Over the years I have been an inveterate list maker. I have even made lists to tell me where my lists are. But is this a good thing?
I have been preparing the next Hethersett Herald e-magazine and have included our usual column from Rowan House on health matters. In her latest article Rachel Pailes lists five tips for getting back into daily life following lockdown.
Rachel advocates the following:
- Write a to do list of tasks for the following day
- Schedule to complete the tasks at specific times of day
- Start small by adding a few tasks and fill your day up the closer to post-lockdown we get
- ‘Eat that frog’ – do the task you least want to do each day first thing in the morning
This is a good solid suggestion for non list makers but what about those of us who over the years have been obsessed with list making and are now going in the opposite direction. Should we wean ourselves away from list-making?
I'm not joking when I said earlier that I make lists of lists. I have been known to write the same list four to five times a day. Instead of crossing items off I have written a new list. This is obsessional.
I used to have a clip board. On this I had a sheet of A4 paper which was divided into four columns with two days per column with dates running across the page. Now you would think that would be eight days per sheet. But not so. You see I had one date that was entitled "others" and that's where all the things were listed that I didn't really want to do.
And my listings got ridiculous. In order to assuage my concerns and make me feel as if I was achieving something I would put in mundane things like go for a walk, talk to the neighbours, cut the grass etc etc. That way I would have something to cross off without making too much effort.
That was only one step away from the essential list - get up, have breakfast, have a shower, eat lunch etc. That was a good list because just getting out of bed meant you could cross something off. But the crossing off became more important than the actual doing.
It got so ridiculous that I started writing different lists for different subjects. I would have a page for the football club things to do, another for the cricket club things to do, another for holiday things to do etc etc.
It all became very stressful. So when lockdown came and there wasn't so many things to think about or do, I decided to give a no list life a go and I feel much better for it. For a start it gives me more time to do important things like sleep.
That doesn't mean to say you shouldn't make lists - they come in very handy when shopping. Lists are good when they genuinely stop you forgetting something. They are no use when they are simply a list for a list's sake.
So my advice is: If you make lists for the sheer sake of making lists should you perhaps think about having a break and even weaning yourself off them. Would that make your life any poorer? It might even help your stress levels and blood pressure.
If you don't make lists but genuinely forget things consider making a list, but don't let it take over your life. Make it simple and only containing the things you genuinely need to do.
I do agree with Rachel about doing tasks you don't fancy doing first. Put them at the top of your to do list. It will surprise you how good it makes you feel if you get the less pleasant things out of the way first and then have the more pleasant ones further down the list. That's almost like rewarding yourself.
If you hate going to the dentist for example, make an appointment early in the day to get it over with rather than stewing over it all day.
Above all don't have an "others" section where you put the things you don't want to do and then ignore them and just copy them to another list. I have put off doing things for months with this method. Writing stuff down doesn't get it done and it only adds to the stressful feeling of not getting things done.
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And now a party political broadcast on behalf of the Conservative/Labour/Liberal Democrats/Green/ Uncle Tom Cobley and All Party (delete as not applicable). We've had quite a few of these over the past few days.
We are the only party that represent you the ordinary person
The other parties are undeserving of your support
Basically everything we have ever done has been brilliant.
Basically everything any other party has done has been a disaster
We have spent millions of pounds on x, y, z
We are the only party to spend millions of pounds on x, y, z
None of the other parties support x. y, z.
A vote for us is a vote for change/the future/your children
A vote for any other party is a wasted vote
We are brilliant
All other parties are useless
Vote for us and you are a genius
Vote for any other party and you are a cretin
Vote for us and we will create more jobs, inflation will fall and everyone will be better off
Vote for any other party and there will be more unemployment, inflation will soar and everyone will be worse off.
We prioritise things that other parties ignore
Other parties priorities things that are a waste of time and/or money.