Create artwork on the side of my house. I’ve been thinking about this for a year. Yesterday, I decided to paint a mural. (And no, I’m not an artist. But I wasn’t a novelist until I wrote my first thriller, so what the hell?) Last night I sketched out a rough design. Starting July 11, I plan to paint for at least two hours every Saturday and be done before the rains start in mid-September.

Write a short story. While working out the other day, I came up with a good plot, then made notes. Now I just need to write it. My plan is to give up the tiny bit of TV that I watch after 10 pm. Writing late at night doesn’t usually work well for my novels, but maybe it may be fine for a short story. It can’t hurt to try. Who needs to watch another rerun of Scrubs anyway?

Here’s a few things from my long-term wish list:

• Take metal sculpting classes and create a piece of iron or bronze for our living room.
• Learn to speak Spanish. (I once bought the books and tapes and started a class, then a family tragedy took over my life for a while. Never got back to Spanish lessons.)
• Visit Italy, Greece, and Egypt. (No explanation needed.)

Do you make time for the things you really want to do for pleasure? What are they? What are you waiting for?

First, there’s the life-quest master list, with all the big ideas like: Make the NY Times bestseller list, lose 7 pounds, be nicer to the husband. Nothing comes off the list until it’s accomplished. “Quit smoking” was on the list for 10 years (scratched it off 15 years ago!), and “Lose 7 pounds” has been there since college. (Maybe a nasty bout of food poisoning will eventually take care of that.)

Then there’s the ongoing writing/promoting/career list with things like: “Create a master list of character descriptions” and “Create and post a book discussion guide” (still haven’t done that). Then there’s the daily list of every little thing for that day, such as: blog, bike ride, work on novel, update website, water flowers before they die, have sex. Often there’s a fourth list of things to do while I’m out and about: bank, haircut, post office, Fred Myer. That list may include a list of things to buy at FM, or I may have a fifth little post-it note on my wallet that says: decaf, mints, meaties.

I also have lists for: books to read, blogging ideas, nonfiction article ideas, novel ideas, places to visit, websites to check out, editors, publishers, agents, and more.

So now you’re thinking, “That is truly anal.” And you are truly right.

But I get things done.

So back to my original thought: Have I ever goofed off for a whole day when I wasn’t on vacation in some place other than my home? Actually, no, I haven’t. Can I do it?

No, not a whole day.

But I recognize the need to occasionally have fun. (On vacation, I go all out and don’t even answer my phone. Scroll to the bottom of the page and see the photos for proof. ) But maybe I can sneak in a little fun now and then between vacations. But the only way it’s gonna happen is if I put it on the “must-do-today list.” Maybe I’ll give that try . . . when I get through list number 2.

PS: Did anyone notice that I didn’t use cleaning as an example on my lists? (See blog title.)
Is anyone else a compulsive listmaker? Are there support groups for the addiction?