And there probably won’t be any ransom. If there was a ransom I doubt if anyone would pay it. My captor is really kind of feminine and looks pretty good and harmless in a nice shade of blue with a white background. She isn’t very big at 8 by 11 ½ but is often intimidating. She does, however, often seem very understanding of my obsessions. Lately she has been controlling a lot of my life. Holding me hostage. Do you know who my captor is? It is the dreadful To Do List.
Do I really need to have “take a shower” on my To Do list? What about eat breakfast? A couple of times in the past week I’ve committed a sin that if Dante were still alive he would classify it as a worse sin than flattery. It was that one day when I forgot to write “eat lunch” on my To Do list and still remembered to eat lunch anyhow. Whew. Then on another day I committed what may even be a worse sin, “go to a movie” was on my To Do list and I didn’t go to one. I’m going to the seventh layer of hell, no question about it.
Today’s To Do list:
Take A shower - done
Brush Teeth - done
Make Coffee - done
Turn Coffee pot on - done
Eat Breakfast & Drink Coffee - done
Read Paper - done
Clean Mom’s house to ready it for sis - done
Go to the library to get Mom some books - done
Go to the Dollar Store to get Mom some snacks. - done
Stop By Mark and Paul’s to get a couple of tax returns to do - done
Fix Lunch - done
Eat Lunch - done
Brush Teeth - done
Play Scrabble With Mom - done, damn I lost again.
Move mom from one bedroom to the smaller Bedroom - done
Get bigger bedroom ready for sis and her hubby - done
Get Mom’s Insulin - done
Go to the bathroom - done
Put Mom’s Laundry in in the washer -done
Turn washer on - done
When washer is done put clothes in dryer - done
Fold Clothes - done
Grocery Shop - done
Buy lottery tickets - done
Pack up my stuff at mom’s - done
Go Home - done
Unpack my things at my house - done
Answer comments on my blog - done
Think of Something to write about on my Blog - done
Cook dinner
Eat dinner
Brush Teeth
Get ready for bed
Think of things that I left off my today’s To Do list.
Set all clocks forward one hour.
Go to bed.
What in your life is holding your hostage? Would there be a ransom? I’m listening! Off to respond to the comments on the blog before posting this because I really should do things on my To Do list in order.
About Me
- William J.
- First, I think the birth sign is wrong. 6-21, some papers say Gemini, some Cancer. Guess that means I have so many personalities that I can do group therapy alone. For those that don't know how to read Google profiles I have put what I really mean in ( ). Hot (Good looking enough to be in movies(if I buy at ticket). A body like a God (Buddha). Romantic (Thinks begging is foreplay.) Physically fit (Heart trouble. Put 911 on speed dial before we get initmate.) Good Provider (has good life insurance in case you forget to put 911 on speed dial.) Loyal (has reference letters from Mom and parole officer.) Intelligent (scored 1600 on his SATS but you have to total the scores of the four times that I took the test.) Looking for someone compatible (Be between 30 & 99 and not inflatable.)
8 comments:
I have to think about what's holding me hostage -- actually there are several things, but not ready to explore those yet.
One thing holding me hostage, I think, is the "need" to feel I've been productive at the end of the day. Accomplished things. Done good. Maybe I need to add fun things, like play guitar, play with looms, go out to dinner, whatever. If I can cross it off the list, then does it count as productivity?
However, I did have to comment on your to-do list, after I got over my chuckles. My to-do lists keep me sane, at least to some degree, and often are the only guarantee (close as possible) to getting things done when my mind turns to mush (frequent occurrence). I found a wonderful desk calendar about three years ago that I buy every year. The weekly calendar of app'ts on one page, the to do list on the facing page. It also has space for planning menues (that I should ever get smart enough to do that) and making a tear out grocery list to match menues. Someday I'll use those two little columns. Maybe.
Mine are reminders to do the monthly sales tax report, pay bills each Friday, schedule doing taxes or stuff for Mom or, often, stuff I really don't enjoy doing or want to do but know have to be done. Yeah, laundry goes on there, answering edit inquiries, changing doctor app'ts...
My giggles came from the showers, eating and such. There have been times when those have gone on my list, just so I knew I'd be able to cross things off and feel a sense of accomplishment, because the other stuff was either going to take more than a week or was something I really was avoiding. At one point, I listed all those things for a few weeks, just to remind myself of where my time goes. And for a week or two, at one point, as I did something not on the list, I added it to the list and crossed it off, just so I'd know why other things didn't get crossed off.
However, sometimes my list are an indication I'm my own worst enemy and need to slow down and smell the roses. For example, I just realized next week's list includes sorting cookbooks, mailing a spice set to my nephew, installing TaxCut and starting our taxes sand Mom's, finishing a scarf and hat set, straightening out a podiatrist billing for Mom, doing the sales tax, doing ironing, cancelling the surgery and four doctor app'ts and checking with the retina specialist on whether Mom should see the guy in Phoenix or wait until she gets home to see Renfro. Add to that ironing, groceries, guitar jam, daily exercise at the pool and, of course, editorial hours, cooking and standard cleaning, which aren't on the list. Is this a set-up for failure and recipe for insanity or what? I think it's a sure sign I need to spread some of these things out, in order of priority and actual date deadlines. Thank you for sending to look closely at the list!
