My first post...

I am new to the whole blog thing. The main purpose for me is to give the 101 in 1001 list a shot, though I may post about other stuff and ramble a bit. Who knows, maybe I'll end up getting into it a make a new blog with a less personal purpose that might be of interest to others. At the moment however, this is about me setting goals and maintaining some sort of purpose in my life.

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 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.

1001 days is approximately 2 3/4 years, 33 months, and 143 weeks. Some goals that have specific numbers will be based on these. Others on the length of a month (I went the 30 days route rather than 31, but I'm hoping I will establish good habits that will extend longer than a month anyway) Some numbered goals (like exercise 3x a week) will be listed as the total number over the course of the challenge (429 in this case) but I will count on an individual basis. For example if I were to go to the gym 5 times in one week, and 2 times in another, that would be 7 overall. I wont discount the week of only going 2xs. Maybe I'll even exceed the 429 goal number. The real goal is to make a regular habit. Other things that specify something like "floss every day for a month" mean just that. If I miss a day I start the count back from zero.

An interesting and important goal here is to graduate from college and the somewhat more ambiguous goal to get a real post college job or to be on the path to the next segment of my schooling. Assuming I complete college at the end of the standard 4 years, I will be graduating in spring of 2011, putting me in a time frame to have a job or start on some other schooling by the time this end date rolls around.

Start date: 2/25/2009
End date: 11/23/2011

The Blog:
1. Create a blog to track 101 in 1001
2. Update blog weekly (0/143)

Education:
3. Graduate from college
4. Get my first post-college job, or start another segment of schooling
5. Bring my GPA back up to a 3.5 or better
6. After accomplishing #5, maintain a 3.5 GPA or better
7. Get a 4.0 for one quarter
8. Do all homework promptly and finishing everything but major long term assignments by the weekend (0/73) (assuming the rest of the current quarter plus 7 more quarters)
9. Go to every single class for a full month (listed by days of class) (0/22)

Intellectual:
10. Read at least 33 new books (0/33)
11. Read at least 5 books outside of my usual preferred genres (0/5)
12. Read newspaper thoroughly (online is acceptable) every day for a month (0/30)
13. Visit at least 5 art museums (0/5)
14. Try reading some poetry, at least 5 different authors, 5 poems each (0/25)
15. Research how old churches were built
16. Research how Venice was built
17. Do 100 drawings (0/100)
18. Write something (meaning some sort of personal project with proper thought and effort)

Health (physical, emotional and spiritual):
19. Exercise 3xs a week (0/429)
20. Floss 500 times (0/500)
21. Run a mile
22. Be able to do 10 real push ups in one go (0/10)
23. Do a pull up
24. Give up sweets for a week (0/7)
25. Give up sweets for a month (0/30)
26. No junk food of any sort for a month (0/30)
27. Regain my flexibility
28. Meditate every day for a week (0/7)
29. Meditate every day for a month (0/30)
30. Spend no more than 2 hours per day on the computer for a week (0/7) (legitimate school reasons excluded)
31. Spend no more than 3 hours per day on the computer for a month (0/30) (legitimate school reasons excluded)
32. Go an entire week without computer use (0/7) (vacation doesn't count)
33. Spend a full weekend without a cell phone (when not traveling out of the country)
34. Don't complain about anything for a full week (0/7)
35. Make a list of 10 simple things that make me feel better (0/10) (and do them when I'm down)
36. Go vegan for a month (0/30)
37. Get up before 8am every day for a week (0/7)
38. Get up before 8am every day for a month (0/30)

Organization:
39. Make my bed as soon as I get up 500 times (0/500)
40. Keep my bedroom really properly clean for a full month (0/30)
41. Make a list of everything I own
42. Get rid of the junk
43. Go through my closet and get rid of the things I don't wear. Donate them.
44. Go through my stuff and get rid of unused things twice a year (0/6)
45. Organize all photos
46. Clean out all my email accounts etc.
47. Keep an updated calendar/to do list every week (0/143)
48. Get everything on that to do list that is doable in that weekly time frame done every week (0/143)

Arts and Crafts:
49. Finish all old knitting projects
50. Finish any other miscellaneous non-knitting projects
51. Make squid hat
52. Learn to spin
53. Learn to sew with a sewing machine
54. Do an entire weaving project
55. Do an entire knitting project starting with roving (dye, spin and knit)
56. Write a webcomic with at least 33 pages (0/33)
57. Make proper use of my ravely account
58. Knit a complex lace shawl
59. Learn 5 new knitting skills (0/5)
60. Learn some sort of other new craft

Adventure, Fun & Social:
61. Go geocaching
62. Get a tattoo
63. Get another piercing
64. Make a new friend
65. Visit my brother in Alaska
66. Talk to my brother at least once a month (0/33)
67. Do some volunteer work
68. Donate to a charity
69. Join a club
70. Attend club weekly for a quarter (0/10)
71. Go rock climbing
72. Go caving
73. Go on at least 10 hikes (0/10)
74. Take dance lessons
75. Go skiing
76. Go to the 2010 olympics in Vancouver
77. Re-learn to contact juggle with a reasonable skill level
78. Learn 5 magic tricks (0/5)
79. Dance in public
80. Wear a bikini in public
81. Get my 3x3x3 Rubik's cube average solve time down to 30 seconds
82. Learn to solve the square-1
83. Learn to consistently completely solve a 4x4x4 Rubik's cube
84. Learn to consistently completely solve a 5x5x5 Rubik's cube
85. Solve a Rubik's cube blindfolded
86. Go to a speedcubing competition
87. Take my mom out for dinner
88. Go out of my way to do something nice for Will
89. Develop an actual music collection
90. Plan a trip somewhere exciting that I've never been before
91. Go on that trip

Miscellaneous:
92. Learn to drive and get license
93. Try 30 new recipes (0/30)
94. Master 5 new main dishes (0/5)
95. Put together a personal cookbook/set of favorite recipes
96. Eat locally for a month
97. Get a good digital camera
98. Use reusable shopping bags 50 times (0/50)
99. Move into a cat friendly apartment so that my cats can live with me instead of my mom
100. Reserved for another goal
101. Reserved for another goal