About To-Do Lists

I love to-do lists. I make one every day. I love the feeling of control and calm they give me.

A to-do list can simultaneously soothe and empower. Don't take my word for it. Here's what the fabulous Shirley Conran has to say about the subject.

Or check out Maggie Trapp's essay "Listing, Listless".

For some people, to-do lists have moved on from simple-but-effective pen and paper. It's possible to replace or augment a list in a notebook with a list on an electronic gadget, such as a PDA or Blackberry, or on a mobile phone.

Online versions of the traditional list are becoming popular, such as TaDaList.com, which makes it possible to access your to-do list from any internet browser.

If you are interested in making a to-do list of life goals, take a look at 43things.com, a free utility for drawing up and sharing your aims for your future.

In contrast, getting the to-do list done to the utter basics, NowDoThis.com allows you to upload a to-do list, and then displays each task to you in order, one task at a time. For stuff you've been procrastinating on, it's a very powerful tool.

I also recommend the book To-Do List: From Buying Milk to Finding a Soul Mate, What Our Lists Reveal about Us, by Sasha Cagen (it's on Amazon here.) The book features a huge variety of people's to-do lists, from the hilarious to the profound. It's a really enjoyable read. The same lady has a blog too.

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