This is an actual photo of my active (vs “for another time”) lists. Many more of which can be found in the pages of that yellow Moleskin on the right or stored on the many Google Calendars I keep. And yes, I blurred them a bit in Photoshop because the items on the lists are sometimes embarrassing things like “REMEMBER TO EMAIL ___________ BACK.” It’s not that I don’t read people’s emails because I totally do. But I usually read them on my phone as they come in and kind of hate typing out long responses on the tiny iPhone screen so…yeah. You get the picture. In short, in case of an emergency: tweet me. In short, to the list of people I actually had to write down their names to remember to reply to…I’m sorry. (If we were doing business together, I’d be MUCH quicker to reply. Just saying.)
That’s all neither here nor there.
I have a lot of lists. A lot of to-dos. And I’m sure you do too (so thanks for taking the time to read this post).
I’ve spent a good week or so kind of feeling like McKayla Maroney during the final vaults medal ceremony at the 2012 summer Olympics in London: Not impressed.
With a head nod to nothing in particular except perhaps the scones I made the other day ago and a handful of good shots I’ve taken. So all of these lists, hands down the most useful tool in my organizational toolbox next to post-it flags and colored highlighters, started to pile up. And then the list for my lists started.
Hopefully I’m not alone here when I say I email myself. All of the time. I email myself articles (even though I use google reader AND the fabulous Pocket). I email myself blog ideas (even though I have a document stored in the cloud for that). I email myself grocery items to buy (even though I have a specific task list for that). There is basically no limit to the things I email myself.
This only adds to the number of lists.
But when you’re a Type A like I am, the mere thought of being spread too thin makes my heart rate jump so to actually be spread thin across email, paper lists, twitter/pinterest (I favorite a lot of links and news stories to read later), Pocket, Google Reader, Google Calendar, Gmail, and every other social network out there…my mind starts to collapse in on itself.
It’s a miracle I didn’t end up in the foetal position staring a wall this last week.
So this afternoon I made a strong cuppa and started condensing lists and reorganizing my thoughts.
I feel better, mentally, for having done so (never mind the reward I gave myself of watching some funny YouTube videos).
BUT this now means I have a weeks worth of to-do list items waiting for me. It means my lists STILL have lists of their own. They’re just in the fashion I prefer: Organized by category and then color coded by importance.
Most of all, it means I have a lot to accomplish. Which might seem scary when you’re young Simba staring down at the elephant graveyard with Nala. Except these are the things I thrive off of. Working. Doing. Making. Writing. Photographing. Even…ew…editing.
I find when I’m not traveling and living life spontaneously I like to go in the extreme opposite direction and live a very structured, detailed life that involves lost and lots of lists. It’s just who I am.
No matter how you work, if you keep it all in your head or obsessively email yourself, I hope you end Thursday/start Friday with not only a sense of accomplishment, but a sense of excitement for all the things you’re yet to do.
And, anyway, idle hands make for the devil’s handiwork. So stay busy.
Have a good evening, xx
