Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I bought this book on a whim. I should have looked at it in the bookstore, because otherwise I wouldn't have purchased it otherwise.

While the lists in here are interesting and makes me think about the lists I make, I can't say I really cared to constantly read someone else's list about his or her relationships, what to do next, what they want in life, etc. I would have preferred an expanded explanation that the author has prior to each section. I had thought there might be an examination of handwriting, numbered lists versus not numbered, how list writers phrase or order their items, etc.

It is perhaps a little too voyeuristic for me. It was my fault for not looking at it in the bookstore. I urge you not to make the same mistake and to physically flip through it if you want to buy it.

Length:: 1:54 Mins

Hi! I'm Sasha Cagen, the author! Here's a two-minute trailer I made to explain why I've spent seven years collecting to-do lists and what you can find in the book. Hope you enjoy, let me know what you think. . . And as always, send me your (handwritten) lists at http://www.todolistblog.blogspot.com.

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

I was kind of disappointed, I was expecting something more along the lines of the universality of Found: The Best Lost, Tossed, and Forgotten Items from Around the World or PostSecret: Extraordinary Confessions from Ordinary Lives, but it was not nearly so satisying. There were fewer lists and a lot of narration from the author and background information about the creators of the lists...sometimes too much information to make them likeable, and sometimes just plain voyeuristic without any emotional impact. I wished the lists were allowed to stand on their own a little more. Some folks may enjoy it, in fact, the things I disliked may be the very things someone else would like, but it wasn't my cup of tea and I wished I had looked at it before buying it.

If you've ever written a list or peeked at someone else's list, you'll dig this fascinating and funny book. Every list is like a bizarre peep hole into a person's head, heart, and hopes for life. Maybe it was just my undiagnosed voyeur-listic tendencies, but I couldn't stop reading this book and then wondering what my own lists say about me. Author Sasha Cagan (the visionary who defined the Quirky Alone movement) includes just enough back story and snarky commentary to bring each list to life and inspire readers to start listing toward happiness. This book is perfect for anyone who has ever written anything on a piece of paper, hoping to cross it off.

"Post Secret" meets "Getting Things Done" is the way Blogger Buzz described To-Do List, and I think that's apt. It's a fascinating window into other people's everyday lives. It's not just daily to-do lists--it's also New Year's Resolutions, life lists, and more. It's full color and really beautifully designed. It lacks the self-conscious feeling of Post Secret . . . maybe because these are lists that people just wrote in their everyday lives rather than postcards they designed to confess something to the world. They are extremely revealing. I love the "love lists"--I can't get enough of people's crazy criteria for their ideal partners. It's also inspiring for all the listmakers out there. Every list has its own "DIY list idea" to get you going with your own list ideas. I've always been a listmaker, but I've definitely been writing a lot more creative lists (not just the daily to-do) since it arrived in the mail.

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.

It's a different kind of reading to me but it's really cool how you get an insight into other peoples fears, hopes, whatever...all through their lists.
the author does a fantastic job in making her points clear.

I am glad I purchased this book it helped me get my life organized on a daily basis by listing things to do, and I accomplished the best I can!

as a devoted list maker myself, i was interested in seeing what kind of lists were in this book. they range from bizarre to fanciful to nuts-and-bolts with a twist, but the best part is the commentary which gives the background of the list...i had a hard time putting it down! it's kinda like reading random diary entries from really interesting people. highly recommended, especially for any other list makers out there.