Looks like Edison used TODO list too.
This
Thomas Edison
Thomas Alva Edison (February 11, 1847 – October 18, 1931) was an American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices in fields such as electric power generation, mass communication, sound recording, and motion pictures. These inventions, which include the phonograph, the motion picture camera, and early versions of the electric light bulb, have had a widespread impact on the modern industrialized world. He was one of the first inventors to apply the principles of organized science and teamwork to the process of invention, working with many researchers and employees. He established the first industrial research laboratory.
has a snapshot of his todo list from year 1888.
These were his 108 things he wanted todo.
1 - Cotton Picker
2 - New Standard Phonograph
3 - Hand turning phonograph
4 - New Slow speed cheap Dynamo
5 - New Expansion Pyromagnetic Dynamo
6 - Deaf Apparatus
7 - Electrical Piano
8 - Long distance standard Telephone Transmitter which employs devices of recording phonogh
9 - Telephone Coil of Fe [iron] by tt in Parafine or other insulator
10 - Platina Point Trans using new phono Recorder devices
11 - Gred Battery for Telephones
12 - * Long Distance
13 - * Phonoplex
14 - * Jump Telegraph
15 - * Voltmeter
16 - Improved Magnetic Bridge for practical work
17 - Motograph Mirror
18 - * Relay
19 - * Telephone practical
20 - Artificial Cable
21 - Phone motor to work on 100 volt ckts
22 - Duplicating Phono Cylinders
23 - Deposit in vacuo on lace, gold silver also on cotton molten chemical compound of lustrous surfaces to imitate silk also reg plating system
24 - Vacuous Ore milling Large Machine
25 - Magnetic Separator Large
26 - Locking material for Iron sand
27 - Artificial Silk
28 - Artificial filiments [sic]
29 - New [illeg.]
30 - Uninflammable Insulating Material
31 - Good wax for phonograph
32 - Phonographic Clock
33 - Large Phonograph for Novels, etc.
34 - Pig Iron Expmts with Electricity + Magnetism
35 - Malleablizing Cast now in Vacuo
36 - Drawing fine wire
37 - Joy phonograph for Dolls
38 - Cable Motograph
39 - Very Loud Motograph telephone with 1/3 siz phonogh motor.
40 - Magneto telephone with actual contact end magnet compression of an adjustable rubber press as in new phones
41 - Snow Compressor
42 - Glass plate water ore repeator
43 - Tinned faced [illeg.] for Stove Castings
44 - Refining Copper Electrically
45 - Quad neutral relay
46 - Cheap low induct Cop Insulating material for Lead Cable people
47 - Constant moved for nonfoundry
48 - 200 volt 20 cp lamp
49 - Cheap [illeg.] Indicator
50 - Recording Valt Indicator
51 - Box balancing System
52 - Alternating Machine + Transformer
53 - Sifua Surface Switches
54 - Vulcanizing [illeg.] African Rubber adullement
55 - Platinum wire [illeg.] cutting Machine
56 - Silver wire wood cutting system
57 - Silvering or Coppering bathing cloth in Vac for durability
58 - S Mater attend own with new devices for c speed
59 - Expansion mirror platwire in vacuo
60 - Photoghy
61 - Photoghy by camping heat after central points
62 - Boron fil.
63 - Hg [mercury] out of Lamp
64 - Phonaplex Repeater
65 - Squirting glass sheet tube etc. Nickel [illeg.]
66 - Artificial Mother Pearl
67 - Red Lead pencils equal to graphite
68 - India Ink
69 - Tracing Cloth
70 - Ink for blind
71 - Fluffy Incandescent Burner for gas
72 - Regenerative Kerosene Burner
73 - Centralized arc in arc Lamp
74 - Cai-[illeg] Tesla arc lamp test
75 - Strengthening alternating cli by sternt Dynamo
76 - ERR Cont [illeg.] reducers
77 - Electroplating Machines for Schenectady
78 - Condenser Transformer
79 - Sqr ft difraction gratings in silver by 5000 [illeg.] tool special [illeg.] lathe for ornamental purposes
80 - Photo Scant [illeg.]
81 - Cheap plan produce Mimeograph surfaces
82 - Miners battery + lamp
83 - Sorting Coal from Slate Machine
84 - Butter direct from Milk
85 - Burning asphalt Candles by high chimney
86 - Magnets RR signals
87 - Soften [illeg.] of books transfer to Cop plate + plate to [illeg.] matrix
88 - Telephone Repeater
89 - Substitute for Hard rubber
90 - Artificial Ivory
91 - Soften Vegetable Ivory to press in sheets
92 - Various batteries on [illeg.] Type
93 - Revolving Thermo
94 - Caller Indicator for Jump Telegh
95 - Marine Telegraphy
96 - Long distance speaking tube filled H20 2 dia pressure
97 - Lend plate battery for modifying attending Current
98 - Two revolving bands in battery Lead faced press in liquid close together + out into separate chambers to [illeg.]reduce by gas the other
99 - Siren phonogh
100 - Perm mag like an electromag of [illeg.] hand steel high polish separately magnetized + forced together powerfully[illeg.]
101 - Telephone working more [illeg.]
102 - Eartubes formed crescent [illeg.] wire
103 - Long strip 50 cp carbon under stress [illeg.] for
104 - Cheap Voltmeter
105 - Chalk Battery
106 - Dynamo or motor long tube in long magnetic field top bottom contacts forcing water through generator current by passage.
107 - Thermo battery slick Copper oxidized then plated over surface oxide nailed to make good contact [illeg.]
108 - Disk Phonogh