101 Goals 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.

Start Date: March 1, 2010
End Date: November 26, 2012

My List:

  1. MCITP: Enterprise Administrator Certification - Cancelled
  2. Visit 4 new countries (2/4, South Korea, The Bahamas, Malaysia, Singapore) - Complete 12/4/2011
  3. Get all of my travel photos uploaded to Flickr
  4. Grow my personal finance blog to 1000+ readers (8/1000)
  5. Make money from a website idea - Complete 9/2010 (Google Adsense!)
  6. Build my total miles collection to at least 500,000 miles banked (500,000+/500,000) - Complete 2/1/2012
  7. Learn all the different types of wine and how they are different (course, maybe?) - Complete 4/8/2012 - Wine class/winery visits Mendoza, Argentina
  8. Pay off my credit card debt debt (3/3 cards paid off) - Complete 10/24/2010!!
  9. Get my teeth cleaned/visit a dentist - Complete 10/4/2010
  10. Gain 3 regular IT Consulting clients, preferably businesses (2/3)
  11. Increase my salary by $20,000 or more ($5,000/20,000)
  12. Scan all important papers to PDF files and backup regularly
  13. Have a "guys weekend" in Vegas - Complete April 2011 in NYC instead
  14. Learn how to use my DSLR in "manual" mode correctly
  15. Take at least 20 pictures that get listed for sale on a site such as istockphoto.com (0/20)
  16. Begin recycling as much as I can at home - Complete! Curbside Started 2/15/2011
  17. Increase my emergency fund to 12 months of living expenses (3/12 months saved) - Canceled until debts have been paid off. Reduced to $1,000. - Complete
  18. Increase retirement account total values to $30,000 ($23,565/$30,000)
  19. Get actively involved in my neighborhood's homeowner's association - Completed April 14, 2010
  20. Get good health insurance - Completed - High Deductible Plan Acquired.(Sept 1, 2010)
  21. Close all unused bank, credit card, and investment accounts - Completed! (Sept 27, 2010).
  22. Build up at least 50+ connections on LinkedIn.com (20/50)
  23. Read 4 personal finance books (including Your Money: The Missing Manual, I'll teach you to be rich, and 2 others) (1/4)
  24. Complete Level 1, 2 and 3 of Rosetta Stone in Spanish – (0/3)
  25. Get at least 1 travel tip published by hobotraveler.com (0/1)
  26. Learn recipes for 5 new dishes (5/5, list: pot roast, easy home made baked beans, semi-home made spaghetti sauce, Chicken Noodle Soup, home made chili) - Complete 10/15/2010
  27. Get my gun carry permit
  28. Get a motorcycle license
  29. Have 7 straight days where I spend $0 (aside from automatic payments and dire needs)
  30. Earn $1000 from Google Adsense ($103/$1000)
  31. Eat a picnic in the park on a date on a sunny afternoon
  32. Hike for 3+ days on the Appalachian Trail
  33. Grow and maintain a tomato plant for 1 season
  34. Visit Scotland for at least 1 week (can count as part of 4 new countries above)
  35. Donate $1 to charity for each unmet goal (0/101)
  36. Take a long 3+ -day weekend road trip using camping as accommodation
  37. Visit a dietitian/nutritionist and find out where I am lacking
  38. Take a photography class
  39. Try 5 foods I have never had before (5/5, list: buffalo shrimp, burnt ends bbq, angus burger taco, pulled pork empanada, fish amok) - Complete Dec 3, 2010
  40. Go to 10 geocache locations (0/10)
  41. Participate in a scavenger hunt
  42. No fast food for 30 days straight (0/30)
  43. Get a new tattoo
  44. Hang/Display 20 of my travel photos in my house (0/20)
  45. Build a recipe book of at least 30 recipes that I have successfully made and eaten (10/30) - in Progress
  46. Write 700 posts for Foo Finance (675/700) - In Progress
  47. Increase 401(k) contribution to 5%+ of my pay (currently 3%) Completed March 4, 2010
  48. Spend Thanksgiving 2010 in a foreign country - Complete - Cambodia!
  49. Spend Thanksgiving 2011 in a foreign country - Complete - Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore!
  50. Spend Thanksgiving 2012 in a foreign country - Booked - Guatemala
