To-Do or Not To-Do?

I'm the type of person who has the attention span of a gnat. This doesn't mean that I can't focus on one thing for a long period of time. It's more like my mind is so crammed full of things to think about that I can jump from topic to topic to topic so quickly that a lot of the time my thoughts appear completely random and disjointed. I tell you that it is not usually the case, and when I need to connect the dots for an unsuspecting listener, I can do so rather quickly. It rarely makes sense to anyone one else but me, but I'm okay with that. It must just be how I'm wired.

I love to-do lists. I like knowing exactly everything I need to get done. Plus, I figure it's a good way to get out on paper all of the jumbled thoughts I just described above. My lists are quite detailed at times, from making my grocery list based on the aisles in the store to even listing my tasks in the order they need to get done. You may think "duh, who doesn't?" but let me explain. Yes, it makes sense to put things in chronological order. However, I often go beyond that and list out the order I need to do things just to get to actual items on my list. Confused? Say I need to schedule an appointment to have the cable guy fix my satellite dish. The beginning of my list would look a little like this:

-Look up DirecTV phone number
-Call DirecTV to make appt.
-Write appointment on calendar

It is a little ridiculous. I think spend more time making the list than actually doing the task! That implies that I always accomplish what I've set out to do because I made a list :) Yeah, not so much. I have good intentions, I swear. I've been plagued with procrastination since childhood. I would be told to clean my room and I'd end up spending hours reminiscing as I looked through every item in my closet. Some things never change.

I've considered giving up the To-Do list, but doubt that I can survive without it. Even if nothing ever gets done, I believe it's therapeutic.

I guess I should just be happy that I feel quite satisfactory when I cross off a day on my calendar, like I've accomplished something for the day.

Yeah, I'll take that.

General thievery--and a list!

I saw this post on some random blog I came across while reading a different blog. I thought it was interesting and kind of fun. So I stole it. I'm not even going to reference it.

I have put the things on the list that pertain to me in bold.

Bought everyone in the bar a drink
Swam with wild dolphin
Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
Been inside a Pyramid
Held a tarantula
Taken a candle lit bath
Said I love you and meant it
Hugged a Tree
Bungee jumped
Visited Paris
Watched a lightening storm at sea
Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
Seen the Northern Lights
Gone to a huge sports game
Walked the stairs to the top of the Leaning Tower of Pisa
Grown and eaten your own vegetables
Touched an iceberg
Slept under the stars
Changed a baby’s diaper
Taken a drip in a hot air balloon
Watched a meteor shower
Gotten drunk on champagne
Given more than you can afford to charity
Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
Had a food fight
Bet on a winning horse
Asked out a stranger
Had a snowball fight
Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
Held a lamb
Seen a total eclipse
Ridden a roller coaster
Hit a home run
Danced like a fool, not caring who watched
Adopted an accent for an entire day
Actually felt happy about your life, even for a moment
Had two hard drives for your computer
Visited all 50 states
Taken care of someone who was too drunk
Had amazing Friends
Danced with a Stranger in a foreign country
Watched wild whales
Stolen a sign
Hitchhiked in Europe
Taken a road-trip
Gone rock climbing
Midnight walk on the beach
Gone sky diving
Visited Ireland
Been heartbroken longer than you were in love
In a restaurant sat at a stranger’s table and ate with them
Visited Japan
Milked a cow
Alphabetized your CDs
Pretended to be a superhero
Sung karaoke
Lounged around in bed all day
Posed nude in front of strangers
Gone scuba diving
Kissed in the rain
Played in the mud
Played in the rain
Gone to a drive-in theater
Visited the Great Wall of China
Started a business
Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
Toured ancient sites
Taken a martial arts class
Played a computer game for more than 6 hours straight
Gotten married
Been in a movie
Crashed a party
Gotten divorced
Gone without food for 5 days
Made cookies from scratch
Won first prize in a costume contest
Ridden a gondola in Venice
Gotten a tattoo
Rafted the Snake River
Been on television news program as an “expert”
Got flowers for no reason
Performed on a stage
Been to Las Vegas
Recorded Music
Eaten shark
Had a one-night stand
Gone to Thailand
Bought a house
Been in a combat zone
Buried one/both of your parents
Been on a cruise ship
Spoken more than one language fluently
Performed in Rocky Horror
Raised children
Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
Picked up and moved to another city
Walked on the Golden Gate Bridge
Sang loudly in the car and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking
Had plastic surgery
Survived an accident that you shouldn’t have
Wrote articles for a large publication
Lost over 100 lbs
Held someone while they were having a flashback
Piloted an airplane
Petted a stingray
Broken someone’s heart
Helped an animal give birth
Won money on a TV game show
Broken a bone
Gone on an African safari
Had a body part below the neck pierced
Fired a rifle, shotgun or pistol
Eaten mushrooms gathered in the wild
Ridden a horse
Had major surgery
Had a snake as a pet
Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
Slept for more than 30 hours over 48 consecutive hours
Visited more foreign countries than US States
Visited all 7 continents
Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
Eaten Kangaroo meat
Eaten sushi
Had your picture in the paper
Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about
Gone back to school
Parasailed
Petted a cockroach
Eaten fried green tomatoes
Read the Iliad
Selected one important author who you missed school to read
Killed and prepared an animal for eating
Skipped all of your school reunions
Communicated with someone without sharing a common language
Been elected to public office
Written your own computer language
Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream
Build your own PC from parts
Had to put someone you love in hospice care
Sold your own artwork to someone that didn’t know it was yours
Had a booth in a street fair
Dyed your hair
Been a DJ
Shaved your head
Caused a car accident
Saved someone’s life

Looking at this list makes me think that while there are many things I would love to do at some point in my life (and plenty I could care less about), I have already done some exciting things in my life. It's so easy to get caught up and bogged down by the day-to-day that I often forget how great my life truly is.

"I have come so that they may have LIFE and have it to the FULL!" John 10:10b (emphasis and exclamation point mine)