The Beauty of Lists

This is from Adam Savage, at adamsavage.com, who looks to be an uberproductive individual and has some advice on lists.  This is excerpted from WIRED.

"Lists are how I parse and amange the world.  I make lists for fun (I have more than 17,000 palindromes) and to relax (I can eliminate distractions and focus on what's important.)  But mostly I make lists for projects.  This can be daunting.  Breaking something big into its constituent parts will help you organize your thoughts, but it can also force you to confront the depth of your ignorance and the hugeness of your task. 

That's OK.  The project maybe the lion, but the list is your whip.

The first think I write down is whatever I hope to end up with... 

Eventually, I'll create a folder called Adam's Progress. As I chug along, I take photos with my phone and drop them into this folder for a quick reference of how far I've come.  These images provide inspiration and momentum. A list of what I've already done make the list of what's left to do a bit more manageable.  And when I'm finished, this older will be my diary of the entire project. It's something I'll keep forever.