Lists in the Lists

I thought of this topic a while back, more likely than not as I was wending my way along I-20/59, to or fro work or home. Ah yes, I was listening to a broadcast of Focus on the Family, which is, in many respects, a fine production with much wisdom and principles from which to learn. On this particular occasion, the guest speaker had mentioned something about "the 10 such and suches," which started my mental cogs a-whirling.

Lists drive our day-to-day existence in sundry ways, to-do lists likely making the most appearances. Also of note: top-pick-your-number lists of whatever comes to mind, and lists of steps--to succeed, to break a habit, to construct this or that, etc. Be what they may, lists hold a strong draw for their organizational qualities, their ability to break down large tasks or daunting projects into manageable bites, and for record-keeping purposes (it can be a miniature time-travel trip to peruse old lists of whatever, reliving through their lines the events surrounding their authorship).

Anyway, these lists are in the "lists" (as in jousting) so to speak, because they are constantly competing, fighting for time and attention. Multiple to-do lists may exist which conflict with one another, causing issues of priority, top-N lists vie for "top-ness," and each list of how-to claims that the wisdom it unveils and shares is the most compelling and life-changing. Now, before this is assumed to be a list-bashing muse, let me say that I enjoy and employ lists for some of the reasons I listed above: to keep tasks organized and at times to break out unwieldy projects into components more easily wielded.

However, we should not--I should not--let these lists come to control. They may be an aid, but should not be a crutch.