Thursday, August 19, 2010

Day Zero: 101 in 1,001

The Day Zero Project

When all is said and done, life comes down to one simple statement: This is what I've done. Every person has different goals in life, and different things they wish to accomplish. What is important to one person is not necessarily important to another, and vice versa. I've noticed it a lot this past year, especially is reference to some of my friends. We have different goals in life - not good, not bad, just different.

In any case, everyone has different goals. Some people don't complete their goals, or even realize their goals, until very late in life. Soem people never do. And yes, our goals change on a regular basis. Some are small and easy to undertake, while others are large and overbearing. I have a terrible habit of seeing things as small and insignificant, unless I am actually determined to complete them. This, in turn, brings in my "project." Today, day zero, marks the first day of law school for Sean. As he begins this long journey, I will be beginning one of my own. They will nearly parallel each other in length, which is incredibly challenging.

I've seen this project around on the blogosphere for quite awhile now (before I even had a blogger of my own!). It's about creating goals and sticking to them. I've seen it done on Heather Drive and Good Food, Good Friends, Good Life. I've been taking a lot of inspiration from these blogs, and this challenge is no different. There are 101 tasks, to be completed in 1,001 days (which is roughly 2 3/4 years). And I'm doing it.

The Challenge:
Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1,001 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 - they have to represent some amount of work.

Why 1001 Days?
Many people have created to-do lists in the past - usually they are simple challenges such as New Year's Resolutions or a "Bucket List." The key to beating procrastination is to set a deadline that is realistic. 1001 days is a better period of time, because it allows you several seasons to complete the task, which is better for organizing and timing some tasks such as overseas trips, study semesters, and outdoor activities.

My Own Criteria:
1. I reserve the right to change these goals as life goes on. The project is nearly 3 years, and life is going to change for me. I want to be able to have meaningful goals the entire way through, not just at the beginning.
2. I will donate $5 to charity for each task I fail to complete.
3. I'll blog about each task once I've completed it, and link it up to this original post (hopefully)
4. The challenge will go from August 18th, 2010 to May 15th, 2013.

My 101 in 1001

For me:
  1. Upgrade my camera 
  2. Make a t-shirt quilt from my high school t-shirts
  3. Buy a new Mac
  4. Watch a sunrise (I start work at 5:30 am - I see it every day now!)
  5. Transform my wardrobe from "college girl" to "adult world" (I have hardly any t-shirts now!)
  6. Try 20 new restaurants (20/20)
  7. Take a cooking class
  8. Take an art class
  9. Complete 30 Days of Thanks
  10. Read 50 books (34/50)
  11. Answer the "50 Questions that will free your mind"
  12. Complete the Day in the Life project (one photo, every hour)
  13. Send a future email - for me to get on my wedding day 
  14. Design a new blog header
  15. Take a trip outside of the United States
  16. Learn how to shoot a gun
  17. Switch to reusable grocery bags
  18. Detail my car
  19. Buy a pair of designer heels
  20. Fly first class (okay, it was Economy Comfort, but I count it)
  21. Purchase something from Etsy (our cake topper!)
For my body:

   22.  Join a gym
   23.  Run a 5k (I walked it!)

   24.  Complete both the Two Hundred Squats and the Two Hundred Sit-Ups programs (0/2)
   25.  Learn how to make at least 10 healthy meals (10/10)
   26.  Learn how to eat (and like) 5 new vegetables (4/5) (spinach, peas, carrots, lima beans, zucchini)
   27.  Buy a bike (This one!)
   28.  Take a Bikram yoga class
   29.  Buy new tennis shoes
   30.  Get something waxed (anything!) I'm now a firm believer in eyebrow waxing...
   31.  Learn to snowboard (I did! And broke my wrist...)
   32.  Try a Netti Pot
   33.  Take a walk with Sean twice a week for a month (uh, we got a dog)

For my soul:

   34. Go to church, at least 3 times a month (32/33)
   35.  Find a new church  (8/23/10)

   36.  Find a positive thing about a severely negative situation
   37.  Have a night out, with someone other than Sean, at least once a month (32/33)
   38.  Send a secret to postsecret.com
   39.  Join a church group/young adult group/women's group


