About Rory
Rory Tahari, vice chairman and creative director of the New York fashion design house Elie Tahari, and wife of the designer, is responsible for the brand’s advertising, marketing and public relations on a global level. Since joining the company in 1998, she has transformed one of fashion’s most enduring brands into one of its most successful.
At the Elie Tahari company, Rory has focused on expanding the brand, and oversaw wholesale and retail expansion in both U.S. and international markets. She also has worked closely with Elie in developing new retail concepts and product collections, such as menswear, handbags, and shoes.
Born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, Rory Tahari earned her BA in Journalism at Boston University and enjoyed a career in television as a producer of entertainment and news programs.
Beyond the company, Rory Tahari is a dedicated philanthropist. She sits on the boards of the non-profit organization Friends in Deed and The Presidential Forum on Renewable Energy. Additionally, she is involved with New Yorker’s For Children and Gods Love We Deliver.
Rory Tahari lives with her family in New York City.
A Conversation with Rory Tahari
Learn more about Rory
Q: Why are lists so helpful and effective, and why are you drawn to them?
Rory: I feel that lists are great organizational tools, and I love being organized. I find that when I make a list it helps me get my brain around what needs to be accomplished for the day, or the task at hand. A list gives me some parameters to the project or event and I don’t have to worry: What am I forgetting? That fear of forgetting some essential element can often put you in a state of paralysis where you can’t get anything done. Life is full of distractions, and it’s hard to stay centered. When you have a list, the next step becomes more obvious. You have a clear statement of what you need to do, and what you need to do first.
Q: What is the earliest list you recall creating?
Rory: I remember very vividly sitting up really late one night in my bedroom in Atlanta, Georgia, when I was a girl. It’s almost foreshadowing, considering my career now and this book. I remember making a list of all the pieces of clothing I had in my closet, and then wondering how many different combinations or variations of outfits I could make. I think I created 120 combinations.
Q: Which of your lists is most requested by your friends and family?
Rory: Without a doubt, most requested are my lists involved with pregnancy. And among those, the one that people appreciate the most by far is what to buy. Especially with a first child, moms and dads want to be sure they have made the right decisions. The number of baby-related products out there is endless; I thought I needed them all. When I realized how many I never or rarely used, I felt I had an obligation to tell my friends so they would not waste money. The second most-popular list is what to pack to bring to the hospital when you’re about to deliver.
Q: Do your lists evolve?
Rory: All of them, in a continuing process. Sometimes, I was the first among my circle of friends to address a certain need, and I’ve modified my lists to reflect my own or others’ experiences. My hope for the book is that it will make someone else’s journey through life’s challenges a little easier, and that it will continue to evolve. I hope that readers will write in, e-mail me, or get on my web site (http://www.listsforlife.com) and suggest things they think should be added. Things change, our lives move forward, the technologies we use get upgraded, and certain customs become outdated, so my lists will continue to evolve, as well.
Q: Were there any lists that you decided to leave out of your book?
Rory: Early on, I had ideas about a chapter on helping your kids apply to college, and one on pets or animals. Another section that did not make it in was my movie lists. One of my favorite things as a child—I was 12 years old—was asking my father what movie to get from the video store. He always had a fantastic suggestion on the tip of his tongue, and it was a great little moment we shared. I decided to poll all my friends for every movie they thought was special and worth viewing from 1960 on. I compiled a list of 350 movies and then had a column for the appropriate age for that film. Maybe that will appear in the next book.
Q: Can you ever really complete everything on a list?
Rory: A friend asked me the other day, ‘What do you do when you don’t finish everything on your list?’ I said, ‘Who cares?’ Let’s stop focusing on what we didn’t get done and start celebrating what we did accomplish because there’s no such thing as being able to complete everything you want done. Instead, wake up every day and say, Let me make today as good as it can be. You never know what curveballs are going to be thrown. You don’t know that it’s going to rain and traffic is going to be horrible or that a customer will need an extra 15 minutes in your shop…that’s life. What’s that expression—“Man plans and God laughs.” You do your best.
Q: How would you help a person who finds checklists in general anxiety-producing?
Rory: My hope is that the book will give people confidence by providing them with a starting point and an idea of all the possibilities and a sequence to follow, so that any anxiety will be calmed and they will be able to do the best that they can in moving through life. At the end of the day, that’s all that matters.
Q: How do you find lists help you at work? At home? Do you special lists for work and home?
Rory: I prefer to keep one master list; that’s what works best for me. At any given time, I have between 50 and 100 items on my list that are not prioritized in any particular order. Every night I pull out the tasks I want to accomplish the next day—that’s where my prioritizing process kicks in. I feel that a special event with my child is just as important as a meeting I need to set up at work, so everything has its place on my master list. Reviewing it daily gives me the structure I like to move forward most effectively. Lists are great tools; the key is to make them work for you, given your personality and needs, so you get the most out of them.
