To the lists!

I'd like to think I'm a very organized person. It's only about 80% true. While the majority of my life is relatively orderly, there are the occasional incidents where I think to myself "I really should sort this out." The fact that Jason and I are attempting to coordinate this wedding entirely by ourselves means that there's not any room for being absentminded or scatterbrained. So I have been making lists like crazy, and it's even starting to bleed over into other aspects of my life (which, in the end, is a good thing!)

This week, I made a master checklist. This four page beauty (double columns on every page) has everything I can think of that I will need from now until we return on our honeymoon on October 28. We are talking what to bring to hair trials, beauty appointments, portrait sessions, various family events, the wedding (broken down into chapel, reception room and other) as well as a complete packing list for our honeymoon cruise (more on that soon.) I'm sure that this list isn't complete, but now when I randomly think of something while in the grocery store I can come home and have a designated place to put it so it can be safe and sound with all of its catergorized buddies.

Last night and tonight, I have been working on a list of photos that I want to make sure our photographer knows to get. I even arranged them according to the order they should be taken in (grandparents first, then siblings, then parents, then just us - that way once a group is done they're completely done and can leave and quit being distracting.) As if that weren't compulsive enough, I then went back and COLOR CODED each item to fit into one of six subcategories (Jason's family, my dad's side, my mom's side, just Jason and me, the wedding party, and everything else.)

On my computer desk right now I have four additional running lists. These include two different lists involving price/quantity breakdowns for something still in the works (can you say "top secret") as well as a list of all the things I want to blog about (all of a sudden came up with a bunch of things but don't want to tackle them all at once.) Lastly I have my grocery list in progress (which used to be kept on our dry erase board on the fridge, but then I had to write it down a second time so I could take the list with me, so I eliminated a step.)

Another big list I made this week was a breakdown of the shore excursions we can go on in each of the ports of call on our cruise. I've been talking to Jason and have now deleted anything that we don't both want to do. So now I can go back in a few weeks, read over them and pick the best one without having to weed out the junk again.

Of course, the ultimate list is my Knot checklist. Today we found a sale going on at Party City, so we bought all of the glasses for the champagne toast. Another one down. We still have yet to buy all of the dinnerware (which, by the way, will not be fine china, so prepare yourselves now - don't worry, it's not paper plates, either) because I want to coordinate with my caterer so the stuff she's bringing and the stuff we're bringing go together at least.

Look at that. What I just said has prompted me to add another item to one of my lists. I guess the visual side of me is really going to come out, which is fine, because it's such a WONDERFUL feeling seeing another checkmark, another item crossed off, or even another document created (which leads to being able to check something else off.)

Now if only this organization could bleed over into things like keeping the apartment clean, finishing laundry the same day I start it, or keeping my car clutter free!