The Tyranny of the To-Do List

Are you a slave to your to-do list?

     I am by nature a planner, an Enneatype 1(well-organized and purposeful). As with any personality type, the problems come when positive traits reign unchecked. Type 1s can easily become micromanagers.
     My list gave me a sense of control. I loved nothing better than marking off the items to give me a sense of accomplishment. But as my list grew and grew, it grew out of control. I adhered to it so rigidly that I couldn't be spontaneous in any activity. If I was invited to lunch on a day when I planned to work on my blog, I wouldn't go. My day was divided into a series of chores many of which were non-essential.
     For the first time in my life, I have very little that must be done on a particular day at a particular time. For a lister, this is a major adjustment. Of course, I have to keep appointments, but nothing says I have to go to yoga at noon. Nothing says I have to go to yoga at all. If I intended to clean my closet and don't finish, it can be done another day. Yet, I feel guilty and unproductive if I accomplish nothing. I am finding it difficult to go from a human-doing to a human-being.
     Joan Chittister in "The Gift of Years" says that freedom from the tyranny of a rigid schedule comes with wisdom and age–when we can finally step off the hamster wheel. But like any slave to habit, I'm afraid to take the step.
     This is a typical to-do list from several weeks ago:

This is my revised list:

1. Be more spontaneous.

2. Stop and smell the roses.

3. Stop measuring my worth by my accomplishments.

4. Learn to appreciate this season of life.

Favorite Summer Read

If you have received that unanticipated but inevitable letter informing you of your eligibility for membership in AARP, this book is for you.

Last year when I was going through a particularly tough time, Robin Whitlock, a college friend and former Episcopal priest recommended this book. The author writes in the intoduction, "This book is about the enterprise of embracing the blessings of this time and overcoming the burdens of it. That is the spiritual task of later life."

Whether or not you've lost a spouse, the second half of life brings many changes and adjustments. For many, it is a time of relflection, to take stock of what is behind us and what lies ahead. Children leave the nest. Aunts, uncles, parents die leaving no buffer between us and death.

Six years ago, I wrote in a never published post:

We have passed halftime and entered what may be the last quarter of our lives, but I choose to see this as a beginning–not an ending, an adventure–not a calamity. As a child, I was told I had an old soul in a young body; now I aim to have a young soul in an old body. To age successfully remember the 3 As: Acceptance, Adaptation, Appreciation. 
     
Joan Chittister tackles all of these topics that I only touched on and tells us in depth how we can age successfully. Yes, this applies to everyone, because we all are aging, though not all aged.

After I read the book, I did some research on the author and learned that Joan Chittister is a Benedictine nun! Yet, her book is not at all preachy. The wisdom therein will benefit anyone who is searching for meaning in later life.

Thanks, Robin, for introducing me to Joan who was voted the most inspirational woman alive in a 2007 survey.