I suppose it has something to do with wanting to be organized and orderly and remember things. I was influenced by my father. He was a master list maker and kept scores of them in little spiral bound pads which he kept in his breast pocket. In the months before he died, over 13 years ago, we made new lists of who to call in case of an emergency, where to find important papers, where to find letters and other personal information. After he passed, I was faced with having to sort out 85 years of his life and stuff, but his lists and his organization made the chore a little easier. While I may be a maker of lists, I have not inherited his extraordinary filing system.
I have another friend who became obsessed with organizing her personal records before taking a large family cruise which was going to involve all the adults flying across large bodies of water at different times and she was worried that something might happen to her and then what? Would her sons be able to figure out where the important financial information was stored? A potential crisis loomed. The solution: create lists of directions on where to find things or how to do things. A map, of sorts. It’s the ultimate way to stay in control even if you may not be around.
Good points. Being the unorganized person I am, a good list is the one that’s all crossed off!
Anita