I never really thought a commercial could make me realize something about myself. I forget which one it is--I think it's a car commercial--but it's the one about people making lists, and how this allows them to feel like they're in control of their lives.

It hit the nail right on the head. Whenever my sched is too packed, I make to-do lists, with little squares that I check off one by one. Whenever I have an upcoming shoot that I'm particularly stressed about, I make shopping lists, pullout lists, and even lists containing diagrams of possible layouts. For a racket I'm currently working on, I have a whole envelope of lists and illustrations. (And I actually have a piece of paper and a pencil at the ready as I type--another list in the making.) The more stressed I am, the more I tend to make lists.

When September rolls around, I use Christmas lists as my escape; I fold a piece of paper in half and start writing names in neat little columns. I dream up things that I'd like to give them, and figure out if everything would fit my budget. As a result, I have about four Christmas lists every year, each one written at a time when I wanted to give my mind a break, or when I just wanted to delay doing work.

It's probably a waste of time and paper, but hey, it keeps me sane.