>To-do, Ta-dah, tomato, tomahto, whatever. Sometimes, these lists are impossible. In the style of lists, here are the top ten problems with to-do lists.

10. To-do lists don’t take into account regular, everyday tasks.
-Make lunch, clean up lunch, eat lunch – how often do basic routines make the list? They don’t.
9. Illness throws more onto the list while making it harder to accomplish what’s already on it. Example: adding “Buy new vaporizer” to list also means adding “Unpack new vaporizer, read directions, clean, fill with water, and install new vaporizer” to the aforementioned to-do list.
8. Teens often need help getting up and at ’em.
-Translation: teens need a bit of nagging to get them to participate. Is “Nag the teen” on the list? Nope.
7. Kids home from college increase the magnitude of each task, even if they assist.
-Translation: kids home from college increase the amount of laundry and cooking and basic home maintenance, and sometimes even borrow the vehicle. Hey, wait; that means she could fill the minivan with gas while she’s out. Maybe she could drop off the blankets at the laundromat, too.
6. Laundry could be its own list.
-Four wash loads and three dryer loads in, and there are still at least 3 wash loads and 4 dryer loads awaiting. And this only take up one line? It takes days to reach Ta-dah! status!
5. Pets don’t help.
-They’re lovely, but they can’t write out the checks for the end-of-month bills or fold the laundry.
4. Holidays, while wonderful, add to the list. “Take down tree” really means “Take ornaments off tree, store ornaments for next year, take lights off tree, store lights, and then, finally, take tree outside.”
3. Laundry never goes away.
-see number 6
2. Weather adds to any to-do list.
-Ours says “Shovel and salt sidewalk and driveway.”