Friday, February 13, 2009

Queen of...

I am the QUEEN of goal-setting-and-not-completing. I'm still working on some things, and will probably glance over the list when I'm feeling in need of a project. I may even make sure we get a vacation in the next three years. Beyond that? yeah, no.  TOO MUCH PRESSURE.

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Thursday, January 1, 2009

January Roundup

January Goals:

Monthly/Weekly
7. Eat at one new local pizza place
17. Take a picture every day (16/31)
18. Take a self-portrait
19. Take a picture of the boys
48. Write a letter of gratitude to Luke per week (2/4)
54. Spend an hour of quality time with the boys per week (0/4)
64. Get my eyebrows waxed

30-day projects
74. Stop eating after 7:30 pm (3/30)

Books/Movies
Start 39. by getting and beginning a Bible reading plan

Other
11. Work on rice donation (8,000/1,000,000)
16. Do one random act of kindness
78. Help Quentin pare down his toys
Start 88. Look up election dates and put on calendar

As I accomplish these, I'll italicize those in progress, noting numbers where applicable, and will strikethrough those which are completed.

McMama's 101 in 1001 Master List

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.


My Rules/Disclaimers
I reserve the right to change goals depending on circumstances, but not just because I'm getting lazy. For instance, if we have financial hardship, I'll cut down on the trip-taking. If I break a leg, I might give myself a rest on the biking or Wii Fit-ing. The point of this list is personal growth, not showing I can stick staunchly to a list. I will end up with a total of 101 goals int he end, however.

The List:
Money
1. Pay off CC debt and get 401k/IRA contributions set up
2. Keep track of money spent on eating out/coffee for 6 months and reduce it by 25% for 6 months (0/6) (0/6)

Environment
3. Give only handmade or service gifts for all birthdays/holidays
4. Go to a Farmer's Market for produce at least 5 times each summer (0/15)
5. Research businesses in my SMB and go there first whenever possible when we need things
6. Don't use plastic bags for 3 months straight (0/3)

Food
7. Eat at 30 new-to-me local pizza places (0/30)
8. Stop eating eggs
9. Eat vegan for 30 days straight (0/30)

Philanthropy/Kindness
10. Go through volunteer training at a local domestic violence/homeless shelter (whichever I can find) and volunteer
11. Donate 1,000,000 grains of rice (8,000/1,000,000)
12. Become a gestational surrogate
13. Send flowers to 5 people just because (0/5)
14. Send 10 handwritten cards/letters (0/10)
15. Donate blood as many times as I'm eligible after nursing and pregnancy end
16. Perform 20 random acts of kindness (0/20)

Photography/Career
17. Take a picture every day - Print them and make a book at the end of the project (7/1001)
18. Take a self-portrait once a month (0/33)
19. Take pictures of the boys standing together in front of a white wall and individual close-ups of their faces once a month (0/33)
20. Buy a long zoom lens (to 200 or 300 mm)
21. Buy a decent-quality 50mm lens (large aperture)
22. Buy a wide angle lens (~18mm)
23. Buy a "spy" lens and use it in the photo a day project
24. Create a presentable physical portfolio and upload the work to SmugMug
25. Learn how to develop black & white film (take photo 1101)
26. Identify an inspirational photographer and buy at least once piece of his or her work (for inspiration!)

Personal Growth
27. Write my will
28. Do 52 nights unplugged - Use the time to work on 101 things
29. Make a japa mala bracelet and learn 5 mantras (0/6)
30. Take a series of piano lessons and learn/memorize at least one real piece
31. Have a conversation with a Deaf person in ASL
32. Get good earplugs and wear them for an entire weekend (Sun-Tues) day
33. Learn how to change a tire and do it once
34. Learn to swim using real strokes
35. Learn CPR and Infant CPR
36. Start a gratitude journal - Write in it every night a month, once per year (0/90)
37. Start a dream diary - Write in at least 50 dreams (0/50)

