101 Things

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.

Start Date: August 1, 2008
End Date: April 29, 2011

Adventures
1. Visit Savannah 8.6.09
2. Visit Atlanta
3. Visit Asheville – Biltmore Estate at Christmas
4. Visit Gatlinburg, TN
5. Visit Orlando – Disneyworld
6. Visit a Renaissance Faire
7. Visit Philadelphia Art Museum
8. Go back to Carowinds (take Steve there for the first time)
9. Visit Drayton Hall

Finance/Legal
10. Start 401(k)
11. Open safe deposit box
12. Save $100 a month March 2009
13. Create household inventory (insurance purposes)
14. Draw up legal documents for unmarried couples (will/living will/POA/medical directives)
15. Pay off two more credit cards

Self-Improvement
16. Treat myself to a spa day (massage/manicure/pedicure)
17. Learn conversational Spanish
18. Go back to the eye doctor/buy new glasses
19. Get cholesterol tested 12.4.08
20. Take a multivitamin every day for a month
21. Walk three times a week for at least a month
22. Cut back to one caffeinated drink a day
23. Use the Daily Plate to track all food I eat every day for a month
24. Drink 64 oz. of water a day for a month
25. Learn to play the keyboard/piano
26. Bring lunch to work every day for a month Fall 2009
27. Vote in the 2008 election 11.4.08
28. Get Lasik eye surgery
29. Go 48 hours without technology (computer, email, TV, Xbox, Blackberry, etc.)

Philanthropy
30. Pay for someone behind me at the drive-thru
31. Donate to a needy family/charity at Christmas

Purchases
32. Buy a nice frame for my degree
33. Buy surround sound for the house 9.5.09
34. Buy a GPS unit Have no need for this b/c of my iPhone
35. Buy a pair of real cowboy boots
36. Buy a real framed piece of art (painting, watercolor, etc.)
37. Buy rocking chairs for the front porch
38. Support a craftperson – buy something handmade locally
39. Get pet insurance for Sammy

Experiences/Hobbies
40. Try five new foods 4.4.09 (veal, polenta, brie, hummus & guacamole) – also add eggplant
41. Get my passport
42. Send a secret to PostSecret
43. Buy a lottery ticket
44. Get a tattoo
45. Throw a Halloween party – with costumes 10.31.08
46. Take a photography class
47. Buy a coloring book and fresh crayons and color in every page
48. Cook a batch of spaghetti using my Grandmother’s recipe
49. Take a harbor sail
50. Make pottery from a local pottery store10.19.09
51. Learn to shag (ha! Not what you think – SC state dance)
52. Finish a cross-stitch piece
53. Attend a comedy show 09.12.08
54. Take photography trips/walks once a month for six months
55. Collect all 50 state quarters then put them towards a date
56. Buy a big (i.e. lots of pieces) puzzle and put it together
57. Create the digital scrapbook photobook from Hawaii 12.3.08
58. Update genealogy research and publish
59. Make a necklace

Entertainment/Internet
60. Watch the top 10 movies from each of the AFI category lists on Netflix (Passions, Laughs, Thrills)
61. Read 20 books from the Modern Library’s 100 best novels list (10 from Board, 10 from Readers)
62. Post to my blog everyday for a month March 2009
63. Participate in 26 Things
64. Participate in A Day in the Life
65. Read 50 books of general interest
66. Comment on at least one interesting blog post a day

Home/Organization
67. Convert all CD’s to MP3’s
68. Organize my iTunes library/iPod
69. Catalog all books, DVD’s, CD’s, software
70. Go through filing box/scan & organize all important documents
71. Organize computer files/favorites on all computers (work/laptops/desktops)
72. Take schedules image backups of all computers (Acronis)
73. Organize logins/passwords for all online accounts
74. Prepare our “Alien Abduction” (household) binder
75. Purge all of the magazines in the house
76. Compile emergency supplies/hurricane kit for the house
77. Paint & decorate master bedroom
78. Set up home office to be functional and organized
79. Replace all windows in the house
80. Rebuild deck
81. Redo master bathroom
82. Install gutters on the house May 2010
83. Plant plumeria root from Hawaii Root went bad – will have to get another
84. Redo garden in front of house (fresh mulch, pull weeds, plant flowers) May 2010
85. Replace mailbox
86. Add post to center of porch
87. Install security system in the house
88. Renew termite bond on the house 5.29.09
89. Setup backyard for social gatherings (fire pit, chairs, picnic table, patio, etc.)
90. Paint garage floor/protective coating Steve is not interested in doing this
91. Install screen doors – at front and on back May 2010 for back
92. Replace light fixtures in kitchen & dining room
93. Clean out/wash car once a week for two months
94. Fix taillight on the car

Relationships
95. Buy birthday cards for the year in January and stamp them
96. Buy Steve something fabulous just because
97. Make my own Christmas cards for one season
98. Send my mom flowers just because
99. Write a letter to my grandparent’s at least once a month

100. Donate $5 for every task not completed on this list
101. Create another list for the next 101 days