Got a Life List?

It is that time of year when even those of us who are not heading back to school sense the impending crisp change in the air and are inspired to clean out our desk, sharpen our pencils, and get organized.

And make lists. Lots of to-do lists. But for many, those daily and weekly task lists are evolving to take in all of life.

Web sites that collate life lists have popped up so people can post their life goals in pithy phrases and encourage each other to check them off with each accomplishment achieved. 43 Things, run by Seattle-based Robot Co-op, is one such site, and it has amassed 1.2 million members since 2004. (Screenshot)

The New York Times' Alex Williams writes about what seems to be a widening trend as "the perfect way for anxious time-crunched professionals to embark on spiritual quests in a productivity-obsessed age. The lists are results-oriented, quantifiable and relentlessly upbeat." It's a great read, but as good as the article is, it makes no mention of a May 2006 Times' piece by Dan Barry that I think did a lot to fuel this life-planning-in-list-form trend. It's about the list Ann Nelson's parents found on her black Dell Inspiron laptop, four years after she died in the World Trade Center on 9/11/2001. She wrote 36 things she wanted to accomplish in her life, starting with these:

1. Be healthy/healthful
2. Be a good friend
3. Keep secrets.
4. Keep in touch with people I love that love me.
5. Make a quilt...

It's a powerful story of a simple list and how two parents were able to connect with their daughter once more through photos and words written on her computer. (The column is a Times Select story, so you need a subscription to access it. But search for the title, "Hope, Saved on a Laptop" and you'll find it on several blogs.)

When I read both pieces, I am inspired to make a list of my own as my kids head back to school. Are you?

LINKS: Ten Things to Do Before This Article Is Finished [New York Times]
Hope, Saved on a Laptop [New York Times Select]