A To Do List

Cleaning up a bit we found this list our daughter had made some time ago. We laughed trying to figure it out and date it.

Get dog - is she just getting the dog from her pen or are we between dogs and she intends to get a new one? If it's the latter then this is what I would call a big ticket item for a list. Like Get in Shape or Get Religion.
Start laundry - this a good item but no where on the list does she Finish laundry.
Wash face - unless this involves some kind of imported holy mud from the Ganges this is what I call padding a list just so you can check off more stuff. I can think of other bodily things you're gonna do but they don't deserve to be on a list.
Finish plate cover - I think she was making designer switch plate covers for her room, carefully adhering images cut from magazines.
Pet bunnies(treats) - This is great isn't it? Ya gotta take a break and smell the roses. Or pet your bunny.
Paint another coat, door, and heater pieces are all part of her bedroom improvement project.

Making lists. I have never been an avid list maker. I make materials list for a project, an occasional shopping list, and sometimes a broad view for things I might wish to get done in a season. But I've rarely done it on paper for a given day preferring to keep a flexible list of "possibilities" in my head.

But some find it very helpful to organize their efforts and feel a nice sense of accomplishment as the items get checked off. Breaking a large task into smaller manageable chunks in a list helps prevent feeling overwhelmed and the accompanying inertia.  Just do this one small thing that you can do now. Check it off. Do the next one. It can give a nice focus to the day I suppose.

If you are a list maker and lead the "connected" life you might enjoy playing with one of the many free web applications catering to list makers. There is ta-da list a fairly simple one that is easy to use. Zenbe is another that has more features including an iPhone app so you can take 'em where ever you go.

Lastly someone has created a blog of lists - images of lists that she has found or people send to her. Amusing to see what some people put on a list.