Wednesday, July 29, 2015

10 Ways I Know it's a Backwards To-Do List Kind of Day

Blackout Cupcake
thecheesecakefactorybakery.com

Several months ago, I wrote about my backwards to-do list. Like double chocolate cupcakes and strawberry daiquiris, backwards to-do lists aren't an everyday sort of thing. Here are 10 ways I know from a mere glance at my master list that it's a backwards to-do list kind of day:

  1. The list of things I need to accomplish is long. Very long. 
  2. I start procrastinating before I even get out of bed.
  3. The master list has a little bit of everything on it, and is spread out across two or more little snippets of paper in addition to the actual list itself.
  4. The things on the lists require different kinds of thought: creative thought, logical thought, no thought at all (this usually means laundry and restoring some semblance of order to the house).
  5. Did I mention that the list is long? Interminably so.
  6. I start thinking things like, "I'll never get all this done. I should just go play Words With Friends."
  7. I have enough control over the day's schedule (ostensibly) that I should be able to make significant progress if I stay focused.
  8. Someone in the neighborhood has decided to cut down a tree, mow the lawn for hours or play basketball right outside my office window, ensuring that every ounce of distractibility I possess will kick in with full force.
  9. I need a reward for powering through the master list, and a backwards to-do list has fewer calories than a double chocolate cupcake and less alcohol than a strawberry daiquiri.
  10. Reading the backwards to-do list at the end of the day will motivate me to get up and do it all over again the next day.

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