  51. Have 1 "vegetarian day" a week for 1 month
  52. Spend 1 week without looking at Facebook - Complete 6/27/2010
  53. Get all of my stuff out of Dad's house and sell/donate/trash what I don't want or need
  54. Stay with someone from Couchsurfing.com in a foreign country
  55. Hear Alice in Chains live at a concert Completed 2/25/2010 and 9/28/2010!
  56. Brew my own batch of beer
  57. Participate in a Habitat for Humanity project
  58. Own and manage a rental property
  59. Go to a local networking event to gain business contacts
  60. Get a fireproof safe for my house - Complete 10/16/2010
  61. Create a retirement plan and time line - In Progress Sept 27, 2011
  62. Negotiate a month-long (or longer!) vacation from work and go to SE Asia again - Camboidia 2010!
  63. Put $1 into my Roth IRA for each goal I do meet (0/101)
  64. Write a letter about excellent service I have received and send it - Done, Delta, July 2010
  65. Go on multi-day a cruise - Completed! 2/26/201 to 2-28-2011
  66. Earn $3,000 from IT Consulting side work ($1800/$3,000) as of March 28, 2012
  67. Eat one piece of fresh fruit every day for 30 days (30/30) - Completed March 31, 2012
  68. Spend an entire day reading for learning/enjoyment
  69. Eat at an Ethiopian Restaurant (list name)
  70. Make a batch of salsa from scratch that I actually like
  71. Visit a winery - Completed April
  72. Go fishing with my dad one weekend
  73. Take a cross-country US road trip
  74. Eat at 10 different ethnic restaurants in Atlanta that have not been to before (9/10, list: El Rey del Taco, East Atlanta Thai and Sushi, Ali Baba, Cafe Istanbul, Pozole, DBA BBQ, Havana Restaurant, Atkins Park, Canton House, Blossom Tree) - Completed 10/7/2011
  75. Purge closets, drawers, and boxes of all unwanted items in my house. Trash/recycle/sell/donate the stuff. - Completed 5/2011
  76. Set up automatic monthly transfer to savings account after next pay raise (list amount and date started) - Started 4/4/2010 at $50 per month!
  77. Create a proper will for myself
  78. Make sure my dad has a proper will and powers of attorney in place
  79. Get business cards made for my IT Consulting business to hand out - Ordered 3/27/2010
  80. Create a pot of vegetable soup from scratch using only fresh ingredients - Did Chicken Noodle Instead / Completed (Sept 13, 2010)
  81. Learn how to make mojitos properly using a traditional recipe
  82. Have a "tequila sunrise" at sunrise with a friend
  83. Complete all things on my house remodel list - Completed 4/18/2010 Finally!!!
  84. Have house appraised after remodel is complete - Completed May 2010!
  85. Play Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 from start to finish - Completed March 10, 2010
  86. Make a Kiva loan
  87. Convince 3 people to create and do a list like this (3/3) - Completed March 27, 2010
  88. Find out my blood type
  89. Complete 100 snapshots challenge using my Nikon D50 (link)
  90. Contribute info to a wikitravel.org article of a place I have been to
  91. Spend a weekend morning going to yard sales/flea markets - Complete 4/2011 solo
  92. Go to an estate sale (can be combined with item #91) - Complete 12/11/2010
  93. Write a short story about an experience from my travels and send it out to friends and family
  94. Gain another IT credential over and above item #1 (2 Year Networking Degree from Gwinnett Technical College) - Cancelled - bad idea.
  95. Write a bucket list - Completed March 2012!
  96. Get a T-shirt made of one of my favorite funny quotes
  97. Become a notary public again
  98. Write a list of 100 things that make me happy (that are non-monetary)
  99. Help one other person accomplish something from their 101 list - Done! (helped friend get into medical school.)
  100. Set aside $1 for each completed goal as a celebration fund for the end of the 1001 days (0/101)
  101. Create another 101 list to start after this one is completed

 

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