Week of July 8, 2014 - Making Lists

By Joan Whetzel

 

I have made lists for as long as I can remember. It’s a habit I picked up from my dad, who made lists for every task imaginable, whether small or large. Every summer vacation, every move to a new house, even weekend chores had a list made up in advance. And, as each item on the list was accomplished, it was checked off. Actually, moving required several lists: 1. Packing, 2. Unpacking, 3. Everything going onto and off of the moving van, 4. Items being loaded into the car at the beginning of the trip, and out of the car at each hotel, back on the car for the next day’s travel, and finally into the new house at the other end, 5. Travel itinerary (included meals, hotels, gasoline stops, and bathroom breaks).

There are some advantages to making lists. First, it breaks each job down into smaller, more manageable increments. Second, as you mark off items from the list, you get that sense of accomplishment as you see the list getting smaller and the end result looking more attainable.

Some of the ways I have used lists include:

1.      Writing: I break each story or paper down by subtopics, then by the time I need to finish the research, the writing, the editing time, and the due date for completed article or paper.

2.      College: I went to college late and had a hard time getting back into the swing of going to school. The work load at the beginning of each semester seemed overwhelming until I broke down each class’s syllabus and determined when every reading and writing assignment was due, when each test would be taken, and set up weekly schedule to complete the tasks.

3.      Setting Up My New Life: After my husband died, I was left with a lot of things that I needed to accomplish, like changing all the bills into my name (including billing and online bill paying), getting his death certificate and other documents that I would need to legally do the bills and other things I needed to accomplish, get his life insurance, get his pension payments, get the remainder of his vacation pay, pay off the house note, pay off the community association dues, pay the property taxes, take care of the income taxes (mine and the “Estate of Mark” taxes – yes 2 returns this year), clear out a lot of his stuff, make home repairs, set up a mowing and yard work routine, and get a job. Well, I’m still looking for the full time job, but the part time minimum wage job is a step in the right direction. The lists helped me break down each task into a set of steps. And as each item on that ever evolving list was checked off, I began to feel a sense of accomplishment I cannot even begin to describe.

It’s been a journey, but I have found that list making has made it a little bit saner. While the “Setting Up My New Life” list is still evolving, that list has grown considerably smaller and the tasks seem more manageable. Who’d have thunk it?