How to do "To Do" Lists

In the beginning -- on day zero perhaps -- God wrote a "To Do" list.
How else could the world have been created in such elegant and logical
style in only six days?

On a recent Saturday morning while agonizing over my own "To Do List,"
I noticed it was getting much out of hand. Not only was it long, but
almost every item began with "Fix this" or "Clean that." I saw not one
pleasant task on my list. Nothing like "Sit back and watch the game on
TV" or "Open a beer and read the paper."

The lowly "To Do List" ranks up there in the great achievements of
civilization, right along the wheel and the TV remote. No less a
personage than Ben Franklin, or da Vinci must have invented it. I am a
firm proponent of To Do Lists. Add a task to your To Do List and it's
half done, they say. But to use lists properly you have to understand
them and know how to manage them. I have studied lists, and developed
some rules and theories which you need to know before you tackle lists.
These are Andre's theorems on "To Do Lists:"

Theorem 1: To Do Lists grow. This is an indisputable fact of nature.
They grow in geometric progression, or bluntly, by leaps and bounds.
For every item you cross off as "done," two or three new ones crop up,
usually as a direct result of the completed item. Recently, when I
finished cleaning the basement for example (one item crossed off), I
had to add "Fix the bike" and "Re-glaze basement window." These two
items jumped to my attention while I was cleaning.

Theorem 2: Lists beget lists. As your list matures you realize the need
for specializations. You notice there are a number of "To buy" items,
so you create a separate list only for your shopping trips. From the
previous example I could create a "Basement List" if I looked hard
enough and found more basement chores. I always have a "Yard Work
list." In the summer numerous items are constantly coming on and off my
"Yard work list." At work you should have a list just for job related
items. If you are a socializing type of person you definitely need a
"Contacts List." This is where you note whom to call and whom to
snub.

Theorem 3: Some items never get off a list. Once you start using To Do
Lists you will no doubt add some tough items. And I guarantee some of
these will never get off your list. In checking over my Home Projects
list from last summer for example I see several items which are still
not done, and probably won't ever get done. There is "Fix lamp" (the
lamp has been sitting on my workbench for about three years now). At
least two other items on my list can't seem to get done. I have been
meaning to fix the leaking laundry room faucet, and fix the jamming
basement door for over a year now.

Theorem 4: The recurring phenomenon. As you become adept at To Do
Lists, you'll notice some items get back on the list almost immediately
after being crossed off. Call your mother is one of these. Fix the car
is another. Which brings to mind a fine point in the science of To Do
Lists. Do this only if you really want to be a Top Flight List person.
You create a "Recurring To Do List." Nothing could be simpler. On this
list you write all your regular items that come up every week or so.
You could refine it and have a "Weekly Recurring List" and a "Monthly
Recurring List" for the appropriate cycle items, but that may be going
a bit too far.

A more practical aspect to list making is the medium of the list, that
is, what do you use to make your list. I have seen excellent lists on
the back of envelopes. However this is for amateur list makers. I don't
advise it. Among connoisseurs of lists there is always heated debate as
to whether To Do lists should be on regular size paper or legal size. A
sub-debate rages on whether the legal size should be yellow pad paper
or white, or maybe one of the new bright colors available at the
stationery stores. While I won't concern myself with color, the size of
the paper does merit comment. Some people swear by legal size -- you
can pack more "to do." The down side is when you are in a supermarket
and you pull out this huge piece of yellow legal paper by the vegetable
display... Well, you get the point. Unless you want to impress the
other shoppers, stay with smaller paper.

My personal favorite is good old 3 by 5 index cards. They are easy to
use, inconspicuous, and easily expandable if your list gets longer. You
can also get them in various colors. When you get serious about the
subject you can buy computer software to keep track of your To Do
items. There are some excellent list manager programs on the market.
Corporate people like to use white boards to write their lists. However
it gets a little difficult to carry a four foot board with you
everywhere.

Regardless on what you write your list never forget this cardinal rule
of list-making: Always carry it with you. You never know when you may
need it. Recently I was in a hardware store and just knew there were
some things I needed to get. Without my list I couldn't remember. I was
helpless. Later I had to make a special trip to the store for the items
which I missed. Conversely you never know when you may need to add
something. Let's say you are sitting in a traffic jam on the freeway
and you remember that the bathtub needs unclogging. With the list with
you, no problem. Just whip it out add the new item. And while you are
in that traffic jam with nothing to do, see how many more chores you
can add to your list to which you can look forward when you get
home.

To list or not to list: My wife always scoffs at my To Do Lists. She
says memory is good enough for her. Yet in the many years of our
marriage there hasn't been one supermarket trip that she came back from
and didn't say "Oh, I forgot the milk," ...or the bread, ...or the
soap. Of course I am pretty much the opposite. I like to use lists all
the time. The other morning I went to the office and realized I forgot
to shave. Explanation: I ignored my Morning To Do List, that is, my
"Recurring Morning To Do List."

If you think keeping a list is a chore itself, add something pleasant
to your list. As you make out your list for next Saturday, make sure
you include some time for watching your favorite TV program and a
couple of hours to spend with family or friends. Come Saturday morning
when you are reviewing your list which contains fifteen "to fix" items
and ten "to clean" items and a few other nasty chores you will see also
your relax items, which if you are lucky, you may get to by
midnight.