"To Do" Lists with Kids – Forget It

I like To Do lists.
In fact, I think I like them too much. I’ve got To Do lists all over the place – in notebooks, on handouts, on sticky notes, on the computer, and on my mobile device.

Of course, all of them have their purpose:

• When I’m in a meeting a work, I simply use my work notebook to capture any To Do items that I need to do afterward or follow-up on. Or if there’s a document handed out as part of the meeting, I’ll write on that.
• At work when someone calls, I jot it down on a sticky note next to my phone. I use my desk sticky notes for lists of things I need to remember for a particular task – like things I need to take with me on my next business trip.
• I break work projects down into smaller checklists of things that need to be done and those become the project specific To Do lists that I keep on my computer. And most of the time, written notes in meetings make their way to these project checklists.

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  And on my mobile device I love an App called Awesome Note. I love it because I can compartmentalize my non-work To Do lists (home, family, scouting, church, etc.) and sync them online.

I know that seems like a lot of lists, but they help me chunk things into their place. It’s like a filing system. Rather than one master list of every To Do item, I can separate my day and tasks into smaller chunks. I can keep my work at work and my home at home.

At the beginning of each day, I like to think about the major projects or things I need to work on and then turn to each sub-list when that time comes. And when it’s time to head home from work, I can then consult my mobile device and see that items I want to get done at home.

And that’s where the problem comes!

I don’t know why I keep doing it, because I should have learned long before now that To Do lists just don’t work when you’ve got kids.

We can have all the best intentions in the world, but when you’ve got kids, your schedule gets thrown out the window.

With 4 kids ranging in age from 8 to 16, there’s always plenty to keep my wife and I hopping every night. From the last-minute forgotten school projects and extracurricular activities to the delayed chores, homework, sports practices, book clubs, and community events there always seems to be something that pops up to throw a wrench in the plans.

Day in and day out I find myself moving my evening To Do items from one day to the next. And before I know it, they all pile up to be done on Saturday. But then Saturday takes on a life of its own and they get moved to the next week.

But the funny thing is – this is a problem I love to have!

When I take a look from the 50,000 foot view, I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’m glad that I know where my priorities lie. I may have grand hopes to get a number of things done, books read, or even board games played. But I’d much rather be a parent while it’s time to be a parent. And when I get home from work, it’s time to be a father.

So if it means a bunch of things don’t get done, I just hope they’re the things that don’t matter as much as my family.

Instead of listing everything that needs to be checked off, my evening list should just have a big chuck of time for “Whatever my family needs”.

In that sense, my regular To Do list then becomes a Wish List. And that’s just fine.

What do you do to keep it all in check?