To List or Not to List

I have tried to be a listmaker. I have failed at being a listmaker. What is it about them that keeps trying to seduce me?

Is it the feeling of order? I do love order.
Is it the feeling of accomplishment? During my listmaking attempts, I've felt that good job, pat-on-the-back feeling when something is completed and crossed off the list.
Is it because I really do want to do more? Or do I just enjoy the pursuit of appearing more responsible?

No matter the reason, I still haven't become a regular listmaker. The one thing I've been able to do now & again this year is to write down my most important tasks to accomplish for that day (or MIT's as Leo Babauta calls them).

The reason this has been so successful is due to having my company's website go down in early January and me having to scramble to get it up again. My head was spinning at every area I came across that seemed to claw for my attention right then. I began adding each thing to a running list so that I could purge it from my mind. As motivation permitted, I'd choose 2 things from the list before finishing up for the day to put on a priority to-do list for the next day. The 3rd spot is something that would come up during the day. Leaving room for it didn't push anything else aside. After seeing how useful it can be, I don't know why I can't integrate this into my personal life.

I have procrastinated writing anything for the blog over the last week. If you haven't already figured it out, I only post on certain days and each day has a focus. I wasn't inspired enough to write on the 15th and the next posting day, the 18th, is "About Suzanne" day. While doing some brainstorming yesterday, I thought that I should just write about my inability to regularly utilize to-do lists. However, this morning brought no motivation to do so.

While using my computer time to do the ever-so-important things such as checking Twitter and reading blog posts on my reader, I came across a guest post on Get Rich Slowly by Robert Brokamp appropriately titled "Should you really be reading this post?"

While enjoying the humor of his post, describing my exact dilemma about doing stuff that doesn't matter in an attempt to put off things that do, I re-read the following line and let it sink in.

Why is this? Why do we not do things we know would improve our lives?

I haven't figured out the complete reason, just yet. However, I have learned that sometimes the inner child in us still comes out to play now & again. I don't want to have to do what I don't want to do.

Have you developed ways to get around your inner procrastinator? Care to share them with me in a comment? I might not be the only one who could use the help...

Until next time...Take Care Of You!

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