I am fairly certain that if I didn’t make “to-do” lists for myself, my productivity in most areas of my life would be dramatically below the level they are currently at.  Not only are the helpful in this manner, but I also get immense pleasure in crossing things off lists. Slightly nerdy? I know it, but it’s true.

About a month ago I had the revelation that I could employ this logic of  using to-do lists to a wider variety of things than just what I needed to remember to do in a day/week.  Long-term to-do lists are exciting ones to make – be it a 5 year one, or even as extensive as a lifelong one.  Being able to write things down like “graduate!” or “visit the Colosseum”  is oh-so-much more appealing than making a note that I need to pay the power bill.

One list which I have started after many years of thinking I should (and yes, it is a physical list), is a list of films which I need/want to watch or ones that I really should have already seen and it is shocking that I haven’t.  This is a great list to have.  Just the other night I was reminded of how brilliant it is to have it in physical form – I was at the video store trying to pick what movie to get with my “rent one and get another free” voucher. Ordinarily I would wander around (unsuccessfully) trying to think of all the things which I had been told I must see, but not this time! Out came the list and the simplistic beauty of the list was manifest: I could go and pick something up straight away that I needed to see.

So far the things I have been able to cross off are as follows:

• The Princess Bride (yes it has taken me all these years to see this one!)
• V for Vendetta
• Breakfast at Tiffany’s
• Blood Diamond
• Juno

and this one which was has the record for the least amount of time between being added to the list and being crossed off:

• Inception (go and see it if you haven’t already).

The thing is that I now need to try to recall more films which I know I should have already seen, or ones that have been recommended to me.  There are still a fair number on my list, but I feel like I should keep it constantly replenished. Then when I do visit the video store I have a nice selection to choose from, hopefully across a number of genres. My list currently seems to be predominantly action films…. (anyone know any good dramas that I should watch?)

Well that’s me and lists for now.  I will leave you with a couple of my more recent photographs as an un-related parting thought: