"Things to do no matter what
Things to do if I have time
Things to do badly if at all
Things to do when I've done everything else
Things to get someone else to do
Things to think about
Things to worry about
Things to fantasize about
Things to complain about
Things to be grateful for
Things to gloat about
Things to puzzle over
Things to plan
Things to postpone
Things to regret
Things to change
Things to learn
Things to leave alone
Things to buy
Things to buy only if they're on sale
Things to buy if I find them at a garage sale
Things to get rid of to make room for things to buy
Things to repair
Things to have someone else repair
Things to tolerate in disrepair
Books to read
Books I'll never read
Books to buy and maybe read
Books to have handy in case I break a leg
Books the children ought to read
Letters I want to write
Letters I ought to write
Letters I don't need to write if I call
People to forget
People to forgo
People to attend to
People to avoid
People to forgive"

"Perhaps this should serve as a warning to those who incline toward list-making: one day you'll find yourself making a list of lists to make. When that happens, it will be a sign that list-making has become a way of life, and a habit you won't easily relinquish. You'll have to make room for it. You'll have to buy notebooks or name new folders on your desktop. You'll begin to enumerate alternatives when given a choice, or to generate lists of things you barely paid attention to before, or to imagine lists other people should make. The only advice I can give to those for whom lists have taken on a certain compulsive quality is to have fun with them. Give up the New York Times crossword if need be, or Sudoku, and make lists instead. Scribble lists while waiting in line or waiting, phone in one hand, while AT&T finds someone to answer your call, which is very important to them."