---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I confess to being a compulsive list…"
description: "\"“I confess to being a compulsive list maker- everything gets ordered into one of these categories: 1) Things I Must Do, 2) Things I Have To Do Or I’m A..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/713/margaret-sherry-259571_quote_i-confess-to-being-a-compulsive-list-mak_1072314.jpg"
---

#  I confess to being a compulsive list maker- everything…

![“I confess to being a compulsive list maker- everything gets ordered into one of these categories: 1) Things I Must Do, 2) Things I Have To Do Or I’m A Dead Woman and 3) The Scary List.” quote by Margaret Sherry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/713/margaret-sherry-259571_quote_i-confess-to-being-a-compulsive-list-mak_1072314.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/713/margaret-sherry-259571_quote_i-confess-to-being-a-compulsive-list-mak_1072314.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/713/margaret-sherry-259571_quote_i-confess-to-being-a-compulsive-list-mak_1072314.jpg)

> ““I confess to being a compulsive list maker- everything gets ordered into one of these categories: 1) Things I Must Do, 2) Things I Have To Do Or I’m A Dead Woman and 3) The Scary List.””

Margaret Sherry

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Compulsive list-making categorizes tasks, reflecting anxiety and desire for control, but can become overwhelming.

**In simple terms:** Lists reveal anxiety and need for control.

Key Takeaway

Balance organization and flexibility.

Themes

compulsivity organization anxiety control mental health

Mood

self-aware thoughtful

Type

Compulsive:1 List Maker:1 Compulsive List:1 Scary List:1 Confess Compulsive:0

When to use this quote

- personal productivity
- therapy
- self-awareness

Key Concepts

behavioral patterns task management psychology

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you prioritize without over-categorizing?
- What triggers your compulsion?

A Different Perspective

Lists may cause stress; rigidity.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

## Related quotes

> [I've been a list maker for years, even before I was a musician. I was always writing things down and kept long lists of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buzz-osborne/i-ve-been-a-list-maker-for-years-even-before-i-was-a-musician-i-was/)

[Buzz Osborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buzz-osborne/)

> [I'm a big list maker. But if I cross off too many tasks and it's hard to see the remaining ones, I have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-spade/i-m-a-big-list-maker-but-if-i-cross-off-too-many-tasks-and-it-s-hard/)

[Kate Spade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-spade/)

> [My roommate and my boyfriend, they both know I am compulsive and controlling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-ricci/my-roommate-and-my-boyfriend-they-both-know-i-am-compulsive-and/)

[Christina Ricci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-ricci/)

> [“Compulsive behavior occurs when the urge to act out is greater than our will to say no. Recovery then, is the process of reversing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-stark/compulsive-behavior-occurs-when-the-urge-to-act-out-is-greater-than/)

Roger Stark

> [I'm, like, a compulsive eater. I'm going to be so fat when I'm older, it's ridiculous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-pattinson/i-m-like-a-compulsive-eater-i-m-going-to-be-so-fat-when-i-m-older-it/)

[Robert Pattinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-pattinson/)

> [The compulsive, obsessive, high-end, achieving people, those are the ones that keep pushing harder. I'll name you the greatest players I ever coached, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/urban-meyer/the-compulsive-obsessive-high-end-achieving-people-those-are-the-ones/)

[Urban Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/urban-meyer/)

> [I'm pretty obsessive-compulsive, and I'm very fast. I tend to not write for a long period of time until I can't not write, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-rapp/i-m-pretty-obsessive-compulsive-and-i-m-very-fast-i-tend-to-not-write/)

[Adam Rapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-rapp/)

> [I wrote my first novel in the same conditions as most first novelists - I had a full-time job, I shared an apartment, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-dee/i-wrote-my-first-novel-in-the-same-conditions-as-most-first-novelists/)

[Jonathan Dee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-dee/)

> [Thinking is compulsive: you can't stop, or so it seems. It is also addictive: you don't even want to stop, at least not until…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/thinking-is-compulsive-you-can-t-stop-or-so-it-seems-it-is-also/)

[Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/)

> [Manchester United could have any goalkeeper in the world. I was a 23-year-old kid from New Jersey who, from an early age, had to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-howard/manchester-united-could-have-any-goalkeeper-in-the-world-i-was-a-23/)

[Tim Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-howard/)

> [“Pharaohs It took Khufu twenty-three years to build his Great Pyramid at Giza, where some eleven hundred stone blocks, each weighing about two and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-quinn/pharaohs-it-took-khufu-twenty-three-years-to-build-his-great-pyramid/)

[Daniel Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-quinn/)

> [Whenever you are immersed in compulsive thinking, you are avoiding what is. You don't want to be where you are. Here, Now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/whenever-you-are-immersed-in-compulsive-thinking-you-are-avoiding/)

[Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/)

> [“I lean my head back and stare at the stark white ceiling. “My friend Zoe used to say I had obsessive compulsive disorder when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siobhan-davis/i-lean-my-head-back-and-stare-at-the-stark-white-ceiling-my-friend/)

[Siobhan Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siobhan-davis/)

> [I don't feel I'm a compulsive person. I multitask. I'm really well-organised, and I have lots of people to help me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-cumming/i-don-t-feel-i-m-a-compulsive-person-i-multitask-i-m-really-well/)

