"The To-Do list" (book review)

THE TO-DO LIST

This book tells the story of a man who developed a 1277 items to-do list of things that he felt would make him more of a “proper adult”, inspired by his “almost perfect neighbors” Derek and Jessica, who he felt were mucho more adult than he was.

His tenth wedding anniversary is coming and his second child is due any moment… so, worried because his lack of maturity, he draws up a list containing a lot of stuff that needs to be done. So he put together this list after his 36th birthday and decided to complete it before his 37th birthday. He has only a year ahead to deal with such as huge task.

Some of the things were not too big, like “organize cd’s” or “print all digital photos”. However, others like “go green because it is the right thing to do” or “spend more time with your parents because they won’t be around forever” are more tricky and involve emotional baggage.

It was fun and inspirational at the same time to notice his progress and his struggles with the list over the course of the year, while his more than patient wife and the rest of the family suffer the consequences of the challenge.

This book is perfect for anyone who has ever written a list in a piece of paper, hoping to cross it off. I enjoyed it very much!

“The To-Do list” was written by Mike Gayle in 2009.