I feel a list coming on.

Yes, I'm one of those people who like to list things, especially jobs that I have to do. I find that every now and then there are so many things I either want to do, have simply got to do or ought to do that the only way of clearing my mind is to make a list. If I don't, I flutter around like a butterfly, starting a new job before finishing another and never really getting anything done. With a list I can sort out the urgent from the important, the must-dos from the when-I-get-the-times, and decide what really is both urgent and important. There is great satisfaction to be had by crossing out the jobs that have been done, gradually working down the list until all that is left are the things I would like to do if only I had the time. Ha! Fat chance of that ever happening! One of the problems associated with list-making, in particular lists of jobs to be done, is that the list grows faster than it shrinks. I always found this when I was working. Just before I left the office each afternoon I would make a list of the things I had to do the following day. Doing this achieved two things: it meant that I didn't spend half the evening trying to work out what I had to do when I arrived at the office in the morning, and it meant that when I did arrive I could get straight into things. I knew what was both urgent and important. Of course, there were always little surprises, the things that cropped up during the day that simply had to be dealt with there and then, and by the end of the day there were always new tasks to be added to my list. But doing that gave me some little peace of mind.

At the moment I have so many jobs jostling for attention that I am not really sure quite where to start. Just making a list will help me sort them into order of priority - but the list must be hand-written. It doesn't work if I type it into the computer even if I print it out afterwards.

Now there must be a piece of paper around here somewhere.