To-do lists

What does it mean if you have something on your to-do list for years and years? I have had "clean the basement" on my Outlook task list for a couple of years. I actually had two other items on my Outlook task list for several years, and I felt very satisfied as I checked them off as complete this summer. I finally fixed both the front steps and the side steps to my house.

Back to the original question...(not that I am procrastinating or anything), the reason that I haven't cleaned the basement is that it is not urgent. I only feel the need to clean it when I go down to the basement and see the mess. I only rarely descend that set of stairs so I only rarely see the mess. Some believe that the rooms in our houses mirror our internal psyche. Using this logic, I have cleaned the rooms in my psyche that people see but I still have internal work to do. I agree that I still have some deep underlying work to do but I also believe that I have done a lot of housecleaning and, overall, my basement isn't as messy as I think it is. I just need 1-800-Junk to come and haul the stuff away. So, what's stopping me? I am. Perhaps, I am clinging a bit to the past. Most of what is in the basement represents the past - books and magazines, baby clothes, old toys, old skis. Having written what I have just written, I see that I need to collect just a few keepsakes and donate the rest. And having written what I have written, I realize that I have been taking small steps to clean the basement. I have made at least three trips to Goodwill this fall. My plan is to make two more trips before December, and then after Christmas to call Goodwill for pick-up and then 1-800-Junk (it really does exist) for what Goodwill won't take.

My Outlook task list is my minor, but long term to-do list. I usually have another to-do list of more urgent items going on a yellow pad of paper. Right now my list has four columns and 26 items noted. Before I went to Zermatt,my to-do list had three columns (For Work, For Me, For Trip) and a total of 45 items that I wanted to complete. A friend teased me about needing a spreadsheet for my list and questioned whether I really needed to do all the tasks. It was clear that she would have found the list intimidating and the sheer volume of work would have stopped her cold in her tracks. This is an example of how we're each unique. What scared her, frees me. When I make a list, I am taking the clutter out of my brain and putting it on paper. I can then make an assessment of whether something is important, urgent or neither. It also prevents me from worrying about whether I will forget something. The reason that my lists are long is that I break tasks into small pieces. This makes them more manageable for me, but definitely is not the way to go for everyone.

Of the 49 items on my Zermatt list, I crossed off 34 of the items. The rest went undone. I really didn't need new headphones for my MP3 player, so even though that was on the list, it didn't get done. I didn't buy Swiss francs until I got to Switzerland, and I didn't plant new bulbs in the front yard. I made good choices and prioritized well. My to-do lists work for me and that's okay.

BTW - my inspiration for this blog was a note on Blogger that a book, based on a blog of to-do lists, has just been published. I didn't visit the website until after I wrote this entry but if you are interested in to-do lists, visit www.todolistblog.com. You can always add it to your list of things to do!

Namaste,
Ginny