Then again, maybe not

Bill Clinton's second inaugural address is my Hulu queue's Schindler's List; I should want to watch it, but instead it's been gathering dust in this virtual "To-Do" list for more than two years.

My Netflix queue isn't much better¹: I have 130 TV shows/videos in my queue, including 35 videos that I apparently believe I'm going to watch again someday (I own some on DVD!), and 20 documentaries and PBS specials that will never see the whites of my eyes². Over the last four months, I added items #94 through #130 to that list, during which time I haven't even had an active Netflix subscription!

What's my point?

I don't care enough about these movies and shows to pay for and watch them, but I panic at the thought of removing them from a list³. Somewhere, portions of my brain aren't speaking to each other.

This year, I resolved to remove unnecessary things from lists⁴. This meant video queues, To-Do lists at work, and my Google Reader feed. A mere two weeks into the year, I had already unsubscribed from a few blogs that I should care about (The Happiness Project, Political Calculations, Freakonomics), but that post so often that they cost more time than they're worth. And I winnowed down my work To-Do lists … by getting everything done.

My To-Do lists are shorter now. I still add a lot of things to them, but then I realize what I've done and fix it. It makes me feel more productive.

In the time I've spent writing this blog post, I could have watched that inaugural address. Hmmm. To make up for it, I think I'll add this blog post to my To-Do's, just so I can check it off.


¹ But, hey, it doesn't include Schindler's List!
² And if they could, I'd fire immediately, terrified at the thought of a TV show that is watching me.
³ I clearly need therapy, but I don't care enough to pay for that, either.
⁴ It was my only resolution this year. I hope I don't have to explain why.