Lists
I love lists. Lists has to be one of the most glorious inventions of human-kind. There is no other way that combines efficiency, planning and gratification in quite the same way as a list.
Once you've bulleted the things you need to do it's a simple matter of deciding each item's relative importance to each other and slowly, tick them off with a shiver of satisfaction as each little tick proves your actual worth in terms of action vs. lazing around.
To be quite frank, I've never characterized myself as a neat-freak, or a list-fetishist (the latter was brought on quite recently actually), but lately, I've been reconsidering the former statement. Granted, a couple of years back I was a slob of the worst sort. Filth and I were buddies, homies, brothers in arm and shit like that, but no more!
The first thing I do when I don't know what to do, is sort and clean. Usually my room, or as today, the fridge. It's an occasional behaviour that's proving to become more frequent. Possibly I should get into Feng Shui, but then I'd have to deal with the dilemma of placing my waste-paper basket either in my Friendship Corner or behind the Box o' Finances. Neither of which is desirable as my capability to retain money and keep up friendships are questionable, at best. Suffice to say, the waste-paper basket is a loathed, heavily discriminated item in Feng Shui and as such, I should clearly take a stand against it. Because we don't like racism.
If Feng Shui could somehow alleviate my capacity to keep cactuses alive I might reconsider my stance on the matter.
It is quite possible that I should make a list of pros and cons of taking up Feng Shui, watch this space.
Once you've bulleted the things you need to do it's a simple matter of deciding each item's relative importance to each other and slowly, tick them off with a shiver of satisfaction as each little tick proves your actual worth in terms of action vs. lazing around.
To be quite frank, I've never characterized myself as a neat-freak, or a list-fetishist (the latter was brought on quite recently actually), but lately, I've been reconsidering the former statement. Granted, a couple of years back I was a slob of the worst sort. Filth and I were buddies, homies, brothers in arm and shit like that, but no more!
The first thing I do when I don't know what to do, is sort and clean. Usually my room, or as today, the fridge. It's an occasional behaviour that's proving to become more frequent. Possibly I should get into Feng Shui, but then I'd have to deal with the dilemma of placing my waste-paper basket either in my Friendship Corner or behind the Box o' Finances. Neither of which is desirable as my capability to retain money and keep up friendships are questionable, at best. Suffice to say, the waste-paper basket is a loathed, heavily discriminated item in Feng Shui and as such, I should clearly take a stand against it. Because we don't like racism.
If Feng Shui could somehow alleviate my capacity to keep cactuses alive I might reconsider my stance on the matter.
It is quite possible that I should make a list of pros and cons of taking up Feng Shui, watch this space.
posted by M | 10:41 pm
3 Comments:
I can remember the time you brought up lists in that forum you so often frequent. I can also remember that you out-listed me that day.
I do, in fact, know of what you speak when you talk about the supreme satisfaction of listing. It truly is the art of organizing, understanding priorities, and self motivation. I make list, not only to recieve the satisfaction of completing them, but for the shear use of remembering tasks that I need to do. I generally go through about 1 to 2 8 1/5 by 11 sheets of paper filled with my chicken skratch writings. With that many tasks, if I didn't write them down, I'd be completely lost. But it's wierd that if I have an electronic list (in a PDA or email) I never look at it. It's got to be a glaring piece of paper staring me in the eye to motivate me.
Oh, and don't worry about being overly clean. It's generally not a problem, where as being messy, that can get you in trouble. Plus, cleaning up regularly helps with your self motivation and work ethics. If you find yourself idle, you clean. If you find yourself idle at work, you'll find more to do and bosses really like that.
I guess I'm different, I prefer electronic lists. That may have something to do with my godawful hand-writing and my obsessive need to rearrange my lists on a regular basis though.
I agree on the need to remember, most definately. I never keep track on the things I need to do, so I'll reiterate: Lists rule.
I can definitely understand the greatness of electronic lists. I'm just never close enough to any one electronic device to put all I need to work on into that. Perhaps if I had a laptop or something of that nature. But I've got a home PC a work PC and about 5 school PC's that I use on a regular basis.
Come to think of it, someone did give me a PDA a while ago. I'll put it on my chicken-scratch paper list to find that damn thing.
Post a Comment
<< Home