From the bottom of my To-Do list.
💌 To-Do... or not To-Do, that is the question
Dear Powells,
It’s Monday. I have the whole week ahead of me and yet still I have that feeling of ‘Too much to do. Too little time!’ I feel like the White Rabbit in Alice in Wonderland – late! and I’m barely out of bed.
I came to my studio early to consult my to-do list and came to the lamentable realisation I do not have one. No wonder I am moving panic stricken from room to room by candlelight, with the gnawing sensation I need to do something but not quite knowing what that is; the To-Do list is the backbone of my life - I simply cannot function without one. I picked up my pen to begin penning but was suddenly struck with a question: Do I write ‘Write To-Do list’ as task one of my list? I wasted 17 minutes pen-tificating on this before a decision was made.
Write To-Do List.Wash tea-towels, they’re stinky.
Buy vitamins (I look grey).
Return library books.
Read library books before returning.
Ask Ali the librarian for coffee on Thursday.
Exercise my body (it’s expanding in undesirable directions).
Call Auntie Shirley.
Draw signage for the pub over the road.
Get the car washed (it’s resembling a lump of mud on wheels).
Plan the wedding: see separate list.
Write a wedding plan: see above task.
Find some wood before we freeze!!!!!!
Put entire wardrobe on Vinted and starter over (should only take 30 mins, I’m told it’s a doddle).
Clean the house, it looks like Miss Haversham lived here.Make Stefan clean the house and scrap task 15.*
I take a slurp of tea. That’s the personal To-Dos out of the way. I always separate my lists into work and non-work in an attempt to make it feel manageable, though I must admit I feel slightly worse when I look over what I’ve just written. Maybe to-do lists are overrated … Do your lists have this affect on you? Affect? Effect?
Look up appropriate use of affect versus effect.
Time is marching on … Onwards with the work list!
Buy tickets for Alasdair Beckett-King’s Nottingham Show (Is this work? I illustrated his book but it feels like a personal to-do… maybe I need a hybrid list?)
Think of name for hybrid list.
Create 5 Instagram images for Montgomery BonBon with blurb.
Thursday is publication day! Visit local bookshops and put Montgomery BonBon and The Swifts in prominent places. Move David Walliams to Travel Section (Go Away Walliams).
Stop laughing at your own jokes (see previous task).
Promote both books all week until you feel uncomfortable and start to get paranoid you’re being too much.
Email Alison about cover roughs.
Draw characters for secret project #1 that’s actually #2.
Zoom with Jane.
Research flamingos.
Draw some (see above task).
Put The Swifts on my website.
Put Montgomery BonBon on my website.
Email bookshop for window dimensions.
Prep window design. Note to self: It doesn’t have to rival The Sistine Chapel.
Start roughs (approx 100) for secret project #1 that’s actually #2.
Reply to that nice email you got from that nice lady who said nice things.
Book Premier Hotel at Manchester Airport for March 4th. Or is it March 5th?
Check the dates you’re going to Bologna (then proceed confidently with task 18).
Book Bologna day pass (apparently the website is rubbish: leave several hours for this task).
ORDER 3 RED BERETS!!!!! URGENT.
Refresh email every few minutes … just incase an email has come in with 6 figure offer.
Fill a sketchbook.
Post on Instagram 6 times a day; create engaging original content; make a reel an hour; reply to every comment and like every post you see.
Delete Instagram.
Check bank account for signs of money.
Write a book.
That’s pretty much the picture for this week! Doesn’t look too bad; should have it all done by lunch on Wednesday, I’d have thought. How is your week shaping up? Let me know what tasks are filling up your To-Do list, maybe we can swap some.
Yours truly,
Powell x
Write a Substack post.Remind everyone that Montgomery BonBon and The Swifts are still available for pre-order.
*Stefan is my partner of 8 years. 4 years ago, swept up in the romance of Paris we became engaged. Planning the wedding has given him a hernia and me suspected athletes foot.
Enjoyed this v much! Have you seen the Frog and Toad story about ‘to do’ lists? I think you’d enjoy it! (And you’ve reminded me to ring my Auntie Shirley…)
That was so thoroughly entertaining it could be a book, To your question, I mix my lists together, put in all the family stuff first then try to fit everything else around it. Except on Mondays. On Monday I imagine it’s Friday and everything is due and since there’s know way I’ll finish it all I’ll just pick the most important thing and work on that for 16 hours. I also imagine my little studio is a first class cabin of a 16 hour flight, and my wife is the stewardess who brings the food and drinks at regular intervals (she doesn’t mind the role play) So since it’s Monday you’ll know that I’m very busy so off I go to it, right after i tell everyone to read your newsletter.