To-Do List: From Buying Milk to Finding a Soul Mate, What Our Lists Reveal About Us

by Sasha Cagen

What Do Your Lists Say About You?

More and more, we are a nation of list-makers, from grocery lists, New Year's resolutions, and things to do before we die to DVDs to rent and people we've kissed. In To-Do List (based on the popular blog of the same name, todolistblog.com) Sasha Cagen celebrates the humble to-do list, exploring the ways these scribbled agendas reflect our personalities and passions.

To-Do List is both a celebration of lists and a peek at the lists that others create. Broken down by subjects like "Daily Lists" to "Sex Lists," it's a fascinating collection of lists from everyday people to the well-known:

Novelist Nick Hornby's list of desert island discs A therapist's secret fears ("I HATE having to think about clients in relation to my hair or clothes") A shopping list from chef Alice Waters of Chez Panisse A woman's accomplishments before her thirtieth birthday ("Hot air ballooned over the Serengeti," "Danced on a table in Vegas") Qualities one man is looking for in a future wife, including "Chews with her mouth shut" and "Will let me give my first son the middle name of 'Jacob'"

With each list, Cagen offers the story behind it and a prompt for readers to compare notes and take their own stab at a similar list.

Voyeuristic and interactive, To-Do List will show you just how much -- and what -- your lists say about you.

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help, Psychology, Lifestyle, Reference, Humor, Journaling

256 pages, Paperback

First published November 6, 2007

Reviews

[Sheri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Our to–do lists serve as outlines of our life lived and our life to be lived. They help us plan our day, remind us of things to do, document what we’ve done, and set down goals to accomplish in the future. Reading others’ lists shows us that we’re not alone in our creative doodle and squiggle filled fancified lists and that our actions, thoughts, and goals are alike whether they are mundane or exceptional.

You’ll find much to relate to in these varied lists – normal day-to-day to-do lists, lofty ambitions and goals, pros and cons, love and hate lists, and characteristics of an ideal mate. Some are simple and some are complex but all the lists demonstrate how list-making allows us to gather and organize our thoughts and improve outcomes. Those small and seemingly unimportant lists really aren’t so unimportant as our lists help us sort out and live life in ordinary and extraordinary ways.

This brief but insightful peek into others’ lists may inspire you to make and complete your own to-do lists and will definitely leave you with a sense of normalcy and sameness in our diverse world.

[Jacob · Rating 1 out of 5]

I hate this book. Hate.

Sasha Cagen is quite possibly the most narcissistic writer I've read in my entire adult life. She took a fascinating concept (publish others' to-do lists, those private glimpses into the private lives we all try so hard to hide) and totally fucking ruined it with her self-aggrandizing tripe. She won't shut the hell up and let the lists speak for themselves: she has to have her say on every topic and, worse still, she has to voice her opinion on every list with stupid epithets like, "My fave: [insert banal opinion]"

Skip it. Please, for the sake of your eyesight.

[jess · Rating 2 out of 5]

i love making lists because:
-a list allows me to order my life and environ
-a list is both a great procrastination tool AND productivity tool
-it is difficult for me to order my thoughts otherwise
-i have hopes that someone will find my lists long after i am gone and admire how many things i accomplished and how well i recorded them all
-there's space to doodle in the margins
-lists can fit into columns, which i appreciate
-great opportunity to refine my handwriting

my love for making lists provided fondness for the subject matter, but it was difficult for me to become fully engrossed in the book. something fell short in the presentation. it's possible, i thought, that the list should have been first, followed by the back story, instead of the opposite way. however, i am not sure that this would have made the material more engaging. some of the lists were poignant, interesting, or funny, but they were just as often boring. some of the handwriting is translated, but others are illegible and no translation is provided. my fave: old lists made decades ago and discovered by the son/daughter of the listmaker. there can be real intimacy in a private list of someone you knew. too bad that intimacy is so difficult to access in this format. it's possible that this book suffers due to its origins within an online community - i think i talked about enough when i read the salon.com book about mothers who think.

a quick and easy way to pass the time, but not worth hurrying it onto a list of books to read before you die.

[kb · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun to find out about another's goals in life or even in just a day. It shows how diverse people's interest and dreams are, and at the same time, how similar they are. It made me want to convert my "write in paragraphs" journal into a "just bullets" one because it's less time-consuming that way, and I am foreseeing it would be much more interesting to figure out the stories behind each item checked or crossed out when I'll be ~backreading~ my entries in the future.

