101 things to do in 1001 days

The passage of Time by ToniVC on Flickr

For some reason or another I'm a list person. I write lists on scrapes of paper, on my cell phone, on the back of my hand etc. etc. I just feel more comfortable when I have things I need to get done organized and written down somewhere. Ironically it's rare for me to actually get everything done on whichever list so this whole experiment is a way for me to kill the procrastinator in me.

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 your 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.
Source: triplux

Start Date: February 23, 2008
End Date: November 14, 2010
Time left= 850 days (as of July 17th, 2008)

Number of Items Completed: 12/101

BSome common goal setting tipsB

-Be decisive. Know exactly what you want, why you want it, and how you plan to achieve it.
Stay Focused. Any goal requires sustained focus from beginning to end. Constantly evaluate your progress.
-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.
-Write down your goals. It clarifies your thinking and reinforces your commitment.
-Keep your goals in sight. Review them frequently, and ensure that they are always at the forefront of your thinking.


1. Clean my room and keep it that way [0/2]
2. Re-decorate my room in colors and hues of purple
3. Watch movies that I've wanted to watch for ages (make one primary list of all these movies) [0/2]
4. Same with books [0/2]
5. Organize all the junk in my room
6. Stop procrastinating
7. Eat healthier
8. Start doing yoga
9. Learn to sew (from Grandma?)
10. Get a job
11. Take photography classes
12. Start writing in my blog more (July 2008)
13. Start a journal and write in it every 3 days (June 2008)
14. Send a postcard to Post Secret
15. Try 5 new foods [0/5]
16. Learn to cook
17. Cook family dinners for a week [0/7]
18. Take better care of my hair
19. Take better care of myself
20. Go out with my friends more
21. Have a fake camping sleep over
22. Travel to 3 cities I've never visited before [0/3]
23. Go thrift shopping in Toronto
24. Go to Guv one day (June 25th, 2008 BURN THE BOOKS!)
25. Start working on cross stitching project for Grade 12 (Classics)
26. Smile at 6 strangers [4/6]
27. Buy make-up brushes
28. Learn actual makeup techniques
29. Leave comments on the blogs I read [2/14]
30. Return my library books ON TIME!!!
31. Pay off ALL my library fines
32. Start taking Japanese lessons again
33. Do the 24 hour famine
34. Drink at least two bottles of water a day (for two weeks to form a habit) [0/14]
35. Go hiking with friends twice this summer [0/2]
36. Have a baking party
37. Go on a road/train trip
38. Volunteer at 3 different places [0/3]
39. Get 2-3 magazine subscriptions
40. Spend 15 minutes every night stretching [0/14]
41. Watch every episode of 'Sex and the City" in one weekend with Veronica and my mom (July 2008)
42. Send a care package to a friend for no reason
43. Make a dress from a pattern
44. Enter a writing contest
45. Buy myself a sewing machine and a serger [0/2]
46. Read the whole Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy Series
47. Buy myself a D-SLR
48. Fix up my mom's bike
49. Get up at 6am every morning [7/14]
50. Make an entertaining phone answering-machine message
51. Go to the Vfest one summer
52. Get a facial
53. Go snow tobogganing
54. Learn to count to ten in 5 languages [0/5] (Not counting French or Japanese)
55. Start my own savings account
56. Save half of all paychecks
57. Get 4 different colors in my hair (not counting blue) [0/4]
58. Start taking piano lessons again
59. Start volunteering in Journalism orianted places
60. Make every recipe in a single cookbook
61. Learn some sort of web programming
62. Learn how to use photoshop (2nd semester of g. 10)
63. Copy all my contact info from my cell to an actual phone book
64. Get all the addresses I need for egypt
65. See the Sex and the City movie (Didn't like it)
66. Eat only raw foods for one week.
67. Leave flowers on a strangers doorstep
68. Start keeping track of every penny I spend
69. Read one of Candace Bushnell's books
70. Start bringing lunch to school [0/14]
71. Inspire at least one other person to start a 101 in 1001 list [Diana Feb 27th 2008]
72. Stop drinking soda for 50 days [0/14]
73. Take a sign language class
74. Make a post when I do 10 of these things (0/10)
75. Write an article for the school newspaper
76. Start writing again
77. Backup my info on my computer on a separate hard drive or on cds
78. Get a tattoo
79. Get another piercing
80. Get a manicure
81. Figure out which University I want to go to (Ryerson or Carleton or Western, March 2008)
82. Learn more about the History of Fashion
83. Go on the bungee jump like ride at Canada's Wonderland
84. Go skinny dipping
85. Have a picnic in a park (Had one with Rachael)
86. Get my family to do Earth Hour (March 31st 2008)
87. No television for a week
88. Get a pen pal
89. Start and finish the iCiNG Transformation Challenge (Life got in the way)
90. Start a new 101 in 1001 list
91. Go play bingo with friends
92. Do something nice for my parents
93. See Roisin Murphy Live!!! (probably won't happen since she doesn't come to North America, but I can dream)
94. Go horse back riding
95. Get a massage
96. Re-learn how to do CPR
97. Have my fortune told
98. Deal with the EC problem (March 2008)
99. Pay back all money (Egypt and Classics) to Mom
100. Learn to play DDR better
101. Host 3 themed parties [0/3]