I make them for everything.
I have a general To-Do list that includes things like homework and grocery shopping and is broken down by time of day. Then I have supplemental To-Do lists -- detailed lists of my specific homework and what exact groceries I have to buy. Furthermore, say I have a lot of homework for a class, I have a list for that too. I even have a special notebook where I write my lists (so that I don't lose them).
It's sickening and I'm a bit embarrassed to have just admitted all of that.
One would think I would be a bit more organized but I spend more time creating lists than
actually doing the things on the lists. However, I need these lists to keep me sane. They keep things structured and I like that.To my delight, I recently found a To-Do list widget for my Mac dashboard (picture right). It's very simple, straightforward and you can create several lists at one time. Best of all, you can't lose it. It's mostly useful for general lists because I don't constantly have my Mac on me.
In addition, the Web site Remember the Milk is an online To-Do list maker. After signing up, you can create weekly and daily lists and the site lets you know which tasks are due today and tomorrow, and which ones are overdue. You can also share you list with others through e-mail and they can add or cross-off tasks.
While I admit I haven't really gotten into this site just yet, it is on my To-Do list. I'll make sure to share my results.
While my addiction may be a bit out of hand, it is quite common and the book, To-Do List: From Buying Milk to Finding a Soul Mate, What Our Lists Reveal About Us by Sasha Cagen, makes this pretty clear.Originating from the blog To-Do List, the book is a collection of people's lists and they're not all straightforward day-to-day lists. Some are 20-year plans while others are lists of must see movies. There are also lists of past romantic conquests and lists that are written in code on the back of envelopes.
Each list is accompanied by a description from its author and includes a note from Cagen about how the reader can create their own similar list.
Recent blog posts include a list of why someone needs a job and a list of 100 things someone is happy about.
Through this book and the online To-Do list innovations, I'm inspired to write more creative lists -- add that to this week's To-Do.
3 comments:
I, too, am a frequent user of to-do lists, and proud of it.
Here I express my luddite leanings again: I just like writing it down on paper because of the satisfaction of drawing multiple bold lines through things when they're done. Still, it's a neat idea, and I may just end up using it one of these days when I finally jump on board the anti-paper train.
Ah, a fellow to-do list queen! I live for them. I make them on my computer, on paper -- whatever's convenient and most necessary at a given time.
It's a habit that has saved me lots of time and aggravation over the years -- I still make full packing lists every time I'm about to leave for a trip. I spend all my time on the list, and then very little time putting stuff in bags.
I will tell this story on myself, though. I once made an exhaustive list just before a camping trip, and made sure I included everything from a first-aid kit to musical instruments -- but I forgot to add underwear to the list! I ended up driving all the way to my destination before I found out that I'd be there a week without undies. A second trip to a local store solved that problem, but I always put underwear first on my packing lists now!
If you use iGoogle, you can access your desktop on any computer. And one of the things you can add is a to-do list.
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