Ellemental

Setlist

Setlists are FUN lists. Lists of songs to play to make people smile and sing along? Fun. List. Here’s a little secret: Sometimes I’ll daydream that I’m a tiny little woman in faded jeans and a white turtleneck with a great big guitar. I’ll make up a setlist. I’ll add, delete, and rearrange songs until the daydream gig is perfect – the perfect mix of peppy, introspective, and nostalgic songs.

There are very few fun lists in my life. Lists do not come naturally to me. I’m too tangential to successfully use a list. For many many years, my No List policy has worked well for me. I have a pretty spiffy brain. I have been able to simply let things float around in my head, and pull them out when needed:

Boss: I need you to do this, that, then the other thing. When you do the other thing, make sure you talk to Mr. A, Mr. B, and Ms. C. Talk to Ms. C before you talk to Mr. A. Ms. C doesn’t know that you are working on the first thing.

Me: Ok

Boss: Aren’t you going to write that down?

Me: Nope. Why would I? You just told me, I was paying attention. I’ll remember.

AND I DID!!!

But lately I can’t remember shit. I have about 3 more major areas of my life than I normally have. There is SO MUCH stuff floating around my brain that not only can I not pull out the information I need when I need it, at times I can’t even pull out the simplest thoughts.

So I have been relegated to the Land of Lists.

BAH!

I have lists of project tasks, lists of people I need to call, lists of people who haven’t returned my calls, lists of study items for my upcoming certification test, lists of website updates, lists of things I supposed to be doing for the Arts board I’m on, lists of meetings and roadtrips that have to be added to my calendar. All of these lists are in addition to my Daytimer calendar where I have my actual daily to do list.

Seeing the tasks all written out in list form makes me crazy. It overwhelms me. At least when everything is in my head I can’t measure the things that have to be done RIGHT NOW in inches and feet.

I’ll eventually adjust to my new listfull life. In a sick way, I’m actually looking forward to a more structured life. I should write one more task on the bottom of every daily to do list:

Accept.