The Monster List

Contrary to "Happy Lists" (a great blog), I have Mad, Mad, Mad Lists. Actually I have one list on legal-sized yellow-lined paper. It's handwritten in different colors of ink: blue for normal-get-it-done-when-you-can; red for chop-chop need-it-yesterday; and green for whenever; I have a date at the top and then a whole list of "to do" items. Well, I go along with all I normally do in a day, and later I get out my list and add more to my list and a new date. Sometimes I will draw an arrow from one item (work on Smith file) to another item of a different date (work on Smith file).

What good does it do me to make a list of priority items that I need to do now but don't have time to do until tomorrow because I am too busy making up my list of projects to do tomorrow and then tomorrow I'll look at the list and see an item from ten days ago and I'll FINALLY get it crossed off, but there are so many arrows going to items that I spilled over to another day. I feel like Scarlett, chanting, "tomorrow is another day." Or like Orphan Annie, singing "Tomorrow! Tomorrow! I'll do it Tomorrow" "There's Always . . . . Tomorrow!" And then my Clark Gable inner twin says, "Frankly my dear I don't give a damn."

My green items are colored over with blue. My blue items become red. My red items are catching fire.

I need a keeper.

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