Making Lists
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I was reading Proverbs 30, written by a man named Agur son of Jakeh. If you look it up, you’ll see it contains several lists. In fact, it is a list of lists. For example:
Verse fifteen says, “There are three things that are never satisfied, four that never say, ‘Enough!’…
Verse eighteen says, “There are three things that are too amazing for me, four that I do not understand …”
And verse twenty-one says, “Under three things the earth trembles, under four it cannot bear up …”
(These are just the headings of Agur’s lists. You’ll have to read Proverbs 30 for details.)
I realized I’m a lot like Agur; it’s hard to know how many things to put on a list. And it’s hard to know when to stop.
I make daily lists all the time, especially if my projects include a lot of different locations around town. Once I have a list of all the things I need to do, places I need to go, I can sequence them for efficient driving and all that.
Once I have a list, I relax. I no longer have to depend on my memory to get important things done, I just follow the list.
That means, I can be creative without the fear of becoming distracted. I can let my mind wander knowing all I have to do is look at my list for the next project. I only have to remember one thing … keep up with my list.
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I’ve been reading Every Tool’s a Hammer, by Adam Savage (MythBusters), my Christmas present from daughter Katie (she gave it to me after she’d finished reading it herself … a longstanding tradition). Savage actually included two chapters about list making: chapter two – “Lists,” and chapter three – “Checkboxes.”
He wrote, “I love lists. I like long detailed lists. I like big unruly lists. I like sorting unsorted lists into outline form, then separating out their topics into lists of their own.”
* * * * *
When I get nervous about something, my first defense is to start making lists … lists of things to do beforehand, lists of things to take with me, lists of things to consider and think about, lists of questions to research, lists of projects to do afterward, and like that.
Why do I start there? Because the part of any big project that makes me fret is my fear I’ll forget something important. (People say “If it’s important you’ll remember it.” That is a lie. Don’t believe it. Write it down!)
I’ve actually gotten up out of bed after tossing and turning, not sleeping because I’m worrying about a project or trip or writing idea and scribbled down a list of the things that have been bothering me. Once I have it on paper, I usually drop off to sleep immediately. It’s like magic. The magic of making a list.
A list lets my brain floaters settle. When I have a list in my hand, I know what to do next, I don’t have to keep guessing.
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Not all lists are things to do. Back in 1983 a motivational speaker named Jim Rohn taught me to keep a wisdom list, with quotes and phrases and lyrics, and to keep a list of books I’ve read. He said we should intentionally capture knowledge and wisdom.
His advice not only changed my life, it improved my future. I still keep the lists, and still add to those same lists, he recommended, 37 years later.
CHALLENGE: Make a list of things to start doing, and ideas to start thinking. Start today.
“I run in the path of Your commands, for You have set my heart free.” Psalm 119:32
