In a quest for self betterment, and the urge to jump on a band wagon, I've decided to challenge myself to complete 101 goals in 1001 days. I'll keep a countdown clock on my sidebar and a monthly update of where I stand, but I won't drive you nuts with a giant sidebar of goals.
The Mission:
Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days.
The Criteria:
Tasks must be specific (ie. no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (ie. represent some amount of work on my part).
Why 1001 Days?
Many people have created lists in the past - frequently simple goals such as new year's resolutions. The key to beating procrastination is to set a deadline that is realistic. 1001 Days (about 2.75 years) is a better period of time than a year, because it allows you several seasons to complete the tasks, which is better for organising and timing some tasks such as overseas trips or outdoor activities.
Some common goal setting tips:
1. Be decisive. Know exactly what you want, why you want it, and how you plan to achieve it.
2. Stay Focussed. Any goal requires sustained focus from beginning to end. Constantly evaluate your progress.
3. Welcome Failure. Frequently, very little is learned from a venture that did not experience failure in some form. Failure presents the opportunity to learn and makes the success more worthy.
4. Write down your goals. It clarifies your thinking and reinforces your commitment.
5. Keep your goals in sight. Review them frequently, and ensure that they are always at the forefront of your thinking.
So wish me luck as I embark on a journey that I hopefully will not abandon. Onto the goals, in no particular order.
italics - in progress; bold italics - complete
Oh, The Places You Go!
1. Go on a cruise
2. Trip to Italy with Mike
3. Visit 5 states I haven’t been to before (3/5 - Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky)
I Feel Pretty, Oh So Pretty!
4. Weight down to 160
5. Run a 5K
6. Dye my hair
7. Allow myself to update wardrobe
8. Wear heels once a week (17/143)
9. Go to the dentist
10. Get a different hairstyle
11. Floss every night for 2 weeks (0/14)
12. Get eyebrows shaped and maintain them
13. Stop picking at finger nails for one month
14. Shave once a week (22/143)
15. Re-evaluate undergarments (dispose of holey/stretched/ill fitting & own a week’s worth of bras)
16. Eat 1 fruit per day for a month (0/31)
17. Go 1 week without sweets (no candy bars, ice cream, suckers, etc)
18. Maintain a food diary again
19. Wear a skirt once a month (7/34)
20. Exercise at the YMCA at least three times per week
It’s a Miracle Curiosity Survives a Formal Education
21. Take a glass class
22. Take a cooking class
23. Take a painting class
24. Read 10 banned books (0/10)
25. Learn web design technical aspects
26. Finish a Sunday crossword puzzle
27. Read 10 classic novels (0/10)
28. Read one non-fiction book a month (7/34)
29. Learn to weave
30. Obtain and read Harry Potter 1 in Spanish – work on comprehension of Spanish
31. Relearn all the states and their capitals
32. Learn to crochet
33. Learn to screen printing
34. Date night with Mike at 5 new restaurants (not chains) ( PAO, Sebastian's Hideout, An American Place, Augie's Front Burner, Saputo's) (5/5)