[Karen-Leigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a compulsive list maker. This book was fascinating to me and explains so much about my obsession. I am a 'done' list maker and I also keep my notebooks for years and years. I have learned that If I think to use them as a resource to memory...the item I go back to look for is always missing..that will be the thing I didn't write down on the day. One really fabulous thing about this book is the copies of the lists. I was one of those lefties who was forced to switch to my right hand by teachers with rulers that smacked me if I picked up anything with my left hand. As a consequence I am ambidextrous but write poorly with both hands, the only one to fail penmanship in my class in high school. My mother and sister were also lefties and write beautifully. All my life I hated my writing which makes it odd that I write constantly all day every day. This book is filled with lists written in awful writing and printing. I am not alone in unreadable penmanship. My only cavil about the book is ...each list should have been put in typeface so that those of us with poor eyesight could actually read what was written.

[Kelsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Snapshots of and commentary on the stream-of-consciousness and busy lives of strangers? Right up my alley. As a true people-lover, I enjoyed that it provided a glimpse of another dimension/angle of these people's lives and it made me feel connected by a strand that I don't often consider- not simply the fact that I make lists, but the manner, content, and reasons I'm prompted to do so.

Tip for those who may read it: Depending on what you're looking to get out of the book, you may or may not appreciate the author's commentary. Don't feel you need to experience them through her, if it makes you scrunch your nose.

[Kathy McC · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read this book to assist one of my forensics competitors with a topic for his speech. This book was big on lists from various people, but not so big on the analysis "what our lists reveal about us". While the lists were often humourous to read, I was looking for a more informative book about the topic of lists.

[Melissa (Always Behind) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Got a little tedious after a while. It is a cute concept, but I found that I really don't care that much about other people's lists.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book's author, Sasha Cagen, collected hundreds of to-do lists, categorized them, and then selected ones to publish. Each chapter has a different theme--from daily lists to New Year's Resolutions to relationships requirements--and each list has accompanying commentary. This book gives a glimpse into the lives of dozens of people, simply by showing a scrap of paper they jotted notes on.

I love lists. The instant I saw this title I dropped the book I had been reading (Treasure Island, which I will finish and blog about soon . . .) and started in on this one. I don't want to spring my crazy scheduling and organizing methods on you, because they are, well, crazy. However, if you are the kind of person who tends to make lists often--for help remembering tasks or (possibly?) for fun--this will definitely be an interesting read. It shows examples for other ways to format lists, as well as throwing out new ideas for what to list on every other page such as "New Year's Resolutions I've Actually Kept" and "Five Best Bad Movies Ever." A non-list maker might enjoy this as well; it could give them an idea of what the rest of us are doing! It is also quite brief, so if you are looking for a short, interesting, non-fiction read this would be a good place to start.

Although I loved this book, I did see a few areas for improvement. First, some of the included lists gave too much information. Of course I am curious as to what people write down, but not that curious. Some lists include extremely personal ramblings that really belonged in a journal and that I did not feel comfortable reading. I just skipped those (luckily there weren't too many). I was also disappointed because the title does not quite correspond to the actual topic of the book. I wanted to know "what our lists reveal about us" and what I got was a lot of other people's lists. True, I did enjoy it, but I expected to learn and wanted to learn about why I make lists and what they specifically mean about me. Although Cagen touches upon that briefly every once in a while, I don't think that was enough to include it the title of the book. I felt a bit put out when it ended without any real conclusion about how listing might affect me.

All in all, this book is great read, especially for nosy list-makers. But don't let yourself be deceived by its title--if you want a book that will address your personal list-making habits, you will have to find something else.

To read more of my reviews, visit www.literaryllama.wordpress.com.

[Kimberly Bower MLIS (gladeslibrarian) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Add Cagen’s ‘To-Do List’ to the top of your ‘to-read’ list, 5/5 stars

List-making seems to be one of those love-hate things. Those who make lists rave about how the practice makes them more sane, productive, and better at making decisions. Those who don’t make lists seem to talk more about how the practice encourages procrastination, limits options and brings more confusion than clarity in determining a course of action. I can see both sides. When I’m overwhelmed with the balance between time and tasks, I make lists. They help me identify the to-dos swirling around in my head. Once I write them down, I can make better choices about prioritizing my time so I accomplish those things that are most important to me in the time I have available. On the other hand, I can spend more time making the list than actually accomplishing anything on the list. At this point, I can just crumple the list and throw it in the garbage because all of the time I had available to accomplish things has mysteriously vanished. Oy!