For us:

   40.  Get married (1/8/11)
   41.  Have a date night once a month (32/33)
   42.  Take a vacation together - other than our honeymoon
   43.  Adopt a Dog
   44.  Go out to eat - just for dessert
   45.  Go to a bed & breakfast for a weekend
   46.  Change my name & update my address on everything
   47.  Get our own cell phone plan (8/21/10)

For others:

   48.  Donate to Locks of Love
   49.  Go through my closet at least once a year and donate clothes (2/3)
   50.  Do Habitat for Humanity (again)
   51.  Pay for someone behind me in the drive-thru
   52.  Send a care package to a soldier
   53.  Create a birthday calendar for family and friends
   54.  Send a card to everyone on my birthday calendar
   55.  Organize an address book for family and friends
   56.  Adopt/foster a kitten from a shelter (9/29/10)
   57.  Participate in Relay for Life (or other walk for a cause)
   58.  Register to become a bone marrow donor
   59.  Give a meal to a homeless person
   60.  Send out thank-you notes for our wedding
   61.  Adopt a family at Christmas

For my home:

   62.  Once we move (again), unpack everything
   63.  Refinish our china cabinet
   64.  Save at least $100 (preferably $250) each month for a house
   65.  Create an entertainment center that's functional
   66.  Re-back my couch (actually, we just bought a new one. Same diff.)
   67.  Create a clean, workable desk space (But I still prefer the couch)

   68.  Make a recipe book
   69.  Make my own taco seasoning
   70.  Complete a jigsaw puzzle - and frame it
   71.  Start a travel map
   72.  Learn how to make "Byrne chili"
   73.  Frame our posters - or throw them away (to the trash they went!)
   74.  Learn how to make weekly meal plans and stick to them for one month
   75.  Create matching bedside tables
   76.  Use every wedding gift at least once during our first year of marriage

For my wallet:

   77.  Live credit card debt free
   78.  Maintain a savings account with at least 3 months of expenses
   79.  Attend 5 free events (5/5)
   80.  Refinance my car OR payoff my car loan
   81.  Get rid of cable
   82.  Get a promotion or a better job
   83.  Organize all the dates that bills are due, so they only happen twice a month
   84.  Sell old video games that we no longer play (we made $50!)

For my past:

   85.  Celebrate my birthday, on my birthday
   86.  Participate in Marching Mizzou Alumni Band

For fun:

   87.  Take a vacation to a state park
   88.  Go to a drive-in movie
   89.  Pick berries
   90. Take a vacation somewhere new (Richmond, VA!)
   91.  Go on a wine tour
   92.  Get a postcard from all 50 states
   93.  Do 10 local activities (10/10)
   94.  Go to a Royals-Cardinals baseball game
   95.  Go to a murder mystery dinner
   96.  Go to a ballet (okay, I went to KA, Cirque du Solei, but I think anyone who has seen it can attest to its awesomeness)
   97.  Go to an opera
   98.  Go zip-lining
   99.  Attend a trivia night
   100.  Learn to golf

Finally (I can't believe I'm writing this down), something that seems so far away in the future. However, it's absolutely feasible and even likely to happen...
   101.  Get pregnant

3 comments:

Lyndsey Nielsen said...

Wow. (Especially to 101.) Although, to me, it makes more sense for you than it ever did with anyone else we have encountered over the years. Also, thank you for always accepting the difference of my goals, as I have with yours. I think our differences why we're such great friends to begin with. Miss you!

Amanda said...

I think different goals make life so much more interesting, ya know? It makes us really have to want what we're aiming for.

And yes, 101 is crazy (I almost didn't even put it down, cause it kinda scares me in a going-to-ride-a-huge-roller-coaster-for-the-first-time kinda way)

Allie S said...

Psssst, you totally completed number 94!

And I also appreciate your acceptance of different goals and all that jazz. The best quartets are four instruments with different sounds that learn to harmonize together. :)
(I know this is about a year late and super cheesy, but I'm trying to play catch up with all mah tech savvy friends!)