Hitting the Bank
35. Buy a home
36. Begin an IRA
37. Decrease Student Loan by $2000
38. Set monthly allowance and stick to it for 3 months straight
It’s All Fun and Games Until Someone Loses a Leg
39. Document PEZ collection in photos (on Flickr)
40. Watch AFI top 100 movies (85/100)
41. Make handmade pasta
42. Start block printing
43. Do annual editions of birthday cards (2/3)
44. Do annual editions of Christmas cards (2/3)
45. Listen to music for at least one hour per week (18/143)
46. Blog at least once a week (38/143)
47. Design a personal website
48. Participate in Illustration Friday at least once a month (1/34)
49. Kiss my husband at least once a day
50. Write a letter to Darcy once a month (8/34)
51. Get inspiration notebooks caught up and stay on top of them
52. Create each family member one handmade gift for Christmas in 2007 (2/8)
53. Participate in 26 Things photo scavenger hunt
54. Get a puppy
55. Start our Sunday morning breakfast tradition again
56. Crochet an Harry Potter amigurumi gang (0/13)
57. Read the entire Harry Potter series consecutively, once a year (1/4)
58. Try one new recipe a week (36/143)
59. Take a relaxing bath once a month (3/34)
60. Take a ballroom dancing class with Mike
61. Allow myself 1 splurge item every 3 months if I follow the monthly budget (amount to be set at a later time)
62. Join a book club
63. Meet one blog friend in person
64. Invest in a digital SLR
65. Own a bike
66. Buy an original piece of art
67. Create large format prints of my favorite Italy/Paris photos and frame them
68. Dress up in a full costume for Halloween – with some place to go
69. Document American Girl collection & design a book for reference
70. Get a pen pal and write once a month (0/34 - depending on when I find one)
71. Color an entire coloring book
72. Host a gathering/dinner party/BBQ/Holiday party
Turns Out I’m Not The Only One on the Planet
73. Invest in bamboo towels and use them instead of paper towels
74. Once we own a home, furnish all light sockets with energy-saving light bulbs, no matter the initial cost!
75. Donate blood
76. Find an organization to volunteer for – at least 1 hour per month (0/34 - depending on when I find one)
Out of the Comfort Zone
77. Knit myself a garment
78. Write in my journal once a week (10/143)
79. Weed through closet and donate clothes that I no longer wear
80. Make a quilt
81. Go 1 week without recreational internet usage
82. Enter a design piece into competition
83. No dishes in sink/on counter every night (dishwasher should be loaded)
84. Plan & Create the bottle cap piece of art
85. Put clothes away the same day as washing them
86. Start an Etsy shop
87. Create a household cleaning schedule for Mike and I to follow
88. Maintain car with regular cleaning inside and out, every other month (5/17)
89. Make one new friend that I feel comfortable hanging out with one-on-one
90. Pretend to be a morning person for one week (getting out of bed 2 hours before I need to leave for work)
91. One week without nagging/yelling at Mike
92. Eat together at the table everyday for a week, each month (10/34)
93. One night a week with no TV nor internet – playing games/reading/talking with Mike (4/143)
94. Make a conscious effort to say yes twice a week
And Then There’s the Stuff I Avoid Doing
95. Back up computer, then clean off the files
96. Collect information for a Family Tree and begin plans for a physical representation
97. Buy a fireproof safe for all those important documents I worry we’ll lose
98. Do a home inventory for insurance purposes
99. Have a professional portrait taken of Mike and I (look into the possibility of a painting or drawing)
100. Get our recipe box in order – Recipes on cards
101. Get prints of good digital photos on computer and archive the rest
Let the games begin…tomorrow (as today is more than half way over)!
(Updated 09/15/09)
The Mission:
Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days.
The Criteria:
Tasks must be specific (ie. no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (ie. represent some amount of work on my part).
Why 1001 Days?
Many people have created lists in the past - frequently simple goals such as new year's resolutions. The key to beating procrastination is to set a deadline that is realistic. 1001 Days (about 2.75 years) is a better period of time than a year, because it allows you several seasons to complete the tasks, which is better for organising and timing some tasks such as overseas trips or outdoor activities.
Some common goal setting tips:
1. Be decisive. Know exactly what you want, why you want it, and how you plan to achieve it.
2. Stay Focussed. Any goal requires sustained focus from beginning to end. Constantly evaluate your progress.
3. Welcome Failure. Frequently, very little is learned from a venture that did not experience failure in some form. Failure presents the opportunity to learn and makes the success more worthy.
4. Write down your goals. It clarifies your thinking and reinforces your commitment.
5. Keep your goals in sight. Review them frequently, and ensure that they are always at the forefront of your thinking.
So wish me luck as I embark on a journey that I hopefully will not abandon. Onto the goals, in no particular order.
italics - in progress; bold italics - complete
Oh, The Places You Go!
1. Go on a cruise
2. Trip to Italy with Mike
3. Visit 5 states I haven’t been to before (3/5 - Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky)
I Feel Pretty, Oh So Pretty!
