For my money, David Letterman is the father of Top Ten lists.  The rest of the internet listers are a poor attempt at copying that magic.

I turn the internet off on this computer for several hours a day.  I have to.  Otherwise the lists will get me.  They are seductive.  Here are the top ten list tweets on my twitter right now…in order (it makes me embarrassed to follow these people):

1. 8 Simple Steps to Growing a Quality Twitter Following
2. Top 25 web celebrities
3. 7 steps to a perfect press release
4. 5 tips for leadership success
5. 10 most “colorful” questions submitted to Obama
6. 10 apps to schedule tweets (plus one!)
7. 10 coolest Google Lab experiments
8. 5 ways to recruit using LinkedIn
9. The 2 keys 2 success in life
10. 16 drool-worthy desk designs

Here are the top ten reasons these lists are a waste of time:

1. Life-hacks are almost never useful.  Nothing in life goes 1, 2, 3.  It usually goes 1, 4, 2, 8, 9 3, 6, 10
2. Lists are an easy way of organizing discombobulated thoughts, so it makes it easier to write poorly.
3. Lists are subjective order masquerading as fact.  It’s a short-cut to credibility.
4. Lists make you a lazy reader.
5. One clever reason is not enough reason to fill the rest of the list with duds, so I’m going to stop at 5.