To-Do Lists - This Freelance Writer’s Pet Peeve

by Amy Derby on September 28, 2007

I hate to-do lists. Absolutely despise them. Every time I read an article about time management or productivity, there’s always something in there about writing lists.

Perhaps my hatred for to-do lists stems from my former life as a paralegal, wherein I was required to document every single minute of my time for billing purposes. But seriously, you couldn’t pay me to keep a to-do list now, for personal or professional reasons.

I think that many of the people who write articles that say list-making is essential to an organized, well-productive life just don’t understand that for some people, making a list is just another way to waste time.

Ways you’ll know list-making isn’t for you:

1. You never read the list after you’ve written it, or you lose the list.

2. You spend countless hours updating the list, so rather than crossing things off as you accomplish them, you just keep adding more.

3. You’re one of those people who makes a grocery list, but once you’re in the store you buy 25 things that aren’t on the list and don’t bother buying 10 of the items on it.

4. You’ve got piles and piles of junk everywhere, but you can still find everything.

5. When you read an article about to-do lists, you pull your hair out.

{ 3 comments }