Can entertainment actually be(come) a chore?

[Katsunami]

We at MobileRead all know it: The To-Be-Read list.

I've got several:
The To-Be-Read list: A list of books I want to (re)read. (And getting them into Calibre after buying and downloading them, fixed and all.)
The To-Be-Played list: Being my GoG.com games list, containing old and new(er) games I wish to (re)play.
The To-Be-Seen list: A list of movies and series I want to (re)watch.
The To-Be-Practiced list: A list of music pieces I need to first arrange and then practice on the Hammond organ.
The To-Be-Ripped list: A huge list of CD's I need to (re)rip and tag in FLAC format for the music center/jukebox computer, and then convert to MP3 my MP3-player.
The To-Be-Studied list: Topics I wish to study or read more about for one or more reasons.

On top of that, I also sometimes study/dabble in Chess, Go, and photography.

Sometimes, entertainment feels like a chore that needs to be planned.

I expect to live another 50 years or so, but I am getting afraid that I can't get all of my CURRENT entertainment "done", let alone any future stuff that piles on top of it :X

Sometimes, I'd have liked to only have ONE hobby, like any sane person.

What are your thoughts?

[pidgeon92]

It is a huge chore. Right now I am in the midst of downloading fresh ePubs of my Fictionwise books into calibre. I also have a good number of audiobooks that need to be downloaded from Audible, and catalogued in Delicious Library. I then liberate those files as well. And now that Audible has the option of single file downloads for all audiobooks in my library, I'm thinking I will re-download all of them at some point and re-catalog and re-liberate.

I also have a huge to-be-watched list at Netflix.

[twowheels]

The joy of minimalism. If only I could practice what I preach. ;-)

I often tell my daughter that the more you have, the more you have to work -- it's often better to settle for less.

[DiapDealer]

I make lists all the time too. Then I come to my senses and ignore them entirely--reading/watching whatever the hell I want at that exact moment in time. Willy-nilly all the way. But I figure the list-making is good practice in case I ever DO decide I'd like to have all the fun sucked right out of my entertainment.

[Fluribus]

I do not have To-Be-Done lists. I have Possibility Piles. Items that are available at my whim. They are my servants, not my masters.

[xg4bx]

Sometimes I plan my entertainments but all my plans inevitably go to crap when I look at the clock and realize that I wasted my night watching Youtube videos.

[Fat Abe]

A To-Do list is both a blessing and a curse. Say you choose to read all the books written by author X. This requires you to make a list of titles in chronological order. Then you have to procure the books, which takes time and/or money. Consider this the burdensome part of the task. The fun part is actually sitting down to read the books. You'll thank yourself for the legwork you performed. That's my approach, but I've also done things in stages, when I did not have the cash to acquire a complete series of books. Nothing in life is free, and entertainment is no exception.

[Xanthe]

For some people, having money in bank accounts, investments, real estate, etc. is their comfort blankie.

For me, it is my bookcases full of TBR books and TBR(ipped) CDs and vinyl records.

[pidgeon92]

Originally Posted by Fluribus

Possibility Piles

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Fat Abe

A To-Do list is both a blessing and a curse. Say you choose to read all the books written by author X. This requires you to make a list of titles in chronological order.

No, I just look them up at Fantastic Fiction. Why make a list yourself when someone's already done it for you?

[DrNefario]

I make myself lists so I can track which ones I buy and which ones I read. (And I really wish I had a three-state checklist app which could handle that correctly.)

I don't really understand why Fat Abe considers that burdensome. That's like a whole extra hobby for me.

If it becomes a chore you just have to remember that you're not letting anyone down if you don't do these things.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by DrNefario

I make myself lists so I can track which ones I buy and which ones I read. (And I really wish I had a three-state checklist app which could handle that correctly.)

You could add a custom column to Calibre for the purpose.

[Ansileran]

I have tried making lists, but after a couple of days, making lists would become the first task on my "todo" list ^^

The perils of purposeful entertainment. May I suggest using those lists as guidelines, so that your freetime is productive, rather than enslaving yourself to them.

[Soldim]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

I make lists all the time too. Then I come to my senses and ignore them entirely--reading/watching whatever the hell I want at that exact moment in time.

Same for me, I load a bunch of books I plan to read on my Kindle and Sony to read during the next weeks. Then, generally before I am halfway I load a bunch of new books that, for some reason, have become more appealing.

There must be some 40 or 50 books on each -- only partially overlapping