Listmania!
One thing I live by is lists. Lists are good for everything: for your goals, your plans, your schedules. They are also good for keeping track of your own character. I keep a list of my sins and other bad qualities or habits I am trying to get rid of, plus a list of good deeds or good qualities I am trying to acquire. Now anyone who has made any lists knows that things don’t always work out the way you intend. But keeping lists keeps me sane. Even if I get hardly anything done, I make a new list and keep going (what I call “recalibration”). For some reason, I feel the need to write everything down, down to what I will cook and clean! If I don’t make my lists, I feel I haven’t started my day. Often it’s also the last thing I do before I go to bed - make a list for the week, the month, the year, the lifetime - for the coming day. I don’t know if it’s because I’m a writer, but lists rule my world and I feel useless without them. I guess I feel if I’m not planning on doing anything with my life (education, career, worship, etc.) then I’m just wasting my time and my existence. So it’s a continual sort of mental process which gets played out on paper (I prefer notepad on my laptop). In fact, sometimes when I’m overwhelmed with a mental problem I like to sit down, pull up notepad and write out the solution, using logic for theoretical problems or golden rules of character for emotional or life problems. It’s very empowering and I feel very anchored with my obsessive jotting. I am just mad about lists!
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May 17th, 2008 at 5:15 am
Thanks for sharing your list making habits. I’m really interested in the power of lists to focus the mind and help with productivity. Could you explain a little bit about what you mean by “using logic” and “golden rules” to help organise your lists.
Thanks!
May 17th, 2008 at 11:56 am
well, logic comes in for things that are “theoretical” or “philosophical” like “should i buy a car” - i even used it for some islamic theory stuff like when i was looking at the issues of innovation, ‘aqeedah (comparative), etc.
and some things such as “what should i do with my life” or “what should i do about this unpleasant incident with a person”, etc. is when i look at “golden rules” - these are more like reminders to be patient or forgiving etc. (golden rules of behavior are sort of “the right thing” we all know we should do but find hard at times)
it sounds maybe crazy, but sometimes when your mind is swirling with confusion on any issue, big or small, “thinking it out” in written form gives you a feeling of taking control of your life and making better decisions - and of course then you make an action list at the end to follow through with what you decided!
May 18th, 2008 at 4:54 pm
Thanks for that, it’s helpful to see how others use their lists :) Like you say yourself, I find that just outputting whatever is in my mind into a list usually helps in breaking things down into manageable chunks that can then be tackled one at a time. I love your blog. Thanks.