101 Things in 1001 Days: Day 1
August 1, 2009
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).
A note: I tried to make them qualitative, but I only had like 40 things at that point, so…
You may read more about the Day Zero Project before reading my list.
If it’s in italic, it means it’s been started. If it’s got the strike-through, that means it’s done. If it’s bolded, I don’t know what that means, but I’ll probably end up using it someday.
Start date: Saturday, August 1, 2009
End date: Saturday, April 28, 2012
Okay, here goes:
Saving and Debt
1. Pay off all debt
2. Learn to dress well
3. Have a $5,000 emergency fund [ $0 / $5,000 ]
4. Invest $1,000 in some way (IRA, CD, 401(k), etc.) [ $0 / $1,000 ]
5. Set up a budget
Hobbies/Crafts
6. Learn to play “Rue des Cascades” on piano
7. Learn interior design
8. Learn feng shui
9. Learn some kind of craft not listed here (I now make duct tape wallets!)
10. Learn French cooking
11. Re-learn belly dance
12. Paint a picture
13. Start a scrapbook Nothing in it, but I have one now!
14. Fill a recipe book
15. Compile cleaning and cooking tips
16. Try gardening
Movies, Reading, Writing
17. Read all of Elizabeth Wurtzel’s books [ 0 / 4 ]
18. Read 10 non-fiction books [ 0 / 10 ]
19. Read 10 novels [ 0 / 10]
20. Read 10 memoirs [ 1 / 10 ] Bitter is the New Black
21. Write something truly, universally, infinitely meaningful
22. Write 20 short stories [ 0 / 20 ]
23. Write a book
24. Publish a book
25. Get an article published in a magazine, newspaper, or popular blog
26. Create and stick to a posting schedule for one month Lady Business
27. Watch everything from a Best Movies list
28. Watch Firefly all the way through
29. Watch Prozac Nation without relating
Health and Wellness
30. Go without a cigarette for six months
31. Go without caffeine for six months
32. Have and maintain a 28-ish-inch waist
33. Do 100 push-ups
34. Eat a healthier diet
35. Have a six pack for six months
36. Buy an appropriately-sized rifle and re-learn all the colorguard tricks
37. Conquer depression (Maybe not forever, but for now)
Society and Culture
38. Learn Spanish
39. Learn French
40. Meet Oprah
41. Meet Ellen Degeneres
42. Write a letter to somebody famous
43. Sing karaoke
44. Go to an amusement park
45. Go to a concert
46. Go to Boston
47. Choose and move to a city
48. Attend a gay pride event
49. Plan an event
50. Donate to a charity
51. Volunteer
52. Give something away to a stranger with a positive message within it
Family and Friends
53. Maintain some kind of permanent address book
54. Join or create a book club
55. Join or create a group for personal/administrative assistants and secretaries
56. Make contact with Debra and Jason
57. Buy a Christmas present for every immediate family member
58. Have custody of Isabel
59. Visit Catherine
60. Visit Tricia, Henry, Montana, and Jake
61. Visit Emily
62. Write a letter to everybody who’s helped me
63. Write a letter to all children in the family
64. Write a letter to anybody
65. Make 10 new friends [ 1 / 10 ]
Consumerism
66. Raise my credit score over 750 (It’s 742 at last check! Not bad for a 19-year-old!)
67. Buy a new laptop
68. Buy a house
69. Buy a car
Professional Advancement
70. Get certified as a CPA
71. Teach a class I now teach belly dance!
72. Achieve an Associate’s Degree
73. Achieve and maintain a GPA above 3.5
74. Build up a truly impressive portfolio in web design
75. Learn C or C++
76. Learn Lisp
77. Learn Erlang
78. Learn Haskell
Making Money
79. Get and keep a job for a year
80. Earn $1,000 in one year through web design
81. Earn $1,000 in one month online
Personal Improvement
82. List 100 things I really love about myself
83. Learn and implement a productivity system (To do lists and a calendar are fine!)
84. Write a list of my biggest values (Justice, Balance, Compassion, Loyalty, Growth)
85. Write in a personal journal every day for three months
86. Read and write at least a sentence in Spanish every day for a month
87. Write a letter to myself for the future
88. Write a list of 100 things I love about Pete
89. Organize/clean my room and keep it tidy for one month
90. Brush Zoe and Siobhan every day for one month
91. Master the art of moderation
92. Get a driver’s license
93. Go a week without swearing
Fun Miscellanea
94. Own a shirt in every color
95. Get married
96. Win a contest
97. Get on a high scores list
98. Objectively assess all astrological information about myself
99. Change a hater’s mind about gay marriage
100. Get a triquetra tattoo
101. Start my next 101 in 1001 list
If you missed it, end date: Saturday, April 28, 2012
August 1, 2009 at 7:21 PM
[...] Go here to see the original: 101 Things in 1001 Days: Day 1 [...]
August 3, 2009 at 3:27 PM
Love this. Me and my friend were doing something similar just the other day, which is weird that I came across your blog today. Love this idea. We joined mylifelist.org haha
August 8, 2009 at 12:02 AM
Yeah, I started a bucket list back in March… It didn’t work out. So, I found the Day Zero Project in May-ish, started my list. I was depressed at the time, which meant I ended up with 40 things.
I ended up finishing it over the course of a day, including editing and crossing off and re-adding. It was an interesting experience. Just goes to show how hard it is to find the motivation to find motivation when you’re in the middle of depression.
It’s not a bucket list, but it does give you much more time to finish things than New Years’ resolutions.
Do you have your list posted anywhere? I’d love to read it — maybe it would give me some ideas for my next one.
February 16, 2010 at 10:26 AM
[...] Catch up on my 101 Things in 1,001 Days list. [...]