In the time it’s taken you to write that list, you could have taken care of some of the stuff that’s on the list...’ she cries. True I suppose, but to me my lists are my way of staying organised and focused on what needs to be done and WHEN it needs to be done by.
As an experiment I tried working without my list system for a few days and although not a complete disaster, I felt quite uncomfortable without my safety net close to hand. Always worried that I’d forget something important I found myself scribbling quick reminders on my notepad – I just can’t help doing it; it’s a deeply ingrained habit. The end result is I’ve decided that list-writing really works for me. It may not be everybody’s cup of tea, but give me a list and I’m a happy man!
Still I will try not to be quite so intense about it in future – for my wife’s sake at least. ‘Try to ease off on writing lists’ – must add that my list. Question is, which one?
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