Making Lists

I’m not sure my adult kids will remember this, but I often rose early each morning and worked at the dinette table reading the newspaper, sorting through bills, checking my chore list, and all that. On Saturdays and Sundays, I often created lists of things to do, and things to shop for and purchase. Some days I even created lists of things I would do if I had an extra $100,000! You know, if I won the lottery, what would I do with the cash?

Sometimes life is complex and overwhelming. Demands far outweigh the supply of time, money or other resources to properly address them all. So, organizing and prioritizing such demands was an easy trick for me. It helped me cope with the impossible. It also helped me understand that all things do not get properly addressed. That’s life. A lot of things go unaddressed. Simple. A coping skill.

Did you work up such lists?  Let’s see if I can remember: new gutters and downspouts; repair sidewalks out front; repave driveway; new furnace? What about central air conditioning? And don’t forget the new brakes and tires for the car. I’d go back and price each item on the list. Then with a flourish total the whole mess up! Wow! Really? $18,000 for all of that?

Well, the balloon was popped, the crossword puzzle was completed, and the real day began.

Later, much later, those lists remained but in shorter form. Much more doable. And they helped me stay realistic. Gone were the grand home additions, the world trips, and owning my own business large enough to employ the kids and their then families. Now, we planned short vacations, tagged approaching auto maintenance items of significance, and maybe a movie I’d like to see.

Lists. I developed a keen ability to make lists. Used them in my consulting days, too; mostly with clients as we worked our way through their strategic planning issues. Lists; they help break down complex projects; they help prioritize what is more important, which less so. Yes lists. They have kept me organized and realistic.

And prepared. For whatever is coming next, or should.

You? How do you handle this sort of thing? Surely I’m not the only list maker?

May 17, 2018