Ri. dic. u. lous.

I started making a list earlier today.

I made the list in a Word Document.

It's the type of list that falls into a category that I named during my senior year of college. And that would be a "panic list." Briefly, panic lists include several things that are making you panic.

With today's particular panic list, I:

1. Made the list according to five basic stress categories (3 courses I am enrolled in, 1 for which I am a teaching assistant, and 1 publication for which I am writing)
2. I also added something about a phone call I needed to make. Made the phone call. Off the list.
3. I also did some color coding: a)First, to highlight each category (class #1, class #2, etc.). b)Second, to highlight some of the more urgent, or, largely pressing things that I might forget about but can't exactly push to the last minute.
4. Then, I copied the entire list and pasted it directly underneath the original list.
5. Then, I put the items on the pasted list in date order, based on when each thing is due (by the way, this is for things that are due by or before Thursday--this is not, by any means, a list for the entire semester).
6. Then, I took both lists and put them in two columns, so I could look at them side by side, both color coded, one sorted by category, the other by date.

And I don't consider myself an organized person. This is not typical list making for me. This is just how busy I am, that I feel the need to color code and columnate a list because my brain doesn't want to work overtime.

Here's the kicker: I don't feel like I got that much done today.

Can you imagine if I had a spouse? Or a roommate? Or a dog, who would require walking and lots of attention, rather than a cat? Sure, he wakes me up in the middle of the night for food, but at least he doesn't complain that there is stuff all over the living room floor. And he likes to snuggle. BONUS.