Lists

I'm all about lists. Love them. I use them for everything. Work, chores, what to do after work, what to do after chores (btw, do people still say "chores"?). My favorite list is my "Wish List". Sometimes I name it after the season, (ie. Fall/Winter 2009) but generally I just call it my Wish List. It usually contains stuff I aspire to buy (LV Odeon GM), stuff I'm planning to buy (Breaking Dawn, when it comes out in trade paperback), stuff that I will buy just as soon as I get around to it (OPI Nail Polish in Pamplona Purple (or Perpel, as I like to say - more about this later)), and stuff that I'm on an ongoing search for (my "dream" brown spring/fall/winter jacket/coat).

I have a post-it on my desk at work with my Wish List written on it. It's also in a couple of notebooks at home and on my berry. The reason I have it in so many places is because...it makes me feel that much closer to having the items on the list. It's like when you're a kid and you cut out pictures of the stuff you want from catalogues...When I was 8, I really wanted this Pretty Curls doll. I found a picture of it in one of those Christmas catalogues and cut it out and made a little bed for it and carried it around until I actually got it for Christmas! Obvi, the real thing was the best, but even that little piece of thin catalogue paper was enough to tide me over until I got the real thing...
Anyways, I also make lists so that I can cross things off of them. It gives me a feeling of accomplishment. Like "Ooh, I bought it! I can cross it off!" However, I don't think I've ever been able to cross everything off my list. I got close once, in the Summer of '06, but that black ribbon trimmed cardigan wouldn't go on sale and when it finally did, they didn't have size. (UGh, that is one of my pet peeves, more about this later). Anyways, inevitably what happens is that I cross something off my list, only to add something new that I've discovered that I need and can't possibly live without.

Sometimes, I get things that weren't even on my list. In that case, I put it on my list, then cross it off. Don't pretend you don't do it, we all do. It's that sense of accomplishment. Like for work, I have an ongoing list of things to do. If I do something not on the list, it's added, then crossed off. I did it right? So I need a record that I did it. However, for work I have a new thing that I do for my lists. Instead of crossing stuff off, I put a little box beside stuff that I have to do. That way, if the box is not checked off, I know I haven't done it yet. It may sound obvious, but seriously, this revolutionized the way that I get things done. I am not always able to make a nice, neat list. So, when I make notes, I can just put a box beside stuff and when I look back at my notes, I'll know if something was done or not. How awesome is that? I don't know, but it makes me feel good.

Ah, blog for today. Done. Cross that off the list. :)