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With Only 12 Weeks Left in 2020, Why Not Try a Different Approach?

When I was in college, and he was in high school, my baby brother was in a terrible car accident. He sustained a severe head injury and was in a coma for weeks.

When he regained consciousness, he had to start over: physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, and so on. His recovery has been remarkable, but one of the unexpected details I remember about the process was how he struggled with making lists.

A smart kid, with an impressive memory, he was really angry about having to write everything down. At first, I wondered what the big deal was. While it was true, he was the one that our other brother and I would go to for the details of our childhood — Hey Mattie, remember that event? Who else was there? What year was that? Do you remember her name? — it didn’t seem like such a major inconvenience, all things considered.

In fact, it felt like an inevitable aspect of adulting. Eventually, we all reach the tipping point at which we have a running to-do list, which becomes unwieldy and unmanageable. As we cross off some things, even more sprout up, our lives become increasingly complex; our lists expand indefinitely, then we die.

Ok, that was a little morbid, but you know what I mean. That’s the world we live…