Entlistungsfreude

ENTLISTUNGSFREUDE

ent-liss-toongs-froy-duh

The sense of satisfaction afforded by crossing things off lists

I’m baaaack!--- with another incredible German Word that encapsulates the very feelings we have when experiencing life’s average activities.  As we approach the 18th of August I think about my father as that is his birthday.  He was a consistent list maker.  I can still envision his yellow-lined legal pad with every line filled with things that needed to be accomplished.  Some had lines through them to indicate that the task had been completed.  We teased him about keeping lists, but at the same time, we had fear of being on the list.  I am a horrible procrastinator and feel keeping a list would be a good thing for me and my efficiency.  My mistake was I always thought I could keep the list in my head.  I often ran out of storage space but where do you purchase more brain storage.  It is not in the Apple store.  There are different styles of list keepers.  My mentor kept a fresh cup of sharpened pencils at the ready-to-take notes and was never without a 3 x 5 note card for that purpose.  When I kept notes they were usually on a “post-it” or a scrap of paper or in the margins of a newspaper or the reverse side of food product packaging.   The real note-takers were like my father. A yellow legal pad or a bound notebook is for the professional list keepers.  Those were and are definitely more efficient and more professional for the serious note and list maker.  Of course, I can now take notes on my phone or electronic device.  Honestly, these devices cheapen the activity. As my favorite commercial for a Mexican beer would say…” I don’t always make lists but when I do I prefer a yellow-lined notepad”. Although we can make our lists on our phone, computer, or any electronic device, they lack the extreme satisfaction of physically crossing out a list item.   It is the physical motion of ridding yourself of just one more thing to do.  When the list is completely lined out it is a physical representation that you actually accomplished something with your day.  Somehow deleting it from your phone does not provide that true representation of completion. A list is like painting a room – making the list is the preparation of the walls, crossing things off the list is the actual painting and when the list is completely crossed off ---- you stand back and feel that immediate sense of accomplishment.  However, like the room you just painted there is always another room to paint and another list to make.  Lists provide things that your colleagues cannot; self-motivating – only five more items; Self-critical --- I haven’t done anything on this list; Self-rewarding --- I really did a lot today; Representing yourself – here are last weeks list. Self-satisfaction – look what I did.

No matter how you keep your list or what drives you to maintain your list, one thing a list will always give you----ENTLISTUNGSFREUDE

Damn it!!! Where did I put that list?