#1 Making Lists
Written by SAPL on July 12th, 2008 in Organization.
tadalist
List making is the one of the most preferred methods of organizing for Aspies. The typical Asperger guy or gal may spend a lot of time making lists, lists of lists, list of when to make more lists, list of how to organize lists, and so forth.
List making is one of the hallmark traits a neurotypical will give when describing their Aspie friend, family member, or partner. Usually, this is done in a negative way-as if there is a problem with making lists.
Like many other traits the Aspie possesses that may irk his/her neurotypical company, list making is just another way the Asperger organizes his/her life and makes him/her so efficient at doing the things they do so well.
There may be a few times when list making is taken to the extreme. For example, in an episode of Seinfeld, George made a list consisting of “Crib Notes,” in ink on his palm in order to remember how to impress his new romantic interest in bed. “Crib Notes,” on the hand are NOT good lists, and any Aspie (or neurotypical for that matter) should avoid or at least try to reduce making this type of list as much as possible.
Finally, if there was any evidence to show how good lists can be, we only have to look at one very powerful figure in biblical history. That’s right, Moses. He took a simple list, 10 items, and wrote this on a stone tablet. Yet this great organizer performed feats that most neurotypicals and Aspies both could only dream to do.
So the next time an Aspie is questioned or criticized about list making, he or she should remember: Can this person put up with people for 40 years in a hot desert? Are they able to separate seas? If list making puts the Aspie in the company of anyone who can do this, then it’s certainly not a bad habit at all.
October 5th, 2008 at 3:39 pm
[…] the times when the Asperger person showed the wigdala who’s boss. It might help to make a list of those events. And that’s where Microsoft Excel comes in handy. With 65,536 rows and 256 […]
November 2nd, 2008 at 7:19 pm
[…] the biggest bonus of all was that the duties involved following lots of “to do” lists, which tickled the student pick. Much pleasure was derived from completing the lists, crossing […]
February 5th, 2010 at 7:02 pm
great idea to make this. i just came up with the exact same idea and checked to see if someone had beaten me to it. good job. list-making was #2 on my list. #1 was numbers.
here are the others:
3. accuracy
4. reenactments
5. deep pressure
6. literalness
7. associative language
8. honesty
9. monocular vision
10. perseverating
11. being left alone
12. data
13. the internet
14. inertia
15. concreteness
i’ll keep reading. this website is actually not funny so much as useful and informative. especially to people who don’t know much about us.
don’t you wish there were an aspie goodbye, our own version of “l’chaim!” or “live long and prosper”?
live long and asperger!
May 1st, 2011 at 11:59 pm
When I make lists, it’s because I’m a bit forgetful, even if just to buy 2 or 3 items! Or so that I won’t forget to do the things, by looking at the piece of paper(many times), it reminds me what I should do.
September 10th, 2011 at 8:48 am
I’m with ESP. I only make lists when I go grocery shopping and need specific things for a recipe (like parsley and tomatoes), I just need a few things (like bread, cheese, milk, etc.), or there is a sale and I can stock up on basic things. Or if I’m going on a trip and I want to make sure I don’t forget essential things like toothpaste, shampoo, floss, deodorant, or sunscreen. Any other times, I eschew list making. It just isn’t for me.
September 24th, 2011 at 9:33 pm
The list thing for me is an absolute necessity. Problems all my life with processing information, so I have lists and lists of lists of things I need to do, thoughts, ideas, chores, etc.
September 24th, 2011 at 9:36 pm
The list thing for me is an absolute necessity. Problems all my life with processing information, so I make lists and lists of lists of things I need to do, thoughts, ideas, chores, etc. Mostlyl I type them out as my handwriting has always been awful.
November 21st, 2011 at 3:57 pm
Nice list but I wonder: is my facination for calendars and calendar making yet another sign of an Aspie?
March 7th, 2012 at 5:53 am
I love doing lists,
“List making is one of the hallmark traits a neurotypical will give when describing their Aspie friend, family member, or partner. Usually, this is done in a negative way-as if there is a problem with making lists.”
That is my mother
August 20th, 2012 at 5:23 am
My son (14) loves making lists…we call it listing. We don’t make a big deal about it, we’ll just ask him what he’s listing today. Things he’s listed in the past were – The white pages, the yellow pages, the cable guide (He’ll go through each and every channel) He’ll list things on the computer. When he’s at stores, he’ll take out his Android and list with it. He enjoys it. I made sure to supply him notebooks for his listing. He even listed while he was on vacation.
June 19th, 2013 at 9:24 pm
I have lists and lists of lists. I am lost without them. Now I use Google Tasks on my phone and have about 6-7 lists there. Hopefully I don’t lose my phone but even if I do, I can access them on a laptop.
March 23rd, 2016 at 4:44 pm
I make list..lol I never knew why Im almost forty and just learned why I do what I do. My favorite way to make list…. evernote app. I absolutely love it.