Why I Make Lists

From time-to-time I experience mental overload. Mental overload is that phenomenon when my already restless mind begins to race at breakneck speed and my nervous system suffers.

MO is usually preceeded by surges of creative rapture from an outside source like viewing flicker for three hours straight or spending an entire evening immersed in reading inspirational blogs. And coffee, lots of it, plays a big part.

Usually I'm grateful for my tremendous mental energy which, on a good day, manifests in clever wit, articulate musings, flashes of insight, great ideas, creative expression and lots of euphoria.

But if I don’t balance this mental energy with rest, physical exercise and keeping on top of daily responsibilities, I run the risk losing my grounding, getting nothing done and having a mental meltdown. When this happens I escape into the fridge then sleep for hours. Mind you, its not my fault. I have mars and mercury conjunct in the third house of my natal chart.

One way I avoid mental overload is to drain my brain and make lists. I love lists. Being a visual person, lists keep my ideas concrete and front and center. Lists compartmentalize my thoughts. Even if I never get to half the things on my list, I feel better just for having written them down and getting them from my head onto paper.

So when I'm caught up in a mental storm and forget that I have to feed the dog and water the plants, I pause and read my list which brings me back to the moment and to reality.

Here’s a tiny list of things to focus on in the coming week:

• Order Gianluca’s senior pictures (deadline is THIS WEEK)
• Pay electric bill (before we're left in the dark)
• Return Xmas shirts (will Aeropostale still take them?)
• Send Mother’s Day cards
• Buy tick and flea medicine for furry kids
• Find my Fuji camera cable (so I can upload photos while saving for my Nikon D60)
• Update my Art Journal
• Take pictures of my Art Journal for Flickr
  
• Receive TWO massages this week wooo hoooo)
• Make new soulcollage cards (my happy child, my inner critic)
  
• Do Five Rules for Life Blog
• Buy new walking shoes (so I can walk 30 minutes every day)