The To-Do List Read Online Free PDF Page A

my announcement to the Sunday Night Pub Club I’d felt on top of the world. Fired up by the commitment that I had made in front of my friends and with my mind racing with anticipation at getting stuck in, I shared my good news with Claire over breakfast.
            ‘So you’re actually going to do this list thing?’
            ‘Absolutely. I really think tackling the List is going to be the making of me.’
            ‘I’m sure it will be,’ said Claire dryly. ‘So what’s the plan? If you are going to start as of today may I suggest, “Help Claire out with the ironing because the To-Do ironing basket upstairs is bursting at the seams”.’
            ‘I’d love to, babe,’ I replied, ‘but I’m afraid ironing is not on the List.’
            ‘It wouldn’t be, would it? So what exactly is your plan of attack? Have you got any strategy?’
            ‘Other than looking at the List and doing stuff on it?’
            ‘Trust me, Mike, I know you better than you know yourself and I’m telling you that you’ll need a plan of attack if you’re not going to get bored with the whole thing after ten minutes. Just remember the tile-painting episode.’
            ‘That was different,’ I protested, but had to stifle a smile.
            ‘Different how? Different because you tackled a job in a half-cocked manner without having a plan? Or different because it wasn’t you that got bored halfway through and talked me into finishing it off while you watched TV?’
            This woman was definitely raining on my parade.
            ‘Just different. The To-Do List is a different kettle of fish altogether, okay? It’s not a brown-tiled floor, it’s a To-Do List.’
            ‘It doesn’t matter, you still need a plan,’ said Claire giving me her best “this will all end in tears” shake of the head. ‘You can’t just race headlong into the List hoping that a bit of luck and sheer momentum will take you all the way through to your next birthday.’
            ‘Oh, really?’ I replied in a high-handed manner. ‘Well, we’ll have to see about that.’
     
    I made my way upstairs to my office in the loft, sat down at my desk and began looking around for inspiration. Before it struck, I accidentally knocked my computer mouse and within a few moments I was notified by electronic ‘ding’ that I had seven emails waiting.
            There wasn’t anything exciting: some spam; a number of invitations to buy stuff from John Lewis and Amazon; and a mocking message from Arthur offering a hard cash bet that I would fall on my face with this To-Do-List thing before the month was out.
            Fighting talk! I dashed off a dismissive reply to Arthur and then the following email to friends, family and work colleagues, in fact everybody in my online address book:
     
    Dear all,
    Just wanted to let you know that having come to the conclusion that it’s about time I joined the world of fully functioning adults on a permanent basis, as of today I will be undertaking a 1,277-item To-Do List (while continuing with my regular ‘day job’) which I plan to have completed by my 37th birthday in approximately twelve months’ time. The reason I’m telling you lot this is to give me the inspiration and motivation to succeed, knowing full well that should I fail my task I will look like a complete and utter buffoon in front of you all and will afford you the right to mock me (as some have done already) to within an inch of my life.
    See you all soon
    Mike x
     
    I read and re-read the message several times before pressing send and then watched keenly as my computer’s email programme flung the hundred or so messages it had loaded up out into cyberspace. There was no going back. Right there on the spot I was officially motivated. Feeling as though I was still riding the crest of a wave I replied to all the emails in my in-box and then permanently deleted all 122 items of spam