I’m a person who loves to make lists. It might be as sign of my slightly obsessive compulsive (OC) nature  or a reflection of my short memory span, but I have been making and keeping lists for every aspect of my life, as far back as I can remember.

I have lists for mundane, practical things, like grocery shopping lists, weekly list of errands, lists of things to pack/bring on out of town trips, and more recently, a wedding planning list. At work I keep a continously running list of things I need to accomplish for each day, ranked by priority, and adjusted as priorities shift and change. I actually have a  record of all my daily work activities dating back to January 1999. I think I make these lists to lessen the stress of having to remember things. It’s so much easier to write them down and refer to them every so often, rather than have to worry about forgetting important details. At work it also helps me to put some structure into my day, and allows me to clearly define the goals I need to accomplish. It helps reduce my stress level and gets me back on track when I sometimes feel lost. As shallow as it may seem, I love checking off the items on my lists. It gives me a sense of progress and accomplishment

 I also keep lists for healthy living, like lists of exercises, my personal health and fitness learnings, and foods to avoid or eat more of. I use these lists as guidelines, and add items to them every so often.  These lists help remind me to take better care of myself and motivate me (sometimes when I feel guilty) to squeeze in a yoga session, toning exercises, or cardio into my life.

I also have more fanciful lists like lists of books I plan to read, a list of craft ideas I want to try, recipes for cooking, list of Christmas gift ideas for family and friends, websites to visit, and my personal wish list. These lists are often a source of frustration for me because when I look at them it makes me sad to know that I have so many things I plan to do but don’t really get around to doing. They can be more like reminders of dreams that aren’t realized. But, once in a while they can actually push me to try something new. One of the items in my wish list was to start a blog. I guess that’s one thing I can check off  

My preoccupation with lists is such that I even save interesting lists that I come across from magazines and books. I have a copy of Bobbi Brown’s list of Beauty Commandments, 7 Attributes of a Youthful Mind, 10 Strategies for Stress Management, 9 Ways to Prevent Disease, 10 Skills to Succeed at Almost Anything, and many others more… 

I can say that my life, in a way, is defined by lists. My lists are an outline, a compilation of all the big and small things I do everyday. They’re like the  little drops of water that make up my ocean. They show everything from the mundane and routinary, to my dreams and bigger aspirations in life. How about you? Do you keep lists too? I wonder what your lists say about you