Books & Movies
38. Read 10 "Great Books" or "Classics" and write about them (0/10)
39. Read the entire Bible, Qur'an, and Bhagavad Gita (0/3)
40. Read one Book about Buddhism and one about Mohandas K. Gandhi (0/2)
41. Read 5 "banned books" (0/5)
42. Read "The Quantum World, Quantum Physics for Everyone" by Kennith Ford
43. Have a LOTR movie marathon
44. Watch AFI's 100 "must-see" Movies (0/100)
45. Go to the drive-in 10 times (0/10)

Marriage & Family
46. Convince Luke and take some sort of dancing lessons (swing, salsa, ballroom, etc.)
47. Find a trusted babysitter and set up a monthly "date night" from that point on
48. Write a weekly letter of gratitude to Luke (1/143)
49. Have a professional family portrait taken
50. Go camping as a family at a real campground with tents and all
51. Go to Michigan's Adventure or Cedar Point or Six Flags
52. Visit the Arboretum
53. Go fruit picking at least once per summer (0/3)
54. Spend quality time with the boys for at least one solid hour weekly (0/143)
55. Type up my grandpa's family history story and make our family tree
56. Go to all of the big museums in Chicago (with or without kids)

Travel
57. See the west coast/ocean
58. Visit 3 states I've never been to (0/3)
59. Stay in St. Ig or Mackinac
60. Visit Canada
61. Visit Christina and Adam in Philly

Beauty/Physical
62. Get my hair colored "Julianne Moore Red" in a salon
63. Get 10 manicures (0/10)
64. Get my eyebrows waxed once/month (0/33)
65. Get a Brazilian Wax
66. Get another tattoo (Tree of Life)

Health/Fitness
67. Complete the Couch-to-5k program - 10 weeks (0/10)
68. Use Wii Fit for 30 days straight (0/30)
69. Use Wii Fit 3 times a week for 6 months straight (0/24)
70. Get below 200 lbs
71. Stop drinking soda for 30 days straight (0/30)
72. Go to the dentist
73. Get a bike and ride it to the places in my SMB in non winter months
74. Stop eating after 7:30 pm again - start with 30 days to get in the habit (6/30)

Organization
75. Scan all Quentin's saved artwork and all of our printed photographs and archive them on the external hard drive
76. Clean out the garage
77. Make a list of "must-have" things - seriously consider getting rid of everything else
78. Help Quentin pare down his toys before unpacking from Xmas - do this yearly (1/3)
79. Burn a copy of all of our digital photos and keep in the fire safe
80. Rip and backup all of our music - get rid of physical CDs
81. Get a swiffer wet jet - Sweep and mop at least 1x per week after that
82. Develop a morning routine - stick to it for 30 days straight (0/30)
83. Develop an evening routine - stick to it for 30 days straight (0/30)
84. Get rid of 101 things

Random
85. Plant and maintain an herb garden for use in cooking
86. Attend a wine tasting
87. Buy and work through "Song School Latin" with the boys
88. Vote in all Federal, State, and Local elections
89. Upgrade the family computer
90. Move again - somewhere with a fenced yard and garage or somewhere WARM
91. Have friends over for dinner twice each year (0/6)
92. Go on a picnic each summer (0/3)
93. Go to my 10 year class reunion
94. Throw a party for Luke's 29th birthday (the end of the 1001 days!)

101 Things Tasks
95. Keep a 101/1001 handwritten journal - Write about each goal at least once (0/101)
96. Look over the list at the beginning or end of each month and year - form mini-goal lists
97. Post a new 101/1001, including whatever's not done from this list

Add-Ons
98. Buy a sewing machine and learn to mend/hem
99. Get a passport
100.
101.

1 - Pay off Credit Card Debts, Set Up IRA/401k

Pay off CC debt and get 401k/IRA contributions set up

2 - Track and Reduce Eating-Out Spending

Keep track of money spent on eating out/coffee for 6 months and reduce it by 25% for 6 months (0/6) (0/6)

3 - Give Handmade or Service Gifts

Give only handmade or service gifts for all birthdays/holidays

4 - Go to the Farmer's Market

Go to a Farmer's Market for produce at least 5 times each summer (0/15)

5 - Stay in My SMB

Research businesses in my SMB and go there first whenever possible when we need things

6 - Don't Use Plastic Bags

Don't use plastic bags for 3 months straight (0/3)