Whenever my brain feels like a scramble of shoulds and wannas, I make myself a cup of coffee and sit down with a piece of paper and a pen and get it all out.

What better way to keep track of your life, of your very you-ness than to keep lists? I find them convenient to write, fun to read, and I’d dare say poetic. Some lists are useful, some are out of date and should be tossed (but are kept around for remembering’s sake). Here are my tried and true.