Are many of us list-makers? For everyday life, not just the grandkids' b'days. Do we write lists that could pose as diaries, or maybe we write lists only for the grocery store... or maybe only for DH to take to the grocery store.

I think there was a reference that list-making might be related to seniority... for sure, that's true for me. Once upon a time (probably the same time that I was much thinner) I never, absolutely never, *wrote* a list for anything. Groceries? I kept a list in my head of what items were getting low and what was needed. The weekly honey-do... again, always in my head and -should I have unexpected time and be passing nearby- easy to pick up the dry cleaning, get the car tuned, buy a new rake, etc. Nowadays, if it isn't written on the list...

So now I make lists ALL the time. It's very gratifying to cross things off as you go (today's 'to do' list had 16 things on, and now there are only 5 left).

A friend advised me to always put something easy on the list, so that you could start off feeling a sense of accomplishment.

Her list always started: "Eat breakfast"

Now, next to the phone is one of those small monthly calenders. All the birthdays and anniversaries for the kids, grandkids and other family members and friends are there. Then the appointments doctors and dentists. The grandkids football and baseball games get marked down and any important church activity like the upcoming oyster roast. That gives us a clue as to whether or not we can plan to really do something. It works out that we can seldom see two days in a row where NOTHING is going on.

Let's hear it for those retirment years. I don't understand how they can be so boring with all those dratted things to do!

The list making started when I set up my own business. I kept two lists, one for personal stuff and one for business stuff. Years later, the business began to run on autopilot so I stopped making one of those, and the household lists I just stopped for a few years. I am back to making them, however a month ago and now I know why I got behind on projects.........no list. I am not O/C to the point if I don't get things done it bothers me. I just throw the old list away at the end of the week and make up a new one, carrying over the chores I hadn't gotten done from the last list. I divide the list off into short-term goals and long-term goals so I can fit the easy tasks into smaller blocks of time.

Let's put it this way. I am a flakey. It's not age, I've always been flakey and a procrastinator, as I do my best work under a little pressure. List making is a very valuable management tool. So is a short daily routine. I have a morning routine and it doesn't vary too much. I've found that an hour in the a.m. to do that routine puts out most of the daily "fires". I change kitchen linen, sweep downstairs floors, empty dishwasher, wash counters, and pick up the trail my dh left from the previous day. The kitchen, our main living space, is always presentable now. Then I set aside a small block of time to catch up on e-mails, make business calls, and do my daily jigsaw puzzle. When you are self-employed, you schedule your relaxation like a project, or you might not get it. Then my workday begins.

I have finally managed the grocery list. It is on a clip next to the fridge and I am religious about it. I keep a large pantry of extra food items and as soon as I use an item, and get down to my back-up........then I write it on the grocery list. Even the dh writes things down occasionally. He has finally learnt if he doesn't, he may do the week without it. That way, when I find a window to do the shopping, the list is ALWAYS current and I don't need to go peeking through cabinets and pantries. By writing it down, it's in my head as well, and if I forget or loose my list, like somebody else said, I most likely shall remember most of what was on it.

Lists. They are a good thing.

I always make a list at work and one at home. Don't follow them to the "T", but they are useful. How about the Garden list? I usually start about now making out my plans for the next year. Top on next year's list is what was top on this year's list: Painting the upstairs deck. (Did get the fence stained this year)

Sometimes I have a visual memory of what I wrote, sometimes not. Shopping is a bit hit or miss around here. :)

I also collect other people's grocery lists. Started in 1991 while working in a store. Silly me I thought I was the only one then I found this site. Some really funny ones.

I not only keep a running grocerylist, I have a freezerlist and list of meats in fridge with expiration dates noted. Have a cornedbeef brisket dated Nov. 17 but most are bacon, hamslices, kielbasa with earlier dates. Too easy to let a date slip by.

In front of sofa I have a bookstand with shorthand pad for daily notes. Might include a reminder to water plants in DR or research/order some item on net, look up something on Wikipedia. My msntv is right here too (HA! I've had laptop since 1996) but if I'm reading I'll wait til I get on net later. Then while on net I make notes of plants wanted or books to check on etc. I use up a lot of paper..LOL

I started out in life as a secretary and kept all shorthand pads until I left the job. I could go back and see all phonecalls noted, all memos, instructions, letters dictated and each page was initialed at bottom and dated. I only remember a couple of times going back for confirmation of something but immmensely satisfying to know I could. In fact, once another secretary filling in for me was able to check on something from the previous day, having no trouble with my shorthand although my handwritten notes weren't quite as easy. LOL Almost got in trouble working for a topsecret R&D defense firm which required that our typewriter ribbon be put in burn bag along with our shorthand notes each day. It was so hard to give up my notes. josh

I've got a running grocery list on the fridge where we right down things we need to buy as we run out of them, lists of things I have to do for my voluntary jobs & another list, which unfortunately is usually the last one to be completed, of the household tasks that need to get done.

And Suzy, i keep those old appointment calendars too. They're the closest thing I'm going to get to a diary these days.

I have never taken a trip without making a list while packing,lol.

When we were renovating the house, I confiscated the entire face of a door with lists,lol. Color-coded too. Workers had their jobs posted everyday. They all teased me and called it "Command Central".( I don't like the feeling of paying people to stand around,lol.)

Confession: that could possible warrant a need for at least six months of therapy,lol. Sometimes, when I'm doing chores and do something that wasn't on the list, I then write it on the list just to cross it out! So weird but so true!
laffin :o)

It's always been an interest of mine as how we all have memory recall so differently. Or, our differences in how we retain things. It was mentioned on the cursive writing thread that some have better recall because thier lists were penned by them instead of typed. I can see that happening,indeed.

I've always had difficulty writing. I stutter when I write, for less of a better term. I skip letters in words, suffixes and words in sentences. Worse yet, I have difficulty seeing the misses even when I edit. Needless to say, this flaw affects my spelling. When grammer was introduced, my head was spinning enough just to get words on paper much less the rules, so, grammer never took very well either,lol.(In this post alone, I had to make 13 corrections and look up the spelling of 5 words.)
Luckily, I can usually decode my own lists, that look something like this:
-paer towls....aka paper towels
-plan crums...aka, plain bread crumbs
-ginrale...aka, gingerale

You get the point,lol. Many a phone calls from Mr. di while he was at the store saying he didn't bring his Ovaltine Decoder Ring and if I could please tell him what the heck I wrote.
Another confession: I don't know about you girls, but I just LOVE to see men in the grocery aisles calling their wives for instructions. I'm always suppressing a grin when I stroll by them. Ahh, the simple pleasures, tee hee.

Has anyone here besides me ever add "make a list for ...." on their lists? lol
~di

I also find that keeping coupons and or sale ads with me in the car, with a paperclip, is good as if I am out, I have them all with me and can take advantage of using them.
Lucy