Many people have them. Some can’t live without them, while others live better not having them. I’ve had one for most of my life. For me, it started when I was in high school. I had a calendar and wrote down my assignments and my schedule for work, sports, concerts, and horse shows. I worked at a restaurant and at a couple of local ranches. For each job, I had a list of what needed to be done while I was there. Sometimes I would make my own notes about cleaning something or doing something specific with a horse or at practice.
The older I got, the easier it was to keep track of tasks to be done. I discovered that if I wrote down what I tried to remember, it freed up brain space for other things. Even with the prevalence of technology, I find a paper calendar serves me better. I can added, move, and check off items on my list.
Sometimes, I feel like I subconsciously view my to-do list as a hodgepodge of suggestions to be done in any order, or not at all. After 15 years of writing and publishing books, and keeping and adding to a list of marketing ideas and suggestions for changing my creative process, I’ve decided that it’s a bridge too far. Some of the items don’t exist anymore. Times have changed, so not all of the ideas will work.
My current to-do list isn’t very long. It contains items that I could have done so many times, but have chosen to do something else instead. Today, for example, instead of working on the second part of the anthology story (I did, eventually), I checked the formats of my titles on various retailer sites. That task wasn’t even on my mind yesterday, much less on my to-do list! Hence my reason for thinking the list is a suggestion.
As 2024 closes, and I look ahead, I’m wary of adding to my to-do list. Instead of sticking to it until all items are crossed off, I pick certain tasks and leave others, not because they’re difficult or require a lot of time or are urgent, but perhaps just to be a rebel. I know I’ll finish the short list of tasks before the end of the year. Having a blank to-do list (would that be a no-thing list?) would be a great way to begin 2025. It’s one thing I have control over. Do you have a to-do list? How successful are you in crossing off tasks?
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