[Alan Cumming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-cumming/)

> [“The fact that compulsive drives for success will arise only in a competitive culture does not make them any less neurotic.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-horney/the-fact-that-compulsive-drives-for-success-will-arise-only-in-a/)

[Karen Horney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-horney/)

## More Compulsive quotes

> [“The fact that compulsive drives for success will arise only in a competitive culture does not make them any less neurotic.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-horney/the-fact-that-compulsive-drives-for-success-will-arise-only-in-a/)

[Karen Horney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-horney/)

> [I don't feel I'm a compulsive person. I multitask. I'm really well-organised, and I have lots of people to help me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-cumming/i-don-t-feel-i-m-a-compulsive-person-i-multitask-i-m-really-well/)

[Alan Cumming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-cumming/)

> [“I lean my head back and stare at the stark white ceiling. “My friend Zoe used to say I had obsessive compulsive disorder when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siobhan-davis/i-lean-my-head-back-and-stare-at-the-stark-white-ceiling-my-friend/)

[Siobhan Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siobhan-davis/)

> [Whenever you are immersed in compulsive thinking, you are avoiding what is. You don't want to be where you are. Here, Now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/whenever-you-are-immersed-in-compulsive-thinking-you-are-avoiding/)

[Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/)

> [“Pharaohs It took Khufu twenty-three years to build his Great Pyramid at Giza, where some eleven hundred stone blocks, each weighing about two and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-quinn/pharaohs-it-took-khufu-twenty-three-years-to-build-his-great-pyramid/)

[Daniel Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-quinn/)

> [Manchester United could have any goalkeeper in the world. I was a 23-year-old kid from New Jersey who, from an early age, had to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-howard/manchester-united-could-have-any-goalkeeper-in-the-world-i-was-a-23/)

[Tim Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-howard/)

> [Thinking is compulsive: you can't stop, or so it seems. It is also addictive: you don't even want to stop, at least not until…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/thinking-is-compulsive-you-can-t-stop-or-so-it-seems-it-is-also/)

[Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/)

> [I wrote my first novel in the same conditions as most first novelists - I had a full-time job, I shared an apartment, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-dee/i-wrote-my-first-novel-in-the-same-conditions-as-most-first-novelists/)

[Jonathan Dee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-dee/)

> [I'm pretty obsessive-compulsive, and I'm very fast. I tend to not write for a long period of time until I can't not write, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-rapp/i-m-pretty-obsessive-compulsive-and-i-m-very-fast-i-tend-to-not-write/)

[Adam Rapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-rapp/)

> [The compulsive, obsessive, high-end, achieving people, those are the ones that keep pushing harder. I'll name you the greatest players I ever coached, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/urban-meyer/the-compulsive-obsessive-high-end-achieving-people-those-are-the-ones/)

[Urban Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/urban-meyer/)

> [I'm, like, a compulsive eater. I'm going to be so fat when I'm older, it's ridiculous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-pattinson/i-m-like-a-compulsive-eater-i-m-going-to-be-so-fat-when-i-m-older-it/)

[Robert Pattinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-pattinson/)

> [“Compulsive behavior occurs when the urge to act out is greater than our will to say no. Recovery then, is the process of reversing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-stark/compulsive-behavior-occurs-when-the-urge-to-act-out-is-greater-than/)

Roger Stark

> [My roommate and my boyfriend, they both know I am compulsive and controlling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-ricci/my-roommate-and-my-boyfriend-they-both-know-i-am-compulsive-and/)

[Christina Ricci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-ricci/)

> [The impulse to write things down is a peculiarly compulsive one, inexplicable to those who do not share it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/the-impulse-to-write-things-down-is-a-peculiarly-compulsive-one/)

[Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/)

> [I'm quite compulsive about exercise. For two months, I'll exercise every day, then for three months I'll do nothing. I love food, so exercise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josephine-de-la-baume/i-m-quite-compulsive-about-exercise-for-two-months-i-ll-exercise/)

[Josephine de La Baume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josephine-de-la-baume/)

Browse all 126 Compulsive quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“I confess to being a compulsive list maker- everything gets ordered into one of these categories: 1) Things I Must Do, 2) Things I Have To Do Or I’m A Dead Woman and 3) The Scary List.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Margaret Sherry"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-sherry/i-confess-to-being-a-compulsive-list-maker-everything-gets-ordered/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Compulsive"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-sherry/i-confess-to-being-a-compulsive-list-maker-everything-gets-ordered/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/713/margaret-sherry-259571_quote_i-confess-to-being-a-compulsive-list-mak_1072314.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/713/margaret-sherry-259571_quote_i-confess-to-being-a-compulsive-list-mak_1072314.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/713/margaret-sherry-259571_quote_i-confess-to-being-a-compulsive-list-mak_1072314.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I confess to being a compulsive list maker- everything gets ordered into one of these categories: 1) Things…” — Margaret Sherry",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Margaret Sherry",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-sherry/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“I confess to being a compulsive...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-sherry/i-confess-to-being-a-compulsive-list-maker-everything-gets-ordered/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-sherry/i-confess-to-being-a-compulsive-list-maker-everything-gets-ordered/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
