Crossed Off

I'm not so hot on lists.  Or list-making, for that matter.  I'm not talking about shopping lists or "This is who I'm inviting to my super-secret party for people with cool hats party!" lists.  Those are just fine and necessary for memory's sake alone.  I'm talking about the Big Lists.  The lists that include things like, "Remember to cancel your car insurance." or "Have that festering wound checked out."  Lists like these can be psychologically harmful and altogether unproductive.  The act of making a list like this feels futile and maybe just a little like an admission of defeat.  

First, there's the inevitable number of things that should really be on the list but get left off of it because you just can't bring yourself to put them in writing.  Already, your list if failing you.   

Second, there are the items that really ought to have sublists, but you try to make yourself feel better by pretending it's really only one thing to cross off.  Your list is now setting you up for failure.

Third, there are inevitably items which you can easily complete or you have even already completed, giving you a false sense of accomplishment as you cross them off the moment after you've written them down.  Your list is now lying to you.  

Fourth, there are the items that are unknowable in scope or arbitrary in their definition of completion, giving your list the potential to be unfinished forever.   Your list uncompleted list will mock you.  

Finally, the list itself is only useful if you reference it occasionally and honestly track your progress.  The problem here is that every single time you come back to the list you discover there are more items to add than there are to cross off.  Your list is now a Hydra.  Have fun with that, Hercules.  

All of which is a roundabout way of saying that I attempted to make a list for myself today, and this is as far as I got.