Lists. Lists. Endless lists.

Life is just one never-ending 'to-do' list, isn't it? I recently started making lists again in an attempt to eradicate that 'things are endless slipping away from me' feeling. Making lists got me thinking, life is a list. We have to go to school-check, go to university-check, get a job, get married, get a mortgage, get a pension. But within each of those categories there are sub-categories, it has to be the right university and the right job, and you have to have the right balance between work and play. What's so strange is that we all have a notion of what is 'right' yet no of us have any idea where this notion comes from. Ultimately, we draw up these standards for ourselves, often far beyond our capabilities, and then wallow in depression when our unrealistic expectations never materialise or work out the way we imagined.

My daily 'to-do' lists are great because they allow me to focus on the here and now, rather than being overwhelmed by the over-arching list which we are all continuously seeking to tick off. Seeing a few aims for the day written down, makes it seem achievable, it transforms an abstract impossibility to a penned-in possibility and gives me a bit of perspective. Writing that 4,000 word essay isn't all that pressing after all when people are dealing with far more important issues all over the world.