What about the rest of you? Do you do lists, as Bill and I do, in some form or is this just another trait he and I share on our road to madness?
Funny list, Bill. You do cover all the bases there. Just one look at a list like yours, and I'd go back to bed and pull the covers over my head. [g]
I only make lists of stuff I'm pretty sure I'll forget if I don't. And then I lose them. Right now, the mental list involves getting n-size batteries for my calculator and a toilet paper holder for my mom's bathroom. The one that was there either broke or was lost, and I thought I'd be the one to replace it since nobody seems to care that the paper sits on the sink. I don't care much myself, so it's been on my list for weeks. So have the n-batteries, now that I think about it.
I do keep an appointment book with some important things to remember in it. If I lost that book, my life would probably collapse entirely.
Hi Dr
Now I have to add to my to do list, "get calendar that DR mentioned on the blog."
Interesting you mentioned prodictivity because if you remember that was my main complaint about the new job that I wasn't productive. We do seemed to be joined at the hip.
It does feel good when I take a shower not only to be clean but to be able to cross something off of my to do list!
Rofl about you doing something not on the to do list then adding it and crossing it off! That is so me.
Wow you To Do list for next week is exhausting. I got tired reading it.
Nice post fellow OCD. My guess is Mary W. has a to do list too!
Bill
Hi Pat
But if I went to bed and pulled the covers over my head I wouldn't have enough light to write my to do list!
I make lists and then lose the lists too!
Get going and get those n batteries and toiled paper holders, you can get both at the Dollar Store.
I will hold good vibes and thoughts that you never lose you appointment book!
Bill
This list post is just making me laugh too much.
I love the making the list and losing it, Bill.
I find myself making a list and then forgetting to use it.
Anyhow I do make lists too. It all started after my injury in 1992 and I lost a lot of my memory. But my concentration was the worst. I found myself starting something and then forgetting I started it and going onto something else. Not too awful except for it resulted in my causing a fire twice in my kitchen. Hence the beginning of lists for me. My wonderful husband would write out a list for me each day before he left for work. Most reminder was to NOT COOK/USE STOVE.
I cannot tell you how much it helped my recovery to have a list of to-do's.
I make a list for just about everything. Most are like all of yours.
Bill your list cracked me up but I can't say I have't listed some of the same for myself. It was just too funny to know others do as I do.
And Ladydr....I want one of those calendars too, they sound wonderful..where do you find them?
Hi Dona
I am so happy to find out that I am not the only eccentric one here!
That is awful that you lost your memory for a while. You really have had some hard knocks. I still think you deserve to win the lottery after all that you have been through.
I knew To Do lists were healthy and am glad they helped you recover. Thank God for your husband!
Good question Dona, DR where do we find the calendars. I need to put go to " " and buy calendar. That will put two more items on my list!
Bill
Oh, Dona, what a trial to deal with, the loss of memory! I can see where lists would become really important. I rely on to-do lists because I tend to line up more than I can ever remember and my brain frequently goes to overload and the system crashes (that's my story and I'm sticking to it!)
Okay, for those who requested it...
the organizer I use is Amy Knapp's Family orgnaizer. It was originally designed for folks with families, so there's stuff I don't use, but most of it I do. What do I like about it, besides the weekly calendar and facing to-do list? It also has a monthly calendar at the beginning of each month, so you can scehdule projects "loosely" for the month and I can keep track of client deadlines. AT the back are several pages of "notes" where I jot down authors, books and movies recommended by others and there's a couple pages to jot down 2010 app'ts made way ahead of time, so you don't forget to transfer them to the new calendar. Oh, it also has a little philosphical comment for each week.
The calendar website is www.thefamilyorganizer.com, where there are several choices. Knowing I wanted the SOFT cover organizer (6"-8" closed), I went to Amazon and ordered it for several dollars less than the direct website. If you go to Amazon, just type in Amy Knapp's Family Organizer. The calendar actually covers eighteen months, so it may be that you can order one that starts in July 2009 and goest through December 2010, although I'm not at all sure of that.
The (always) opened calendar takes up a 12" x 8" corner of my desk and since I've started using it, I'd be lost without it. It also has neat little stickers for birthdays and anniversaries and the like and I use the little green payment stickers to make tabs for the beginning of each month (easy to flip through for future whatevers) and to "tab" pages for books and movies in the notes section.
I guess I sound like an advertisement, but this particular organizer has made my life a WHOLE lot easier the last few years. And, since I work at home, I also make a circled note each day of how many editorial hours I worked, just so I can see when I'm due a day off or need to work some weekend hours to make my quota and meet deadlines.
Hi Dr
Thanks for the information on the organizer! It does sound very fascinating and helpful.
Gosh it is so neat when we learn helpful things from each other!
Bill
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