Short term memory, long term to-do lists

my folder of to-do lists

My folder full of to-do lists runneth over. I've been having some concerning short-term memory issues lately, hence my recent round of neuro testing. There's a good chance it could just be as simple as me not getting adequate rest (apnea is a likely candidate, but I'm awaiting final results) - although I do obsess about the remote possibility of Alzheimer's, especially since DNA testing reveals that I have a gene that makes me more susceptible to that as I age. No matter how hard I work each day to get things done, fulfill commitments and cross things off these many lists, it seems that every day I acquire even more things to do. Although much (most) of these are things I love to do, it can become a bit overwhelming at times. Especially concerning to me is that there are several cases recently where I say I'll do things that are important or interesting to me and if I don't write them down (maybe I'm driving - or I'm somewhere without my lists folder) I totally forget until something unrelated (or the person I never got back to) reminds me. For this reason, I'm going to have to start saying no to more things. I will still fulfill my current commitments (including several events coming up, poems I've committed to writing, two presses I've promised to put together manuscripts of my writing for, and 14 titles to publish in my Crisis Chronicles Press queue, as well as catching up on updating the online Cleveland literary calendar). But other than that, I'm going to try to say no to any new commitments at least through the winter, by which time I'll be more caught up and have much less to keep track of. If I was supposed to do something for you and it hasn't happened yet, there is a high likelihood that you're on one of these lists, in which case it will get done as soon as I can. There's also a possibility that, despite how important it was to me at the time, it somehow slipped through the cracks and I forgot to write it down or get back to you, in which case I hope you will be gentle and forgive me. I won't be offended if you send me a reminder. Maybe I'll feel self-conscious about this post (I kinda already do) and delete it soon. But since Facebook asked what's on my mind, that's some of it. Now, it's back to work for me!