I'm a list kind of girl. It is very comforting to have everything organized so I know what I need to get done that day, to buy at the grocery store, to get done around the house this week, this month, this year, possible side attractions and hotels within a 30 mile radius of anywhere we're traveling, gift ideas, spring cleaning tasks, fall cleaning tasks. Yeah, it is a little bit of a sickness.
But I don't force my lists on everyone else - most are for my own peace of mind. And not all of them are obsessive to-do lists. For example, I also make a list of a few reasons why I love Mr. Cheeks on a particular day (i.e., because he has a West Side Story dance, because he sings to me earnestly, but only when we're in the car) and leave them for him in unexpected places. So sometimes it is a sickly sweet sickness.
I was in my early 20's when I realized how much lists soothe me. Fresh out of college, I had a mountain of debt due to student loans and those damn Citibank Visa cards that they hand out like candy to college students. Seriously, at the tender age of 22 there was no way I needed 3 Visa cards, 1 Mastercard and a half dozen store credit cards. But have them, I did. Not maxed out, but balances on all of 'em. It didn't take long for reality to set in and I would wake up in the middle of the night - panic stricken that I was two steps from being evicted from my house and declaring bankruptcy (okay, I was probably being melodramatic - but it is easy to do when something wakes you up at 3am). The only thing that calmed me down enough to go back to sleep was to make a list. A list of the things I would do the next day (week, month...) to improve the situation.
Don't even get me started on how good it feels to check something off the list. *delicious shiver*
I'm sure it has a lot to do with feeling like you have some level of control over a situation and a lot has to do with DNA - my mom and sisters are list makers, too. You should try it... you can make a list of anything. It'll make you feel better, promise.
But I don't force my lists on everyone else - most are for my own peace of mind. And not all of them are obsessive to-do lists. For example, I also make a list of a few reasons why I love Mr. Cheeks on a particular day (i.e., because he has a West Side Story dance, because he sings to me earnestly, but only when we're in the car) and leave them for him in unexpected places. So sometimes it is a sickly sweet sickness.
I was in my early 20's when I realized how much lists soothe me. Fresh out of college, I had a mountain of debt due to student loans and those damn Citibank Visa cards that they hand out like candy to college students. Seriously, at the tender age of 22 there was no way I needed 3 Visa cards, 1 Mastercard and a half dozen store credit cards. But have them, I did. Not maxed out, but balances on all of 'em. It didn't take long for reality to set in and I would wake up in the middle of the night - panic stricken that I was two steps from being evicted from my house and declaring bankruptcy (okay, I was probably being melodramatic - but it is easy to do when something wakes you up at 3am). The only thing that calmed me down enough to go back to sleep was to make a list. A list of the things I would do the next day (week, month...) to improve the situation.
Don't even get me started on how good it feels to check something off the list. *delicious shiver*
I'm sure it has a lot to do with feeling like you have some level of control over a situation and a lot has to do with DNA - my mom and sisters are list makers, too. You should try it... you can make a list of anything. It'll make you feel better, promise.
Too funny! My bf, Jay, gives me a hard time because I have lists for everything. I'll make him read this to prove I'm somewhat normal. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteLuv ya,
BlueEyes
Awwww. You're so cute when you're crazy. I make lists in my head cause I can't deal with paper. I'm so disorganized I need to rely on raw intellectual power to get through my day. God help me when that fades away.
ReplyDeleteI think a little OCD is a *good* thing!
ReplyDeleteFrom one planning planner to another, I praise you!
ReplyDeleteI'm a list maker too!!! I adore lists.. I cannot get enough of making them. :-)
ReplyDelete