Monday, April 18, 2011

The Flaw in the To Do List

I love a good To Do List as much as they next girl, and probably more than most.  Honestly, I love lists in general and lists of things to do (whether it's chores, crafts or cookies to make) keep me focused and happy.
So I make myself a list most mornings; it's full of things like calling the doctor to set an appointment, make a house payment, clean out the fridge, work on lesson plans, exercise and whatever other tasks I need to accomplish. 

When I look back at the end of the day, my list is (usually) checked off and there is a certain sense of accomplishment in it, but it's lacking.  It shows the things I plan into my day, but not nearly all of what I do.

A To Do list doesn't show the 10 minutes I spent organizing a massive hunt for Lego General Grievous' head, the 45 minutes spent making cookies with Pibb because he needed a little extra attention, the three hours I spent practicing photography with Bryant or the hour and a half I spent putting my room back together after tearing it apart in search of some little crafty bit I simply had to have right then.

To right this rather egregious wrong, I'm thinking of making a "Done" list each day.  Not necessarily every single tiny thing should go on it; I probably don't need to write down that I put the lid back on the margarine tub and stuck it in the fridge this morning.  But definitely the 5 minutes I spent helping Pookie put together a Lego creation qualifies for a spot.  Or the 10 minutes it took me to whip up Bryant's eggs, ham and toast.

My point is this: Every day we accomplish things we don't give ourselves credit for.  Maybe it's time we start.

2 comments:

  1. Your siblings laugh at me because I add things that I've done to my to-do list just so I can check them off. I totally understand! :)

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  2. Good point. And General Greivous is awesome!

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