4. Weight down to 160
5. Run a 5K
6. Dye my hair
7. Allow myself to update wardrobe
8. Wear heels once a week (17/143)
9. Go to the dentist
10. Get a different hairstyle
11. Floss every night for 2 weeks (0/14)
12. Get eyebrows shaped and maintain them
13. Stop picking at finger nails for one month
14. Shave once a week (22/143)
15. Re-evaluate undergarments (dispose of holey/stretched/ill fitting & own a week’s worth of bras)
16. Eat 1 fruit per day for a month (0/31)
17. Go 1 week without sweets (no candy bars, ice cream, suckers, etc)
18. Maintain a food diary again
19. Wear a skirt once a month (7/34)
20. Exercise at the YMCA at least three times per week
It’s a Miracle Curiosity Survives a Formal Education
21. Take a glass class
22. Take a cooking class
23. Take a painting class
24. Read 10 banned books (0/10)
25. Learn web design technical aspects
26. Finish a Sunday crossword puzzle
27. Read 10 classic novels (0/10)
28. Read one non-fiction book a month (7/34)
29. Learn to weave
30. Obtain and read Harry Potter 1 in Spanish – work on comprehension of Spanish
31. Relearn all the states and their capitals
32. Learn to crochet
33. Learn to screen printing
34. Date night with Mike at 5 new restaurants (not chains) ( PAO, Sebastian's Hideout, An American Place, Augie's Front Burner, Saputo's) (5/5)
Hitting the Bank
35. Buy a home
36. Begin an IRA
37. Decrease Student Loan by $2000
38. Set monthly allowance and stick to it for 3 months straight
It’s All Fun and Games Until Someone Loses a Leg
39. Document PEZ collection in photos (on Flickr)
40. Watch AFI top 100 movies (85/100)
41. Make handmade pasta
42. Start block printing
43. Do annual editions of birthday cards (2/3)
44. Do annual editions of Christmas cards (2/3)
45. Listen to music for at least one hour per week (18/143)
46. Blog at least once a week (38/143)
47. Design a personal website
48. Participate in Illustration Friday at least once a month (1/34)
49. Kiss my husband at least once a day
50. Write a letter to Darcy once a month (8/34)
51. Get inspiration notebooks caught up and stay on top of them
52. Create each family member one handmade gift for Christmas in 2007 (2/8)
53. Participate in 26 Things photo scavenger hunt
54. Get a puppy
55. Start our Sunday morning breakfast tradition again
56. Crochet an Harry Potter amigurumi gang (0/13)
57. Read the entire Harry Potter series consecutively, once a year (1/4)
58. Try one new recipe a week (36/143)
59. Take a relaxing bath once a month (3/34)
60. Take a ballroom dancing class with Mike
61. Allow myself 1 splurge item every 3 months if I follow the monthly budget (amount to be set at a later time)
62. Join a book club
63. Meet one blog friend in person
64. Invest in a digital SLR
65. Own a bike
66. Buy an original piece of art
67. Create large format prints of my favorite Italy/Paris photos and frame them
68. Dress up in a full costume for Halloween – with some place to go
69. Document American Girl collection & design a book for reference
70. Get a pen pal and write once a month (0/34 - depending on when I find one)
71. Color an entire coloring book
72. Host a gathering/dinner party/BBQ/Holiday party
Turns Out I’m Not The Only One on the Planet
73. Invest in bamboo towels and use them instead of paper towels
74. Once we own a home, furnish all light sockets with energy-saving light bulbs, no matter the initial cost!
75. Donate blood
76. Find an organization to volunteer for – at least 1 hour per month (0/34 - depending on when I find one)
Out of the Comfort Zone
77. Knit myself a garment
78. Write in my journal once a week (10/143)
79. Weed through closet and donate clothes that I no longer wear
80. Make a quilt
81. Go 1 week without recreational internet usage
82. Enter a design piece into competition
83. No dishes in sink/on counter every night (dishwasher should be loaded)
84. Plan & Create the bottle cap piece of art
85. Put clothes away the same day as washing them
86. Start an Etsy shop
87. Create a household cleaning schedule for Mike and I to follow
88. Maintain car with regular cleaning inside and out, every other month (5/17)
89. Make one new friend that I feel comfortable hanging out with one-on-one
90. Pretend to be a morning person for one week (getting out of bed 2 hours before I need to leave for work)
91. One week without nagging/yelling at Mike
92. Eat together at the table everyday for a week, each month (10/34)
93. One night a week with no TV nor internet – playing games/reading/talking with Mike (4/143)
94. Make a conscious effort to say yes twice a week
And Then There’s the Stuff I Avoid Doing
95. Back up computer, then clean off the files
96. Collect information for a Family Tree and begin plans for a physical representation
97. Buy a fireproof safe for all those important documents I worry we’ll lose
98. Do a home inventory for insurance purposes
99. Have a professional portrait taken of Mike and I (look into the possibility of a painting or drawing)
100. Get our recipe box in order – Recipes on cards
101. Get prints of good digital photos on computer and archive the rest
Let the games begin…tomorrow (as today is more than half way over)!
(Updated 09/15/09)
4 comments:
Wow, A LOT of your goals are ones that I also should have! I would love to run a 5k, and I think most of the things you avoid to do are things I also avoid to do! Good luck. :)
Wow, what an inspirational list! They say the first steop to reaching your goals is to write them down. Looks like you've got a brilliant start :)
Excellent! Loved reading your list. 'Out of the comfort zone' is a really great idea =) Good luck! And thanks for the link re Blurb, off to check that out now, cheers! x
im totally going to start a list today. thanks for inspiration!
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