I didn’t know how fascinating (no, really) the to-do list is as a topic until I started digging around for a nice application to put my to do lists on. I use Google for pretty much everything (I share my calendar with my husband, which gives us a vague chance of remembering important dates such as the end of term) and I put my To-do lists on Google docs, where I can find them easily. This is a popular choice with many people according to Lifehacker, the strangely compelling geek self-help site.
However, one person on Lifehacker recommended Google Mashups and I’ve decided to give it a whirl. It works with your Google account (don’t ask me how) but it has a nice, simple interface, with boxes you can tick when you’ve finished a task and various little labels you can use. Rather like using an old fashioned paper list in fact.
Meanwhile, I won a copy of something called The Pocket Life Book Diary when I entered a competition recently (an occupational hazard for anyone spending a lot of time online). This is produced by a company called Organised Mum (there appear to be no options for dads, organised or otherwise) and just looking at it gave me the reassuring feeling that I, too, could take control of my life by having enough tear-out shopping lists, ‘daily routine planners’ and so on. It’s got a nice cover (important) and you can fit it in your handbag (also important). As someone who was almost incapable of turning up to anything on the right day, let alone at the right time, a decade ago, I’ve had to learn fast since having kids. The first time I was fined five pounds for being five minutes late to pick up my eldest son from nursery was the first time I really understood that once you have children, being forgetful is no longer an option. And if you are the main carer, the number of appointments you have to turn up on time for is astonishing, let alone the amount of stuff you have to remember. Hence my obsession with To-do lists, virtual or otherwise…
