To Do Lists

Scratch another off the list
September 2, 2007
Chgo Tribune Sunday
"We were jotting down a few items for our customary Saturday errand list when we heard about a new Web site dedicated to lists. It's called Meosphere -- a perfect name, really -- and it offers list enthusiasts a chance to compile lists in at least 2,500 categories. Examples: Audis you wrecked. National parks you visited. Fads you've done, worn or bought.Then, when you're done, you can e-mail the list to your friends and relatives so they can drool with envy or try to match your lists with their own. Yes, it's competitive listing. It's not as big yet as, say, those egregiously ridiculous hot-dog eating contests, but give it time.For many the urge to create a list is primal. Who can't admire the power and beauty of one executive's 450-item checklist for a leadership class he teaches, memorialized by The Wall Street Journal. And what about the book that is a collection of grocery lists that the author found in the trash. Or listing goddess Jennifer Scully-Lerner, a Manhattan exec who, the paper marvels, "using Microsoft Word, Excel, errant scraps of paper and her BlackBerry ... makes lists that govern almost every aspect of her life. She has lists of work projects all around her desk. There's a packing list on her closet wall, to simplify the preparations for her frequent business trips.

Jewish to do list: daven/pray daily, learn some Torah, pray with the synagogue of your choice at least weekly, watch what you eat (kosher), light Shabbat candles