Everyday I produce a “To Do” list. Today’s currently has eight items – people to phone, emails to send, bank balance to check, marketing scorecard to sign off, microsite to dream up… and a blog to write. I say ‘currently’ because I reserve the right to add some extra things as I go along. I even reserve the right to change my mind and delete some things. Should a friend unexpectedly phone inviting me out for lunch, I might postpone the whole list and shunt it into tomorrow. There is no way my list will get between me and spontaneity!

I know To Do lists don’t suit everybody, but I revel in the whole process. The act of producing the list makes me feel purposeful - even though I haven’t actually done anything yet (except produce a list). Ticking things off as I do them gives me a tremendous feeling of accomplishment. This applies to small things as well as to big things (which is why I never prioritise). In fact, ticking off lots of small things is a real morale-booster – it’s a quantity thing and never mind the quality. And then there is the ritual of carrying over into tomorrow the things that I didn’t manage to do. That makes me feel busy because, of course, it is never my fault that things didn’t get done. Feeling guilty is not an option.

Even reviewing the things done and the things not done generates insights. There are patterns – the most prevalent being my tendency to do the things I enjoy most and to postpone anything resembling a chore. The other noticeable thing is that urgent things get done more often than important things. I wonder why that should be?

But best of all are the games you can play. Two of my favourites are to do something that is not on my list and, having done it, to add it to my list and, with a triumphant flourish, immediately tick it. My other is to let something on my list happen without me having to do it. Phone calls are an excellent example. I’ll have “Phone so-and-so” on my list but, before I have done it, so-and-so phones me. Ticking things other people did is even more satisfying than if I’d actually done them myself.

If you are not into To Do lists, I urge you to mend your ways. You are missing out on so much harmless fun.

Time for a coffee. Wait, that’s not on my list… but it is now.