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April 13, 2006

To-dos, Todo's & Todos!

This motor is whirring overtime! Whirrrr! Whirrr! Help!

Is it just me or are all of you overwhelmed by the number of chores that need to be accomplished in a day? I am a list-person (also, I like to repeat myself)! I am usually happy making them up, meticulously ticking them off or highlighting them with a yellow colored marker pen (Ok fine, I don't find the yellow marker most of the time but it's the thought that counts). But, nowadays, I seem to be making metal-sublists in addition to the ones written on paper. I seem to always be adding to the sublists and I can't seem to ever check all of them EOD.

For instance, yesterday's list looked like this:

  • Laundry - Done!

  • Finish "Arranged Marriage" (Chitra Divakaruni) - One short-story left :(

  • dance class reminder - Done! (15 minutes late though)

  • Pack bag for Cleveland trip - :(

  • Finish submitting code at home (since I couldn't finish it at work) - Done!

  • Post tax documents! (Today is the 13th!) - :(

  • Take pictures of the tulips growing the backyard - :(

  • Plant flowers in the front yard - Keep dreaming!


And sometimes, when k shares his to-do list with me, I make the mistake of unconsciously adding them to my list:

  • Prepare tax document

  • Winshield wipers!

  • Lawn mower

  • Spring garage cleaning


And then there are my ambitious/optimistic todo's (how does one write todos? todo's? to-dos?):

  • Get a daring new hair-style

  • Buy a nice party top to go with the pista colored skirt that I have (before the Rehman concert)

  • Polish nails and a manicure (if I feel really optimistic)

  • Look into visa stamping details in Canada

  • Decide on a birthday gift for k

  • Figure out life-style changes to make sure we get up on time every morning, maybe practise yoga or just exercise for fifteen minutes, have a relaxed coffee (instead of half-spilling it on my lap in the car), watch the news for ten minutes (even in an ideal situation, that's the amount of news I can take in a day!), cheerfully wish each other good morning (instead of our sleepy, drowsy, groggy "Goo' morn"s)...and as you can see, the list gets bigger and farther away from reality as I think more!

  • Learn more about how k figured out those tax things, keep track of all bills that he pays, be more financially-aware. (Note to self - Next time, don't laugh when you write this down)


And right about then, my head begins to go for a long swim in circles, round and round, my todo lists come swimming around me and I keep thinking of more things to add. I should have added, "Write a blog post about to-dos" somewhere there, but since it's already done, "Check!" (Remember Monica and Ross and "Check!"?)

Relaaax, deeep breaths. There.

Okay, that didn't calm me down one bit but anyway, for those of you who like todo lists, here's a link to a nice, yellow sticky that you can stick on your desktop to keep reminding you every second that you have exactly 26 chores to finish in the 4 hours that's left in your day :)

Stickies!

12 comments:

kamal said...

Maybe we can sweep all the todo's under the carpet and pretend that they dont exist, Nothing like enjoying the sun and the breeze on a lazy Spring Day! .. What are these things called to-dos, I need no to-dos.

Kamal

dinesh said...

I could relate to your post, because I am a list person too. I like to have lists, but I don't ever get more than 75 % done !

I can relate to the head swimming in circles. Same thing happens to me too...either I get consumed by the lists or I am so far out of getting any of what I wrote down done, that I dont care about it. I've learnt one thing...when you have the lists written down and when you're still atching them at 3 in the afternoon, that means you've made some progress through the day ! :)

BZ said...

Hey RS,

ROTFL :))
Apologies for laughing when you are *sooo* tensed but.. enjoyed reading this post :)

One thing to do would be to set a time for each bullet in your to-dos too..that would make you feel a little better knowing that you have some time alloted for the task.
(Not really sticking to the time table is a totally different issue to worry about )

BTW,
you know Outlook has things similar to stickies, called Notes. I use that all the time.

And agree with Kamal's comment too.

expertdabbler said...

aaaha,

i dont know what u might miss in your lists but u better have this

1) update my to do lists

pesama mosakutti's to do lists nu wiki madhiri edhavadhu podu. appo appo update pannikalaam:)

listukulley list
recursive lists or whatever:)

Zeppelin said...

hehe...did you watch "memento" ny any chance ?? ;)

and what are "metal-sublists"... do you like..scribe/etch your lists on metal surfaces at home ?? :P:P

Zeppelin said...

oh i almost forgot... consult a c/c++ programming book...very useful.. know what am sayin' ?! :)

Hellboy said...

Hb’s to-do list:
1) stop making to-do lists – double check :)

kidding aside, its good to have a list like that. I would rather have a to-do list for bigger things. I guess stuff like laundry will take care of itself. When I am running out of washed clothes, I know I am heading to the laundry :). hmm if things are big enough i don’t need the list in the first place right, how would I forget that?

IBH said...

now this is scaring me out....tht people are so good at organizing by maintaining lists :)

i lack in that department...i do what comes along...if i dont do..i dont regret...:) hehehe....

:) mite be for a change i shuld start maintaining such lists :)

Parth said...

Taxes pending? Common sight this. Funny part is, even when the government owes us money, we wait till the last date to remind them of the same :-)

RT said...

i have 47 items on my to-do list, if that makes u feel any better:-)

Viji said...

What are to-do lists?? ;)

RS said...

kamal - I agree with one line there...I certainly dont "need" (want) no To-Dos :)

dinesh - yay! a fellow to-do person!

saranya - should try the time limit thing, that way I can make my to-do expire :)

p~k - a wiki is not a bad idea except that i will have a to-do to update that wiki too :)

phil - yuck pj! :))

hellboy - thats an interesting thought there :)

ibh - make some lists and join the gang!

parth - I know! Every year we post that envelope a day before the due date!

rt - great! am happy!

viji - :))

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