Tag Archives: To-Do Lists

Oh, For the Grace

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Thanks for understanding about my break. The week went quickly, but it allowed me to get my feet underneath me as far as this blog goes.

As I know I’ve made abundantly clear on this blog, I love to set goals for myself and do them (well, I don’t always love doing them, but I love getting them done).

It’s very easy for me to think about my life as a follower of Christ in these terms. God wants me to read my Bible, check. God wants me to do kind things to others, check. God wants me to go to church, check.

The problem is that too often my life really is a series or checks.

That’s not how I should live or how I want to live.

More and more God has been showing me how much I do depend on Him for everything even when I don’t admit it or don’t let it show.

How humbling that is.

He’ll allow me to play like I have control over my world for a little while, but not forever.

And the more I recognize who really has control and power, the better I can serve Him and not myself.

Photo by Matt Carman

Summer To-Do and a Million Dollar Question

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1. What’s on your “to do” list this summer?

Moving, for one thing (and the accompanying ”getting settled”).  I don’t really have “summer” plans other than that, since I don’t segment my life so much like this anymore.  I’d like to get back in to regular exercise and eating at home, but I’m already starting to work on that.

2.  Do you enjoy sleeping late?

Most definitely.  Though “late” has changed from what it was when I was a teenager or a college student.  9 AM is the latest I ever want to sleep in

3. Fill in the blank: Life is __________.

A beautiful, wonderful, sometimes painful gift.

4. What is in your refrigerator right now?

As of writing this (April 23rd), a few condiments (mainly salad dressings), milk, eggs, onion, tortillas, lots of cheese (don’t ever want to run out), and some leftovers (taco soup and breakfast casserole).  I think that’s all that’s mine.  Haven’t done my weekly shopping yet to get fruits and veggies.

5. If you received $1 million (after taxes), what would you do with the money?

Pay off my student loan, buy a medium-sized house and furnish it modestly, and give some to friends.  Give at least 200K of it to my church, and then invest the rest.

Works for Me: Managing To-Do Lists

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I’m a list maker. Though I don’t always enjoy the activities on my to-do list, I love the look of the list and the thrill of crossing items off.

In high school we were required to use agendas that had a two-page spread for a week. It was perfect for keeping track of activities and homework. When I entered college, I got a similar book (though in a more mature faux-leather cover) that worked great for several years.
One Christmas a few years ago, my mom bought me a PDA. I was able to convert quite successfully to this little thing that holds everything I could ever need.
Unfortunately, I’m a bit of an abuser, I guess. Slowly, it started to wear down: the touchpad, the power button, etc. It was no longer as convenient to use to keep track of tasks. My adult life requires more and more of me, at school, church, work, and home.
A little over a year ago, I switched back to paper for my to-do lists. I still use the PDA for everything else, but I find joy in making actual to-do lists and can keep better track of what I need to do.
The key for me to use to-do lists is to review them every week. I take a look at my calendar for the next couple of weeks, my syllabi, and any other relevant schedules to help me keep my to-do list relevant and clean. I prioritize and categorize items by date, putting the most immediate tasks on the top of the page. After all the dated to-do lists (usually for reading and papers), I have an “other” category that contains all the things that I would like done eventually. These tasks rarely get tackled, but if I get ambitious, I know where to look!
Reviewing my to-do list weekly, that’s what works for me!
For past Works-for-Me Wednesday ideas: