Tuesday 8 January 2008

Mister Lister

"You don't get anything done without a list." The sage words of my Dad to me as I explained that I'd spent the weekend having a constructive time doing little jobs I'd been intending to do for ages. And he's so right. In order to remember things, I have to have lists - for work, for music, for clothes, for stuff - it helps me to organise and make things happen. I carry a notebook everywhere (this one's almost over; there's a much nicer Moleskine on standby), both to remind me and to store more things on. Not only does this mean that I can always remember what I need to, but it means I never walk into a record store without getting something I actually want, rather than a hasty impulse buy (impulse buys are great, but must be curbed this year), and the lists also force me to do more difficult stuff that I'd rather put off so I have the satisfaction of crossing it off the list. The most useful part of listing is that once it's been written down, the information is sorted on the list and not in my head, leaving me free to write, have fun and generally daydream until I feel the need to be useful. I know this sort of anal listing malarkey won't work for everyone, but the idea of being organised and motivated is essential to having a good time; it is a Staple in that it takes care of the essentials; essentials we will all have to do in the first week of the 'New Year, New You' self-help bollocks stage of the year where everyone has good intentions. And while you might not get anything done without a list, with one you'll certainly have more time to do what you want. Happy New Year! Other Staples this week include:
A listbook
Short-sleeved knitwear from the B store sale, (preparing for SS08)
Waitrose
'Pyongyang' by Guy Delisle
Lancashire cheese
M&S socks and underwear
Short hair

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