Cagen’s goal in “To-Do List: From Buying Milk to Finding a Soul Mate, What Our Lists Reveal About Us” is not to instruct on the how or why of list-making. If you’re seeking guidance in this area, then this isn’t the book for you. If, on the other hand, you’re intrigued by the practice and want to sneak a peek into the lives of others through reading actual lists then you’ve come to the right place. I love the lists, yes, but what I enjoy more is that Cagen puts the lists in context so you can more fully understand the list maker at the point in time when the list was written. This is an exploration into the idea that lists reveal more about us than just words on a piece of paper. Our lists can be like journal entries marking the path from where we once were to where we are now.

Each chapter contains lists on a particular topic, a quote from the list’s author putting the list into context, a ‘DIY List Idea’ and (my favorite) a one-liner by the author on something clever in the list. The chapter titles are (1) daily, (2) life, (3) New Year’s resolutions, (4) dream jobs and bored at work, (5) ideal mates, (6) relationships, (7) sex, (8) obsessive-compulsive, (9) health and sickness, (10) family and friends, (11) happiness and hates.

[Deb · Rating 5 out of 5]

*Add This One to the To-Read List*

A List of 10 Reasons To Read This Book:
1. A voyeuristic slice into the scribbled lives of "the listmakers of America (and the world)" and the items on their minds
2. An entertaining collection of hand-written (on whatever paper was handy at the time) to-do lists from 100 real-live listmakers
3. Revealing, insightful, or just plain interesting commentary on each list (by the original listmaker)
4. The challenge of deciphering the listmaker's (unedited!) scribbles, which in some cases are decorated with fun doodles and unintended(?)/unidentifiable spills
5. Insight into the power of list-making--from helping us feel a bit of control in an otherwise-unlistable, chaotic world to giving words to the (often nagging) mumbo-jumbo circulating our minds
6. Endless DIY list ideas for creating your own lists, including "Places Where I Would Like To Get Frisky" "Foods I Want to Try" "My Qualities That Someone Else Will Appreciate" "A Sexual To-Do List for My Partner" "Thoughts to Remove from My Head" and "Ten Reasons to Be Happy Today"
7. "Garret Love" (a new standard of love line-by-line'd on p. 118)
8. Sasha's clever one-line comments following each list
9. Validation that you are not alone in your list-making obsession, uh, I mean tendency
10. Being able to cross off one item in your "Books to Read" list upon completion of this book

[Audrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

As an intermittent list maker myself, this book caught my eye. The author posted a call for people to submit their lists, then if selected for publication she got a few words from the lister as to the age, location, reasons behind, etc. of the list's making. Each chapter is a different category--OCD, sex, what-do-I-want-do-with-my-life, and so on. A DIY tip is included with each list. I was inspired to actually start one list, and I will probably add to it from time to time--it is Reasons For Living. While this may sound heavy, it is actually quite uplifting. The reasons can range from the mundane (a well-timed bloody mary) to the major (my children) and it is all good, helps to sweep away the lingering impact of the negatives that tend to work their way into our lives. All in all this book was a fun, ADD friendly, entertaining read.

[Erica · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick, easy, entertaining, and interesting read. This book is for those to-do list addicts. It explores not only the obsession of to-do list makers, but the various types and genres of lists (i.e., New Year's Resolutions, groceries, ideal mates, dream jobs, etc). A collection of personal to-do lists were shared from all around the world. Some of my personal favorites were: "Thirty by Thirty," "A Young Mormon's Ideal Woman," "Garret Love," "An Accountant's Grocery List," "Mickey Mouse Spreadsheet," "Thanksgiving Plan," "Keeping Slow and Lingering Death in Perspective," "Almost Ready for Children," "Remembering my Mother," "Mom's Advice," "A Birthday Present for Dad," "Thanking God," & "Cheesy and Delicious."

[Sumi · Rating 3 out of 5]

The lists aren't all to-do lists in spite of the title. Very amusing was a young man's list of qualities for his wife, such as using the turn signal when appropriate. Even more amusing was a 1989 list where someone was trying to track where fifty dollars went. The $11.01 spent on gasoline was the line item that caught my eye since these days a tank of gas would be the entire $50.

