Monday, May 10, 2010

A Tisk-Tisk, A Task List

I need to call the dentist.
Not because I need an appointment. Quite the contrary, I have had four appointments in three months. Now, I must pay for them.

As I drove to meet my friends Kevin and Wendy this afternoon, I made a To Do List at red lights: a short list of people to email and then reached for the paper to write "call the dentist."

...I stopped myself.

I knew that if I wrote it on the paper, I would do it. Not because I would forget if I didn't write it down, but because I don't really want to call. I don't want to give Dr. Jones a large chunk of my next paycheck.

If it was on my To Do List, I would have to do it.

Because I can't leave something undone on my list.

I can't throw it away unless everything is crossed off.

I know this sounds crazy, but I'm actually progressing; I used to keep all of my completed To Do Lists in a file in my desk drawer...now that's crazy.

I didn't write it on there...in case you're wondering which side of my crazy was triumphant.

2 comments:

Julie Hibbard said...

I have a feeling the dentist will be calling you. Soon.

TSHarrison said...

I have a couple of questions about:
"I used to keep all of my completed To Do Lists in a file in my desk drawer"

1. Did you get rid of the file or relocate it?

2. Did throwing away this file require you to include the task of throwing away the file on a to-do list?