The problem I think is we make lists of things to get, places to go to, people to speak to or things to do etc, so that we don’t forget… but by making the lists we are kind of carrying out the action mentally already when we write it down, so thats it… its dealt with! Or as you say by the time the list has ended it has grown into such a massive task that its too big to start!
do seem a great guy. i know that reading and doing "the artist way" of Julia cameron helps me a lot! she encourages to make list of what we done, what we love, what we have read... maybe it can inspire you too? to make list of what we likes, the friends we love, our worst life experiences or great life experiences are a another kind of lists, which are great, because we envision our rich inner garden. take care of you my friend
Inspired by this comment! I make a list with checkboxes hoping to check the items off but rarely do, but now I'm thinking I should make two lists. One list so I have an overview of how much I need to do and to keep me organized and on track, and another one where I write down what I've done. It would probably be more satisfying to write the whole item down instead of just checking them off, and visually more rewarding to see a list grow instead of drawing a line over through an item or adding a check or both. To see a list grow, matching the to-do or before list might be more fun! Thanks!
Maybe instead of long lists you could do a bunch of post it reminders and clear them one at a time then crumpling them so you have more focus and a more physical sense of progress/accomplishment. Best of luck to you this is something I struggle with too
