To Alex -

To Alex...who is far away in person, but never far from my heart. I miss you. Enjoy these snippets of everyday family life here in the states.

Friday, August 1, 2008

On making lists...or...The List of Three.

Yeah, I know, I've seen. Everyone is making lists. I've thought alot about those that I'm seeing and I've noticed that the majority of them are for big projects or life changing reminders. And, you know, I have those lists too. The back of my kitchen door is covered with those lists and the items are numbered (in pencil, of course) in order of priority so I can keep track of what needs doing next. But those lists don't keep my daily life orderly and I need order so I can function and not feel overwhelmed. So, a few years ago I started my daily List of Three. That's it, 3 items that I really want completed and they're usually mundane tasks that would/could risk getting put off while I'm doing the multitude of other tasks that I notice as I walk through the house. The ordinary gets written on there, like laundry or weeding, and I pencil in my creative outlets, things like sewing or baking or painting. Sometimes I break down projects and write something like "lacquer the watercolor boards". It's a simple idea that helps me to feel good when I've completed my list. And seriously, who doesn't need that sense of accomplishment in their daily life?

1 comment:

  1. Hi Lily. I like your list idea. I'm a list maker too. It's funny because I'm trialing a new list/planner idea for myself, just started today, and it includes a square for listing my top 3 things I want to get done that day. And like yours, they were mundane things that otherwise I might have procrastinated on.

    About your question on my blog, I too have trouble thinking of gift ideas for the men. Last year I made my husband a fabric box and a bag for taking his lunch in (he had been using old canvas bags). The jam idea came about partly because my husband recongnized that my ideas for gifts didn't really include the men. Other than that, I'm still mulling it over, but we'll probably give baskets of a few things bundled together that include the whole family--jam, granola, maybe some handmade coasters, that sort of thing. Hope that helps.

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