"Stuff Asperger People Like," and making lists

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Midway through editing my library "for later" list (830 items and counting, haha), I was looking up some info on google to see if anyone else with Asperger's was prone to making (and maintaining) such lists, as it does strike me as a corollary of the "lining things up" trait Aspies are said to have. (Whether or not others also make such lists, like of books they want to read and movies they want to watch is also a good topic.)

Anyway, I found a blog that is pretty funny, inspired by the "what white people like" blogs. The person made one called "Stuff Asperger People Like": link
They've got making lists as their #1.

An example quote from another entry, on the topic of staying up to date with fashion: "Many helpful hints will be passed on to the Asperger, such as “Look through the latest fashion catalogues and copy your wardrobe like theirs.” Some will comply, with graciousness or annoyance.

A good way to cease these nagging, or, uh, helpful hints, is to follow the advice given. A smart Asperger would go out and find a fashion magazine and plan their wardrobe exactly after the models. The best brand to model after is Victoria’s secret, especially for men. Once an Asperger’s parents see their son in pink wings and a push-up, they might back off and make a deal that you only have to be mindful of clothing for a job interview or work itself, not going to the friggin’ grocery store."

In another posting, they talk about how the guy who invented BitTorrent is an aspie.

Edit: Wow, google's on the ball today. Approx. 10 min. after posting this, I googled the name of the website and got this post as the 2nd result!

Hi dancing Penguin!

I have seen the "stuff asperger people like" site and found it funny as well.

I love lists, oh my gosh, how could I remember all the things I want without a specific list?

I love shopping lists, wish lists, lists of books, lists of vitamins, to do lists (except I tend to lack the energy to complete these so sometimes they cause me a great deal of frustration), movie lists, anything. I love to make tiny lists on blank note cards or on post it notes. Longer lists have to go on lined paper in a notebook.

Lets not even talk about my amazon wish list of books and movies I would like to watch and read, I try to keep it under ten pages, but I just know if I delete something I don't have yet, I will lose it and not remember to obtain it.

In a pinch I will write a list on the palm of my hand

My issue with list making is quite a problem. Anything I think of, I think, "I need to make an excel speadsheet", which is a great list making tool but it gets out of hand. Right now, my list making and obsession with finding patterns in everything is helping me with a job doing research, so my lists work for that. I still have lists I made from when I was a child and my obsession has only grown. I can't stop doing it because it serves a purpose but I think I would benefit from some direction and help with how to best use this particular obsession. If I try to stop, it's like I can't function. I've had employers get mad at me for my list making and force me to stop which causes me to get "stuck" and then I'd get in trouble for being insubordinate and not following orders.

So, um. Yes to the obsessive list making thing is a trait of mine but I believe one day, I'll come up with the perfect list making organizational tool and will be hailed as a list making genius. Of course, that's just one of my ego pumping thoughts to help me with feeling so inadequate since I can't seem to get anything done despite the lists.

Interesting blog. Actually, I like to make lists at my workplace just to be sure I do the things that I was asked to do... At home, I tried to catalog my stuff (books, LPs, CDs, VHS and audio cassettes) several times, but always failed as I never had the strength to finish it. I imagined to do it on my computer to have a searchable database of them.

Quoting myself from a past topic:

List making is actually associated with a lot of things and isn't particularly specific to one thing or another.

People with AS might make lists, people with OCD might make lists, people with OCPD, general perfectionists, people with ADD or ADHD, forgetful people, procrastinators, ordinary people who just need a list from time to time, etc.

My mother makes lists all of the time and she's a relatively normal person. I, on the other hand, rarely make lists. I generally consider them a useless waste of time and paper and can usually do without them.