The Four “Senses” of a Good List: The Tactility of Making (and Using) a To-Do List
Many of us are not strangers to to-do lists. Productivity and entrepreneur sites are flush with articles about them. How to make them. How to best use them. Numerous apps have been created to help us with these items. A review of the top ones can be found here, with Remember the Milk being my personal favorite (see #13 of the list). The internet seemingly has no end to advice regarding them. What they lack, however, is a discussion on the material aspects of the list(s). How the making, doing, crossing-off, etc. all have an impact on whether or not a task gets done. The materiality of the object becomes a necessary component for the decision-making process of a successful “to-do.”
We are already aware of the benefits and detriments that the material aspects of a space can provide when it comes to making a productive office or study space. In moments of hard-core focus, we understand that we need an environment that is conducive to sustainable stamina. Similar material considerations should be applied to the idea of creating lists that structure our days just as we apply them to our spaces.
