Overview
Idea from: Wandering Weekenders
The Challenge: Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days (roughly 2.75 years)
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 be 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.
START: October 31, 2016
END: July 29, 2019
See post here.
What Went Well –
• Cleaned and organized my belongings: got rid of more than 100 items! And made some money too!
• With social media: I grew my twitter following and cleaned it up! I also started using facebook.
• I tried new things with my photography – like shooting the stars!
• Losing weight is easy when you are depressed. (But not at any other time!)
• Even though we weren't able to complete all of our altruistic goals, working on this area has encouraged us to give more thought to the poor people in our community, We tended to do better with giving money to others as opposed to offering up our time.
• We completed most of our travel goals. A lot of them had to do with a trip to Hawai'i. I feel like future travel goals should be more generic. It's easier to visit "a memorial" as opposed to the "Pearl Harbor Memorial". Know what I mean?
What Went Badly –
• Work on the blog. I think my goals were too big and not specific enough.
• I didn't touch pinterest or instagram too much. Maybe future goals should be more specific?
• Sharing my photography with friends and family is hard. I think I'm too judgemental and overthink it.
• It was hard to keep up with my reading goals. I almost felt inactive and like I wasn't working on a goal when I was reading. Obviously, I was, but that's not what it felt like.
• Also, make-up takes too much time.
• I don't like goals related to buying things. I already spend enough money as it is.
• I'm not very creative outside of photoshop and editing photos. Once again, as with reading, doing creative activities often felt like a waste of precious time.
• Goals requiring help from another person (like food-related ones) were harder to accomplish, because, often, those people weren't around or were busy doing other things.
• Even though Justin and I accomplished a few of our money goals, this is the area of 101 in 1001 that we worked the hardest on. If I decide to do 101 in 1001 again, I will definitely work on this area again.
My favorite goals/the most life-changing:
• Ice skating! I hadn't done it in over 10 years, and it was amazing to get back on the rink for the first time since!
• Cleaning and organizing. I got rid of so many clothes and books. And I loved reliving my high school "glory days" through my journals. I know that a lot more organization needs to happen, but the 101 in 1001 challenge got me started on what was and is a daunting process.
• Shooting the stars and fireworks. I've got awesome photos to show from it!
• Going to the drive-in to see a movie. It was just so much fun! And so cheap!
• Trying a pina colada. It opened up my world to tiki-style drinks and the tiki culture.
If I do 101 in 1001 again…
• There are some areas where I need to be more specific and some where I need to be less specific.
• I should limit any goals that require help from others.
• For travel goals, I should be less specific.
Areas I would work on again…
• Money
• Photography
• Cleaning and Organizing
• Limited recipes
• Blog and social media goals (if they are specific)
Areas I would avoid…
• Anything that requires buying/purchasing (unless it fits into the organization category or is for fixing something I already own).
• Losing weight and exercising. It wasn't fun and I'm not entirely sure it benefited me in any way.
I did love the push to try things – some that I had done before and some that I had not. I'll have to put some thought into how I broke up my list and see if there is a better way to do it. I might also need to lessen the number of goals – even over the course of 3 years, 101 things seemed almost unattainable.
Are you one of the bloggers that participated in 101 in 1001? What did you think about the challenge? Were you successful? Or can you see where you need to improve?
If you didn't participate in 101 in 1001, would you consider a challenge like that in the future? Is there anything you would change
