To list or not to list!

Lists, are you a lover or a hater? Are you a fully paid up member of the bullet point journal sisterhood with meticulously planned pages covering every aspect of your daily life, or are you at best a scribble on the back of an old envelope type of lister.

Do you start every day with a list of things to do; celebrating those days (do they ever happen?) when you can fall into bed having ticked every box or berating yourself roundly on those days when you seem to have more unchecked boxes left than you started with.

Are you one of those highly organised shoppers who has a list, takes it with them to the shop (rather than leaving it on the kitchen table) and actually buys everything on the list, and nothing extra? if you are kudos! I rarely write a list, if I do I even more rarely remember to take it with me, and if I've accomplished all of the above then the likelihood of my buying everything on the list and not buying a dozen unlisted items as well is virtually nill!

I've downloaded these sort of lists, bought the wire bound notebooks of these lists, designed my own beautiful lists, I've even filled them out, colour coding responses, laboriously drawing little boxes for my ticks, which never come!

I've even tried planning my day's to do lists using my iPad, my phone, my computer, with trusty note book beside it. the end result is the same, failure, abject frustrating failure.

Now don't get me wrong, I am not advocating launching into each day without any plans, without any idea about what you need/hope to achieve. I'm not saying don't make lists, indeed at my age the senior moments are leading me more and more to the need for lists, especially for doing things for others, remembering appointments. I've realised however, that my list making skills are more developed in the recording of events, achievements, and answers to prayer.

This is more my sort of journal, this comes from a list of the most unusual lists, I'm really not sure what the motivation is but I love the battered every day use appearance. It reminds me of Sarah Anderson's beautiful journal which is filled with incredible art work and recordings of special days and events.

There is no doubt that there is a place for list making, just look at the Bible with its lists of genealogies, laws, offerings and duties. There are definitely things which we need to remember, people, events, feelings, relationships.  My favourite lists are the ones we often see on Facebook, the attitude of gratitude sort of list, recording something, no matter how small or insignificant that has blessed us. I love looking back over prayer lists particularly noticing those prayer requests that have been answered.

So, I will continue to be a fully paid up member of the society of listers! My listing may be mainly retrospective and I may never become adept at writing lists as a way of organising myself but, I will take delight in revisiting my lists of blessings, memorable days with family and friends, memorable places I have visited, answers to prayer and words of encouragement.

I wonder, if you share lists online, are you a "BLister"?