BETWEEN THE LINES: PLANNING BEGINS WITH MAKING A LIST, ONE AT A TIME

"Either plan less or do more." -- Anonymous

I've found myself making lots of plans lately but never actually completing any of them. I'm planning a lot and doing very little.

There are walls to paint in my bathroom, a flower garden to plant in the spring, two cross-stitch projects to finish before next Christmas and a couple of new recipes to try.

My problem isn't that I'm lazy, it's that I'm a list maker. Making lists means making plans.

And I have lists for nearly everything.

There are lists of "things to do today," lists of movies to rent, lists of household items to buy, lists of books to read and lists of places or museums I want to visit.

The simple lists like "things to do today," which includes laundry, shopping, cleaning house, etc., repeat themselves often. I get satisfaction of being able to cross things off this list.

But other lists are much more in-depth. They include long-term plans like the renovation projects for my house, craft projects for the holidays and assorted places to visit.

I haven't yet made any progress on completing any of them.

The problem with the long-term lists is that I know I have more time to get those things done. I haven't set any sort of deadline for the renovation projects. And none of these projects are actually written down on paper. These are lists of things I know have to be done eventually.

And I'm often in the midst of several long-term projects at one time. Right now, there are unfinished walls in my bathroom because I'm in the middle of a remodeling project.

Shortly after I moved in, I ripped off the old wallpaper and planned to paint the bathroom, but I had to select a color first. Now that I've done that, all I need are the supplies.

But in the meantime, I've started a cross-stitch design for Christmas. I decided that if I start now, I can get it finished and framed long before the holiday rush sets in. And that means one less gift to add to my Christmas shopping list.

It might sound crazy to most people, but making lists makes sense to me. At least then I know what tasks have to be completed before advancing to the next one. And I don't forget things as often.

Making lists must be some sort of genetic flaw or obsessive compulsive disorder. I'm not sure which. At least I don't have a list of my lists, which had been suggested to me.

Some of my lists are a little odd, I'll admit.

I recently made a list of the presidents of the United States, just to see if I could name them all. I came up with 30 men who had served; there have been 42. Nobody's perfect, right?

I have a list of movies I want to watch so that I won't be wandering the aisles at the video rental store. Most people find that a little odd, but it works.

I had to create a new "Movies to Watch" list after moving because my original one got lost in the shuffle from Florida to Missouri. I had a comprehensive list of movies I'd wanted to see at the theater but never actually did. So I compiled a list to take to video rental stores or $1 theaters.

The "Movies to Watch" list is the only one I've made some progress on lately. And it's nowhere near being eliminated completely.

Maybe I should wait until one list is eliminated before I make a list of the 50 things I want to do before I die.

~Laura Johnston is a copy editor for the Southeast Missourian.