Do you love a list – writing it, ticking things off and feeling a huge sense of achievement?

Do you hate a list – having to write it, not ticking everything off and then feeling like you have failed?

Do you resent a list – don’t tell me what to do little piece of paper with words!  I can do whatever I want when I want thank you very much.

Do you fear a list – feeling locked in, a loss of freedom, a lack of choice and no options for spontaneity?

Do you get fussy about a list – crossing things off in a certain way, colour coded, numbered?

Do you have a beautiful list – beautiful inspiring notepaper?  Or scraps of paper you can throw away? (I love using notepads from hotels because they are a great size and remind me of fun times in fancy hotels!)

Do you cheat on your list – my old flatmate used to put on his list ‘get up, have shower’ – stuff like that so he could cross things off and feel on track.  I love that idea.  Maybe it’s not cheating.  Maybe it’s very clever to get our brain in the right mindset.  I still often write things I didn’t plan on doing on my list once I have completed them so I can cross them off and feel like a hero for doing EXTRA!

Do you do work lists, weekend lists and holidays lists?  Daily, weekly, monthly and yearly lists?

Do you put fun things on a list?  Does that make you more excited about a list?

What if your day’s list looked something like this:

• Sleep in
• Lie around reading a book
• Go out to brunch with fabulous friends
• Have a cup of tea
• Do whatever you feel like doing all afternoon (not much beats afternoon sex!)
• Take a stroll in nature or a potter in the garden when the sun is going down
• Eat your favourite food for dinner
• Leave the washing up until the next day
• Do something to make your heart sing
• Jump into bed thrilled about the incredible sleep you are going to have

Would lists then appeal to more people?  Would lists then add more value to our lives?  Would lists be able make us happier?  Would lists ‘allow’ us to do more kind things for ourselves?

Maybe we expect too much of ourselves when we do lists.  Maybe lists are limiting.

I love that there is no right way to do things in life and no wrong way.  And it’s taken me a very long to learn this.  I always thought my way was the right way for everything.  Could I have been any more narrow minded?  What a relief it is to let go of my judgements and be fascinated by other people.  Well at least 90% of the time anyway.

Where do you sit in relation to lists?  What if we created lists that were a balance of achievement/satisfaction/growth and rest/fun/happiness?  Would that make a list an awesome thing?

Be kind to yourself.

Wx