Friday, September 27, 2013

Let's Talk About...

"To Do" lists. Do you make one? I live by one. I'm a lister---I have lists for everything. I have a master "to do" list on my computer. I update it weekly and print it out on Mondays. My list is arranged by categories: Calls, This Week, Buy, Errands, Scrapbooking, To Do Sometime, Foods to Make, Home Repairs, Christmas 2013, Cleaning & Chores, Health Information.

I don't worry about my list being in alphabetical order. Mostly, it's arranged by importance. I add and delete categories at will.

"Calls" is for those calls that need to be made---like scheduling a doctor's appointment, carpet cleaners or exterminator.

Some things have been on my list for absolutely years---like under "cleaning and chores"---I have ironing listed. Who am I kidding? I NEVER iron. I always said the if I wait long enough, the things in the ironing basket will eventually go out of style thus eliminating the need for ironing. The best use of wrinkled clothes is to take them when you travel. Then it just looks like your stuff got wrinkled in your suitcase. You can totally get away with this. If you see a slightly rumpled tourist, that could be me!!

Other things listed under "cleaning and chores" act more as a reminder of things that need to be done occasionally---like---clean out secretary in living room or the china cabinet (you know those glass shelves get dusty.) Or, "clean the Waterford chandelier." I only do that about once a year and wouldn't think of letting anyone else handle it.

If I have a pressing cleaning chore, it would fall under the category of "this week" along with make vegetable soup and cut flowers.

"Errands" is pretty obvious---cleaners, bank, grocery store.

"Foods to Make" is just a list of things to either try, or remember to make again. I fall in to a rut with cooking. With a few items listed here, it acts as a good memory jogger.

Some things on my list are just informational---like Christmas 2013. Under this category, I list ideas that I think of through the year. I put gift ideas---including some for myself as I think of them That way, when the kids ask me for gift ideas, I have a few ready to go. Candles and bubble bath are just about always on the list.

If I have a lot of things to accomplish in a single week, I take my "to do list" one step further. I make a list of each day and assign tasks to each day. I use this technique especially when I'm having house guests. It keeps me on track and reminds me of the cooking tasks I need to do. Without my list, I would forget to thaw meat or make something that needs to be done in advance.

Under my "scrapbooking" category are things like: make kits for AYM, do ABC layout, create title page for retreat, put layouts in scrapbooks, etc. Just anything scrapbook related.

I rely on my "to do"list to keep me organized and on track. I just realize that I need to add another category: "beach"---for all the jobs related to renting our beach condo. Actually, I have a separate list in my "beach binder" for that, but I do need to remember to check it.

And then, there are my spiral notebooks. I can't live without one. But that's another story...

Tell me about your "to do" list.

8 comments:

  1. I'm a great list maker as well...though not in your league,I think!!
    I'd never remember everything I had to do without lists....and I feel more relaxed having them.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I used to love to make lists when I was (much) younger, then I went through a phase of saying I don't need to over organise and I kept it all in my head. Now i'm starting to think that my memory isn't as good a sit used to be and I'm back to lists. I usually keep it all on one big page under different headings and yes I get great pleasure from ticking things off

    ReplyDelete
  3. I make lists and thought I was a champion until I first me our friend Peter. He is an Olympic standard list maker - gold medal contender. When I first met him he used sheets of paper but now he has a computer, well he has daily updates! Amazing

    ReplyDelete
  4. I am a list maker too but not anywhere in your (or Peter's) league. When I am feeling super organised I will make one list on an large page otherwise my lists are: one in the kitchen for shopping and meals and one on my desk for craft things that are nagging me to finish.

    ReplyDelete
  5. i'm a list maker too..although possibly not as deep as yours. The more on top of me things get. the more lists i end up making x

    ReplyDelete
  6. I'm a great believer in the "Getting Things Done" mode - so yep I have lots of lists. Have just decided to swap back to paper for some bits and am thinking about a new notebook, too many clients mean my spiral bound isn't working for me. Thinking of disc bound. Am going to Office* a trade show and looking at stuff there too.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I am definitely a list maker & keep a to do list for each day in my calendar. Each day has three columns - 1st column for things I must do that day, 2nd column for appointments/meetings/etc that are at a specific time, 3rd column for things I'd like to get to but don't have to be done (these items often get moved to other day as the week goes on).

    ReplyDelete
  8. I used to have lots of lists but found that there were always things needing to be done and I'd never get everything ticked off. So now, I just have three things I really must do or get done in a day and everything else just flows around them and gets do e in little chunks.

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for commenting. If you would like a response from me, then please leave your email address.