A Simple Life - Sort Of..

I love lists. But they are rapidly going out of favour with me. I find them in drawers, under the dining room table, scrunched up in a pocket (sometimes fresh from the laundry) and in corners I never knew existed. I’ve seen other people’s lists on sidewalks - did the wind blow it out of someone’s hand? And left behind in grocery carts - I do hope the grocery shopping was done.

At the beginning of going in depth about life and everything involved, I immediately thought of lists. Not just grocery lists, but which closet should be cleaned first, which days would be best for digging about in the detritus around me (makes me sound like a hoarder!). But making the lists took up too much time. It turned out that was one of the first things to go! Lists! 

I do have one list though.  Here it is:

1. Writing project(s)
2. Household: (groceries, cooking, laundry)
3. Money issues (cash to high finance)
4. Appointments

That’s it. An article I read in these last three months - sorry I didn’t write it down and can’t find it now - talked about establishing a Daily Plan. That sounded like a superb idea so I set about making a list. That’s before the one above. So I re-read the article. It was suggested that part of a daily plan be the qualities of the plan. So here is my second list, which I started talking about in a previous blog post from March 3rd, 2018 (Two Plans and Many Details)

Qualities for Daily Planning

1. Be prepared
2. Flexibility
3. Balance
4. Engagement
5. Timing

Those are the only two lists that should be in my home. I do keep a list on my cell phone for grocery items, but if I follow the two lists above there is no need to check it as I shop for very few items at a time. If I try and scrunch that one up I’ll wind up making a weird phone call or take a picture of the inside of my jacket pocket! 

Looking at my lists today, I pulled from memory my Daily Plan. Taking information from within my own depths rather than depending on a scrunched up wad of paper. Freeing up the time used for list making, I can fill that time creatively and productively. (But I’m not perfect.)

“A little simplification would be the first step

 toward rational living, I think.”

~ Eleanor Roosevelt

**Update (July 28, 2023): I've learned that lists and memory are intricately linked. That may be because writing something down imprints it in one's brain. The clutter of little coloured stickie notes annoys me. So a few years ago, I bought a notebook with a pretty colour. Each morning I make a list of the most important things that need done; my physical routines and the rest my writing projects. The others can be any/all from meal planning, bill paying, outings, appointments and bus times. I can, too easily, get too involved in any of one of them and neglect the rest of my day. **