The Day Zero Project - 101 in 1001 days

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.

My Day zero Project starts October 23rd, 2009 and ends on August 5, 2012.

MY LIST

Family
1. Finish our wedding album
2. Finish scrapbook of wedding
3. Get pregnant (Way after my 30th Birthday)
4. Send out Christmas cards (0/2)
5. Visit a church
6. Get a family professional portrait
7. Try 10 new restaurants with Ryan (0/10)
8. No takeout for an entire week (0/5)
9. Learn to make 4 different sauces (0/4)
10. Host Christmas or Thanksgiving
11. Slow dance with Ryan
12. Cook 15 new dishes (0/15)
13. Attend a concert
14. Remodel / Redecorate Living room
15. Remodel / Redecorate 2nd guest room (Baby’s room)
16. Remodel / Redecorate Powered room
17. Go hiking with TiVO
18. Bake a treat for TiVO
19. Surprise Ryan
20. Teach TiVO a new trick or behavior


Travel
21. Take a vacation outside of the U.S.
22. Visit New York City
23. Visit Los Angeles
24. Go to 4 new cities (0/4)
25. Go somewhere tropical to swim in the ocean
26. Take a cruise
27. Have a girl’s weekend
28. Take three spontaneous day/weekend trips (0/3)
29. Attend and participate in the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas
30. Go to a theme park
31. Visit an aquarium
32. Go to at least one of the Seven NATURAL World Wonders (Mt. Everest, The Great Barrier Reef, The Grand Canyon, Victoria Falls, The Harbor of Rio de Janeiro, Paricutin Volcano, The Northern Lights)
33. Learn to say “thank you” in ten languages (3/10)
34. Hot Air Balloon Ride
35. Go to a comedy club
36. See a play / show live
37. Ride Phoenix’s light rail


Just for me / because
38. Throw myself a 30th birthday party
39. Get a website design degree
40. Get A’s for 2 semesters (0/2)
41. Take a non-course class
42. Build a website portfolio with eight sites (0/8)
43. Build a promotion site
44. Become self efficient as a stay at home mom and make my same salary (build a freelance business)
45. Renew my passport
46. Read three non-fiction books (0/3)
47. Read 25 fiction books (0/25)
48. Learn to knit
49. Knit something
50. Go to a day spa and get the works
51. Get Scuba Certified
52. Paint 4 new paintings (0/4)
53. Give out five “just because” gifts to friends/family (0/5)
54. Host a dinner party for friends
55. Host a game night for friends
56. Bring in donuts for no reason to share at work
57. Bake and decorate a cake
58. Say yes when I rather say no 10 times (0/10)
59. Do something with my wedding dress
60. Buy a nice camera
61. Fix Chinese iPod
62. Get a reading from a psychic
63. Do something by myself (i.e. dinner or movies – NOT lunches)
64. Accessorize my outfits for work (0/30)
65. Buy an “as-seen-on-TV” product
66. Carve a pumpkin
67. Make and send cards to my friends/family at least 15 times (0/15)
68. Make a new friend
69. Stop cussing for seven days straight (0/7)
70. Learn a new board game or card game


Money
71. Win a poker tournament
72. Make a will
73. Make Ryan make a will
74. Make a financial will list
75. Once pg, start a baby savings account
76. Buy lottery tickets twice a week for a month (0/8)
77. Pay off auto LOC
78. Open a special account for a new car and contribute monthly (0/17)
79. Pay down half of student loan


Blog
80. Blog at least once a week for 52 weeks (0/52)
81. Re-design blog
82. Inspire someone to do a 101 in 1001
83. Blog about each task completed (0/101)


Health
84. Take a multivitamin for 30 days (0/30)
85. Go to the gym twice a week for 10 weeks (0/10)
86. Take a class at the gym once a month (0/12)
87. Lose eight pounds


Random acts of kindness
88. Donate blood (if doctor allows it)
89. Volunteer for an organization (0/3)
90. Bring food to a homeless person
91. Send a care package to a soldier
92. Buy items to donate to shelter (i.e. blankets, formula)
93. Donate food to local food bank (0/3)
94. Purchase Christmas presents for a needy family
95. Pay for the car behind me in the drive-thru
96. Give money to a random street musician


Going Greener
97. Use my cloth bags for shopping (0/25)
98. Blog about our solar panel bills to inspire some to get solar panels
99. Start a garden


100. Celebrate day 1001
101. Make a new 101/1001 list

For more information, visit Day Zero Project.


If I have inspired you, please let me know (after all, it is one of my list items).

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.