This is awesome: I have a list.

Last night my wife sat me down and asked me to brainstorm what it is I wish to achieve, my short-term goals and responsibilities.  I pulled out a datebook and allotted hours to these tasks.

Now I have a schedule to fulfill, and I'm elated.  I kn ow I work well off of lists--I work best with lists--but I didn't even have the discipline to create one for myself.  I would have needed a list to set up a time to form a separate list.  That's just how I am.

i worked well in the military.  I didn't do so well on my own.  With too much time on my hands, being left to my own devices, all those cliches, I got nothing done.

But now, before I catch the bus to go to class tonight, I'm going to have applied for a couple jobs, submitted two queries to local newspapers, written up a Hallowe'en-appropriate short story for a contest, read three chapters from my textbooks, played with the cats and cleaned up the kitchen, brainstormed an op-ed and a new article, and updated twelve blogs.

I am very, very excited.  I always achieve when I have a list.  I may not knock out every single item on the list, but I always accomplish at least half of the items.  At the end of the day I feel proud for a day of accomplishment, when I was using a list.  This bodes very well.