Much to my surprise, after a hiatus of blog reading over the holidays, I opened up my reader the other morning to find an inspirational gem from the Modern Forager. It’s a project originally from Day Zero that challenges us to complete 101 tasks in 1001 days.  With it being a new year, and all the talk about resolutions and how hard it is to keep one, I thought I’d embark on this journey.

I once had a goal coach that somehow made it seem possible to accomplish everything on my to do list, and forced me to do something that makes it 90% more likely to accomplish a goal- write it down. I don’t remember the exact stats, but there was a study done on goals at an Ivy League school that asked all the graduating seniors whether or not they’d written their goals down.  Something like 3% had. The study then caught up with those graduated seniors 10 years later and the 3%  that had written down their goals were wealthier than the entire 97% combined. How insane is that? Naturally I ended up switching jobs and not having the money to continue with the goal coach, but this project is like my own personal coach. I’ll keep my list, and I’m sure I’ll revert back to it in future posts.

Here are the rules;

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 organizing 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 Focused. 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.

I took Modern Foragers lead and divided my list into these categories; Personal, De-Clutter, Adventure/Travel/Outdoors, Business/Blog, Health/Fitness, Food-related, Financial, Random Kindness/Charity, Self-improvement and Relationship.

My list:

Item

Pending

Completed

Adventure/Travel/Outdoors

1. Travel to Italy.

2. Travel to Ireland.

3. Travel to Bali.

4. Visit Northern Alaska.

5. Travel somewhere first class.

6. Hike the Chilkoot Trail (this’ll be my fourth time- from Skagway, AK over the border into the Yukon Territory in Canada).

7. Scuba Dive off 3 different Coasts. (0/3)

8. Go camping at three new places.  (0/3)

9. Try three new outdoor activities. (0/3)

10. Go White Water Rafting.

11. Go skydiving.

12. Take a tour of a Vineyard.

13. Let mud squish between my toes.

Business/Blog

14. Finish School. (0/5)

15. Find a job I love.

16. Finish Book Proposal.

17. Submit Book Proposal to 10 publishers. (0/10)

18. Publish Book.

De-Clutter

19. Organize my Itunes.

20. Keep a list of favorite quotes.

21. Get rid of (give away/sell/donate/throw out) 101 items (0/101)

22. Sell something on ebay.

23. Make a list of the 100 essential things I need in my life.

24. Buy better quality clothing- and take care of it better.

25. Organize/Clean out my closet twice a year (0/5)

26. Buy a laminator.

Financial

27. Get out of debt

28. Pay off Student Loans

29. Apply for a scholarship

30. Buy only what’s essential for 1 month.

31. Private

32. Buy a nice piece of art

33. Start an ING account for appearance purchases only. Set it up to deduct $50 a month and stick to budget.

34. Do not eat out for 30 days in a row.

Food Related

35. Try Primal Eating for at least 20 days (7/20)

36. Cook/Bake 100 things I’ve never made before (0/100).

37. Plant/maintain a vegetable patch (at least 2/3 different vegetables) - use the veggies in cooking.

38. Try intermittent fasting (IF)

39. Drink only on special occasions for six months.

40. Drink only on special occasions for a year.

Health/Fitness

41. Set weekly fitness goals and blog about them - updated every Friday

42. Set monthly fitness goals and blog about them - updated every Friday

43. Keep a Food Diary for 30 Days

44. Try Bikram Yoga

45. Compete in a Fitness Competition

46. Private

47. Private

48. Private

49. Private

50. Become a runner again. Run twice a week.

51. Start the morning with exercise everyday for 2 weeks.

52. Do 10 dead-hang pull-ups.

53. Do 50 kipping pull-ups.

54. Deadlift my body weight.

55. Fran- sub 4 minutes.

56. Detox twice a year for a total of 5 times. (0/5)

57. Compete in three more triathlons

Personal

58. Buy a motorcycle

59. Own one of each of Tim Gunn’s 11 essential wardrobe pieces (5/11)

60. Watch the Godfather series

61. Start and Finish a “365 Pictures a Day” project

62. Call my mother once a week

63. Mail a secret to PostSecret

64. Get a massage a year

65. Write a letter to myself on where I think I’ll be in 10 years - seal it and don’t open it until I’m 36.

66. See 50 of AFI’s top 100 movies

67. Document a day with photos

68. Get professionally fitted for a bra.

69. Go to the UCB on a Sunday.

70. Buy a high quality trench coat.

Random Kindness/Charity

71. Give Blood

72. Donate $5 for every goal I don’t complete

Relationship

73. Private

74. Private

75. Private

Self-Improvement

76. Learn Another language

77. Learn Sign Language

78. Stop biting my nails

79. Start keeping a journal. Write in it 3x/week.

80. Learn how to play pool - well.

81. Become less selfish, learn to share.

82. Paint three new paintings that I want to hang (i.e. that I love)

83. Pick a topic and write something everyday for 30 days

84. Get the keyboard (piano) fixed!

85. Live somewhere with a fireplace. Use it.

86. Do Nothing. And enjoy it.

87. Meditate for 15 minutes each morning, and each night for 2 weeks.

88. Get a list of 10 other people’s favorite books and read them. (0/10)

89. Read 10 non-fiction books (0/10).

90. Identify 100 things that make me happy. (0/100)

91. Identify 25 things I like about myself (0/25)

92. List one thing I am grateful for, every day for a year.

93. Give all handmade gifts for Christmas.

94. Go to the dentist and be cavity free.

95. Make an inspiration board.

96. Crochet a scarf.

97. Write a personal mission statement.

98. Learn to change a flat tire.

99. Learn to sew.

100. Go to a Buddhist monastery.

101. Re-evaluate uncompleted tasks and incorporate them into new 101 in 1001 list.