I am a list maker. I have been for years. I have “To Do” lists for work, home, and travel that have helped keep me organized and sane as I juggle day to day responsibilities. I’ve tried a more creative and visually enticing bullet journal, but already have sketchnote books and a personal journal that consume a bit of time. I may try it again one day, as I love the look of them, but I didn’t want it to become one more “To Do” on my to do list.
Also, I often create lists when I first wake up in the morning (or even when I wake during the night) and a chicken-scratched-grab-a-pen-without-turning-on-the-light-scribble-list is often the preferred method of writing. So I keep an open notebook and pen on my bedstand to keep the process easy. I need to get thoughts/tasks/shopping lists out of my brain and onto the paper to free up more dream bandwidth.
But I discovered it is kind of fun to look back through old lists that have documented times in my life. It gives me a snapshot into what was going on and what I had for priorities. Rather than ripping out pages and tossing them, I decided to keep those notebooks intact. Gives me a chance to reflect and remember in a way my journal doesn’t. These seemingly unimportant items would never make it into my daily diary and yet they convey aspects of my life that conjure memories as easily as my narratives.
I am on a mission to expand our definition of writing with teachers and students. Here is yet one more example of authentic writing that probably deserves more respect and recognition. It can be used for in-the-moment and short term organizing, or a fun way to document our daily lives, or for whatever works for you.
Do you keep lists? I’d love to hear about your process.
WRITING IS WRITING! Let’s celebrate it all.
One More Off My TBR Stack
BORN A CRIME by Trevor Noah
Continuing my love of audiobooks this summer… Reading the memoir of someone so young, I wondered what lessons I could learn or how I might be enlightened from this narrative. It was eye opening. Living under Apartheid in South Africa was something I’d read briefly in headlines while in college, what I did not know was that being Black and being Coloured were two very different things, and that the system of oppression and discrimination varied depending on someone else’s (often random)interpretation of your color. If you are looking for a bio on how Trevor became a comedy star in America, you’ll probably have to wait for the sequel. This is a fascinating look at his young life overcoming tremendous obstacles even as Apartheid officially ended. Loved the audiobook since it was read by Trevor Noah himself. Check it out!
litcoachlady 