The Madness of an Off Grid To Do List

As I joyously scratched off “Fish for eagles” from my To Do List, I scanned the rest of my scribbled notes and suddenly realized just how unusual and absurd my Off-Grid-To-Do Lists were, especially in the winter.

I have “Bring chicken food up” right after “Bury owl,” “fix splits in water line” right under “Film nudibranchs spawning” and “Bucket up more water” above “Make stinging nettle hair rinse.”  How many people even know what nudibranchs are?  And who writes down things like, “Give mouse to raven” or “Haul up concrete blocks” next to a circled and starred “Have a Spa?”  Today I just shook my head and laughed.  Oh and by the way, nudibranchs are incredibly beautiful sea slugs, and the fact I think they’re beautiful isn’t because I’m a crazy off-gridder, they truly are.

But back to the freedom-sucking To Do List… I don’t know exactly when it happened, but my To Do Lists have gone from cute, single sheets of paper to a full book, containing what looks like an endless array of chores, fix-it jobs, computer work and building projects.  My To Do List has come alive and it has taken over my life.  Once again, it’s time to make some drastic, “looking out for Nikki” changes.

Is your To Do List running your life like mine is right now?    Take my Quiz to find out…

1. Do you feel extreme joy and satisfaction scratching off a task?    Yes/No
2. Do you wake up thinking about your To Do List?    Yes/No
3. Do you check it numerous times a day?    Yes/No
4. Do you set up your To Do List at the end of every day?   Yes/No
5. Do you find yourself writing down simple tasks you probably won’t forget just so you can cross it off quickly?    Yes/No
6. Are you reliant on a To Do List to feel comfortable in managing your life?    Yes/No
7. Do you have more “sad face” chores than “happy face” fun things on your list?    Yes/No
8. Would you be lost without your List?    Yes/No
9. Do you want to write down a task you’ve already done, which wasn’t on the list, just to scratch it off?    Yes/No

If you’ve said YES to #9, run away from your List now!  You are in the depths of the infernal regions of the To Do List Underworld.  I’ve stood at this threshold many times, being a driven, Type A personality makes me love the gratification of the To Do List and can sucker me down with it’s begging calls.  When we have become addicted to our To Do Lists and they dictate our days, filling our minds with constant brain chatter of potential tasks ahead, so we’re popping Melatonin and sipping cups of camomile tea on those insomniac nights, it’s time to get back to the rhythm of authentic living and follow our Bliss.

Escape with me…Refuse to let the To Do List suffocate the mystery and magic that awaits us each and every day and rise with the feeling of excitement for the unknown, as we let our intuition guide us through our days events.  Start a separate Must Do List that includes special things to do with your family and friends, tasks that are creative, full of art, inspiration & child-like fun and above all, list those things which spoil just you, the things you want to do, but usually listen to the excuses of the material world’s To Do Lists.

“Breaking out

is following your bliss pattern,

quitting the old place,

starting your hero journey,

following your bliss.”

– mythologist Joseph Campbell