Too Much of a Good Thing

As a rule, I love my lists of things-to-do.

They ensure that I haven't forgotten anything. They help me to prioritize and to stay organized. And there is a wonderful sense of accomplishment when checking off the items.

I have a list of things to do before I leave for Small Society's Annual Meeting tomorrow (the only thing left on that list is packing and, yes, I have a list of things to pack). I have a list of things to be sure to bring to the meeting (my notes for the executive and general meetings and the student session, as well as the paper that I'll be presenting). And a list of things to do when I get back next Tuesday.

I also have lists for The Thesis: books to check, articles to copy, revisions to make. And lists for The Move: administrative details, moving companies to get quotes from, apartments that I might rent, things that I need to buy before and after moving, things that need to be packed for the movers and things that need to go with me on the plane. And we can't forget the lists that I'm making that deal with my teaching courseload: syllabi to create, textbooks to order, assignments to design.

But only when I began to compose a list of my lists did I finally realize that I had officially exceeded the healthy limit of lists of things-to-do.