Checklists for Life

Introduction

The world is made up of two kinds of people: Those who write lists to make sure they take care of everything that needs to be done, and those who prefer to wing it. Winging it does add a certain excitement to life—it’s been known to involve such adventures as

getting by without clean underwear during lengthy vacations. But as the appeal of such adventure wears thin, many wing-it folks become converts to list-making.

In fact, there’s something about the human psyche that actually craves lists. Some people find them so deeply reassuring that they just can’t stop making them. As a list-maker myself, I offer you a few of the reasons why—in list form, of course:

•	Lists make us feel free, not because they help us remember things, but because they allow us to forget them. When the important stuff is written down, the mind is free to wander, to create, or to think deeply about life’s complex questions. (Iced cappuccino or double latte? Mountain cabin or Caribbean villa?)
•	Lists help us face life with confidence. No challenge is so formidable that it can’t be wrestled into list form and mastered, one checkmark at a time.
•	Few gratifications in life can match the one that comes from marking a big, bold √ through each task as it’s dispatched. (Many dedicated list-makers will admit to including completed tasks on our lists, just for the satisfaction of checking them off!)

Show me a consistently successful person and I’ll show you a list-maker. Individual styles may vary: some people jot lists neatly on notepads, some scribble them hastily on anything they can find, still others depend on lists they find in books! Whatever the form or source of the list, the important thing is that successful people depend on them. Lists ensure that the job gets done correctly and completely—and with the added finesse that springs from an uncluttered mind.

In case you’re worried, reading this book will not turn you into a nervous or compulsive person. To the contrary: you’ll feel well prepared for anything life tosses your way and you’ll learn to relax in a manner you never dreamed possible. Even those extended vacations will seem more enjoyable—after all, there’s nothing like the quiet confidence that comes from knowing you’ve got a suitcase full of clean underwear.

Kirsten M. Lagatree