Make a List: How a Simple Practice Can Change Our Lives and Open Our Hearts

There’s more to list-making than that “honey-do” hanging from the fridge magnet, suggests McEntyre (What’s in a Phrase?) in this small volume, which goes well beyond the to-do list to invite new and creative ways of thinking and doing. In brief chapters organized within three general categories—whys, ways, and examples of list-making—McEntyre peppers her discussion with suggestions of lists to try. “Changes I Find Threatening,” “Why They Might Be Angry,” and “Fun I Never Thought I’d Have” are three highlights that will not have occurred to many readers before. McEntyre shows how a list’s title can shape one’s approach to challenges both internal and external. She passionately declares that relationships, intellectual curiosity, and the search for meaning can be reinvigorated by articulating individual items. Acknowledging the difficult work that goes into changing one’s life, McEntyre believes listing can be a useful, creative act to spur change. Readers of all kinds, from type A veteran list-makers to those whose blood pressure rises at the thought of making a list, will find much useful information here. (Feb.)