I’d already planned on blogging about my life-revolutionizing ten-things-list-rule when I came across this interview, in which Umberto Eco (Italian Novelist) talks about the importance of lists.

To know me is to know that I love making lists.  Even if I didn’t love making lists (which I do), I am and have always been compelled to make them, regardless of the joy I may or may not take in doing so.  Part of the reason for this is that I’m constantly overcommitting myself and need my lists to keep track of the multitude of things I’ve decided I must accomplish in any given day, week or month.  These lists record what I would like to accomplish, but the lists themselves are the first step in actually doing something.  When I am overwhelmed and feel like there’s far too much on my plate, the simple act of making a list, of quantifying what it is I have to do, is often enough to calm me down enough to begin taking action.  But moderation is key with making lists (and most things, really) and I fear I’ve let my list making get a little out of control.  I have too many lists (one for home improvements, one for Christmas lists, one of things to buy, one of things to make, one for an upcoming party, one for this week, one for today) and each list just has too many things on it.  It’s disheartening to finish each day having accomplished just half (if that) of the things you set out to do that day.  And so, I’ve made a simple rule that I enacted on Monday, which has already made my life better: the rule of 10.  Any list related to a period of time (“to do this weekend,” “to do today”) can have a maximum of ten items on it.  And I can only have ten total lists of things to do in my possession at one time.  It seems simple, but I’ve actually been able to finish the items on my lists most days and I’m not swimming in post-its.  I worried that limited myself in this way would mean forgetting important things, but all it’s really meant is trimming the things that aren’t important enough to remember and being able to focus better on the tasks at hand.