To do lists contain the molecules of our achieved goals. But i have a suspicion suspicion that my do lists my to do lists are an accomplice to a creeping burnout of me my friend cynthia rowley coined them do lists not to do lists. She said. To do lists are for we call them do lists because these are tasks.

We're in the process of doing right now we're not putting them off. I fill a folded piece of cardstock with 15 or 20 post its and each quadrant holds either tasks or ideas. The quadrant's subjects change and evolve. But the lower right is almost always my bi quadrant my shopping list sometimes i use other quadrants as daily to do lists in some quadrants.

I write down ideas or media. Someone has suggested books or movies. Maybe music. If i'm on a job or at an important meeting or party.

I sometimes list everyone's name that i meet so i can call them by name while i'm there. And it's also a good record. But besides the shopping list quadrant. There's no real set format to these things they evolve and shape shift from list to list one of the patrons from the patreon suggested.

I'd do an episode about my do lists. I wrote it down. I thought it was a good idea. But when i went to write the notes for this episode.

I started thinking uh. I don't know it's what are you gonna say about a do list about a to do list. It seemed a little thin to me so i went into where i keep all my three ring binders. Which contain all of my archived to do lists and you know started looking through them.

And then realized that my entire life was written down on a do list at some point in the past this shirt. You know getting the label sewn on this shirt. Making this pencil and this uh eraser and this thing uh written on some do list somewhere. I could find it buying this microphone buying this paper typing this thing getting this clapper.

The cork floor upon which my feet rest right now i laid down that was a whole project. It started with a do list here's a binder from 2015. When we did this project for sleepy jones. And this was a complicated project.

It was just me and and one other guy in bc slice. And we had an f3 my f 350. And we had to go to all these towns las cruces new mexico. The hamptons.

We did a couple in california. We left from new york city. We had to get helium tanks in all these towns and then we had to launch these balloons and we did it under budget and it worked and it just it's all there in the to do list. It's all these everything broken down.

But all of the steps for this project occurred to me at like random unpredictable times. So you know i always have a pencil. And i always have a to do list in my pocket. Oh get.

The swiss army knives. Don't forget you need cardstock. Oh. We're out of tape.

Call. So and so about staying. At blah blah blah. And the tasks and the ideas come very gradually.

Some weeks. I don't write anything some days. I fill an entire page to me what makes the do lists so effective is that an entry that i've written in on a to do list generally speaking. I don't write it unless it comes from a place.

I can trust it's usually that quiet voice that we often ignore. But that's our subconscious and we ignore it because our ego tells us to ignore it. But that's often the source of all of the little oh don't forget to do this don't forget that oh you're gonna need a keeping disciplined to do lists has made me listen to that voice more carefully value it more and write it down because it comes from a place. I know not where it makes it easy for me to trust.

It later on and not second doubt it and a lot of times when executing your to do list you just don't want to do it. And i've sort of found that if you just allow your body to do the thing. It's something you do turn your brain off just a lap. Just like okay i'm just gonna sit at the typewriter and david lynch said something like the artist life is a life lived around working and what ends up happening is that the lists sort of become my boss and become my my red shoes.

It's i think it's a hans christian anderson. Fairy tale called the red shoes. And this is the gist of it. There's also a movie and the gist of it this this dancer.

Loved dancing so much she got these magical red shoes that allowed her to dance better than anyone else. And she loved it and she could dance and she could dance and she could dance. But then the red shoes took over and she could do no other thing. And she was trapped in the red shoes.

And i believe they danced her to death now obviously i'm being dramatic. But my to do lists are sort of dancing me to death and i found this post. It note from january 14th. And it says too much of my creativity comes from my to do lists these days.

Meaning my creativity lately is not coming from inspiration. But rather from chores because i'm exhausted and be beginning to burn out last monday and tuesday after 11am. I basically collapsed and slept and was incapable of working for the rest of the day. It's because you know i love doing this so much i love all the things on the on the to do list.

I i'm compelled to do them. But now the well has run dry and i need to allow the rain to fill the aquifer. So that i can pump some more ideas out of the well and more like breakthroughs out of the well. So i've got this strategy.

Where like my big to do list like my big binder. The next thing. I'm doing is to take a break in probably december january. Just keep posting stuff have a reserve of things to post while i'm gone.

But just probably go to mexico. You know god willing and the next sort of like the next do list is to facilitate my doing nothing because one of the things that i've kind of learned getting older is an essential line item at the bottom of all of the do lists especially if you're working for yourself is enjoy all of the above this week on the patreon zine. One has been retired zine two is available to the next 310 new patrons who sign up here's the link.