There’s something I’ve had on my to-do list for quite a long time now: to blog about my wife Jennifer’s to-do lists. I’m not trying to be all “meta” — I’m serious. Her to-do lists are, depending on how you look at them, either a thing of terrifying beauty — or just terrifying. You can see one of them above (that’s right: I said one of them). Click on it for a closer look (not that this will make it any more legible, hahae). And it may sound like a joke, but sometimes, if you look closely, one of the items on her to-do list is ... wait for it ... to make a new to-do list. No kidding! :)And here’s the truly amazing thing: as much as you can see on her lists, she’s got probably ten times that much in her head, stuff that never makes it all the way to a list. It’s impressive, and a bit intimidating.
But I just came across someone else with an interest in to-do lists. Sasha Cagen has written a book about them, with many examples (culled from the over 5,000 she’s collected). Some are strange, some disturbing, some sad, some funny. All are pretty interesting. Here is a book trailer (a surprisingly good one, unlike others I’ve blogged about).
Does she add the "note to self" to do lists? I HAVE to write those, or I forget even the most basic of tasks.
ReplyDeleteQuestion - have you ever actually completed a full list on the day it's slated for? Are there enough hours in the day?
Does she add the "note to self" to do lists?
ReplyDeleteBy definition, the entire list is one gigantic “note to self,” hahae.
Question - have you ever actually completed a full list on the day it's slated for? Are there enough hours in the day?
Are you kidding me? These lists are living, evolving things. I don’t think it’s even possible to finish one in a single day. Nor are they designed to be. They are a complex repository of tasks for “now, today, tomorrow, and always” (to quote The Smiths, since I happen to be listening to them at the moment).
HA! Well, that explains the scratch outs and arrows...
ReplyDeleteA question: does she use a fountain pen? The blue looks suspiciously like Baystate Blue, although it's hard to tell without calibrated monitors and such.
ReplyDeleteYou’d think, right? But no, it’s actually just an inexpensive, disposable pen — a Pilot G-2, if you really want to know. But she loves the way the ink flows so much that she sought out boxes and boxes of these pens, just so as never to be without one. I am reminded of Elaine’s hunt for the discontinued sponges on Seinfeld. ;)
ReplyDelete