With each list was also a suggestion for a list that the reader could make, which is not a bad way to spend boring meetings at work.

[Lain · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this voyeuristic peek into others' lives by way of their to-do lists. An inveterate list maker myself, I saw myself in more than one of these entries. Whether it's Alice Waters' shopping list or an unknown teenager's list of what she wants in a future mate, I giggled, raised eyebrows, rolled eyes, and nodded knowingly at the selections. I particularly enjoyed the author's commentary on each entry, as well as the story behind the list. I look forward to checking out the accompanying blog.

[Meredith Hines-Dochterman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love lists. I make a to-do list every Monday morning and work my way through it for the next five days. The lists in this book, however, are a lot more interesting.

From 'A list of some of the crazy things I find myself wondering about' to 'Foods I'll eat soon,' To-Do List is a look at other people's lists from quirky to sincere, mundane to adventurous. Reading this is like peeking inside a person's though process. And it's a great book for writers or journal keepers, as each list is accompanied by a page of text and a list prompt to get you thinking.

Add this book to your To-Read List.

[Kendra · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a life-long listmaker, I really enjoyed this peek at the lists that other people make. The title is a bit misleading -- the book contains not only "To Do" lists, but also gratitude lists, hate lists, lists about ideal mates, New Year's resolutions, etc. Sasha Cagen's quippy little one-liners at the bottom of each list were kind of annoying, but other than that, I had fun reading this -- and was inspired to make a few new lists, too.

[Walter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as riveting as Cagen's Quirkyalone, but still an interesting peek into a topic that is not as trivial as one might think at first glance. Our to-do lists can indeed tell us a lot about ourselves; our reaction to others' to-do lists can too....

[Manda B · Rating 3 out of 5]

So this was a fun, quick little read. I happened upon it in the library, and thought I’d pick it up. I watch a lot of Plan With Me videos on YouTube, so i figured I’d like this book too. even though this book is like 12 years old, it’s still fun to see other people’s lists and their handwriting. I rated it in the middle because I didn’t love it but i didn’t hate it.

[Jodie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally finished this book. It's inspiring me to write more of my own lists. It's interesting to read some of the things that people write down to help get them through their days. Check out her website: www.todolistblog.com

[Joan · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you're a lister you'll enjoy this odd collection of other people's to do lists. Original lists with stains intact are reproduced with explanation by the authors. A little voyeuristic but also normalizing.

[Mardi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a compulsive list-maker. I hate doing something and then realizing it wasn't on my to-do list. This book is a collection of "found" or solicited to-do lists and ideas for lists you might want to make yourself.

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

Things I liked about this book:

-- the validating feeling that there are other people out there as awesomely neurotic as I am

-- people's awesome handwriting

-- the way people keep their lists from way way back

-- the way it made me feel like I should maybe write even MORE lists

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A voyeuristic thrill, but the title is a bit misleading, in that there is very little about the psychology of list-making and what the items we include say about us. As a compulsive list-maker I was hoping for more.

[Steph · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a book on it's own merits, I wouldn't call it the most fascinating read but as a source of inspiration for making lists, it's worth checking out. If anything, it inspired me to start making more lists and I've found that I'm a helluva lot more organized in the past few months after reading it.

[Sherrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great book. Loved looking at all the lists. She had a survey at the end of the book about lists. It was very interesting.

[Aurora · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm really into lists so this book is right up my dorky alley. It is a great coffee table book and when I first picked it up at Powell's I couldn't put it down.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fun book to read a few pages at a time. If you are into list making you will enjoy this collection of real people's lists covering all kinds of subjects.

[Rosario · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought this would crave my curiosity and allow me to see into the mind of others who make lists while at the same time give me insight into my own lists. Unfortunately, it didn't do either of that. I'm going out a bit still at times. Some lists were enjoyable and others were in unreadable. If you want to read others lists just for the sake of it this book is perfect but sunny expect to get more than that.

[Mohan Vemulapalli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four Reasons to read this book.

1) Lists are fun
2) Good examples to learn from that include more than just "To Do" lists
3) Well written with lots of thoughtful commentary.
4) Contains obvious proof that many people are dorkier and more obsessive than you.