about the project

In the summer of 2007, some friends of mine started talking about a project they had undertaken.  The project was to make a list of 101 things that they'd always wanted to do, or felt that they should do, or really needed to do, and they'd give themselves 1001 days to do those 101 things.

I love projects.

I also love lists.

And I'm a bit of an "experience junkie."

It wasn't long before I started compiling a list of my own.   I had my 101 things, and I set about the task of checking them off.  Friends who were aware of my project also got the idea to make a list of their own.  Of my friends, I don't think any of them have been as meticulous as I have been about keeping track of the list and marking things off.

So, where are we now?  My first 1001 days were up on April 22, 2010, and I still had a fair number of things left on my list when I started this blog.  Some of those things would have been  impossible to complete, so I started the blog by scrambling to get as many of the remaining things on my list checked off by April 22, 2010.  Anything that remained on the list as of April 22 went on my new list of things to complete within my next 1001 days, but with an enhancement to make it more challenging or difficult.

Looking at my first list, there are a couple of observations I've made about how I should go about putting new lists together, so that I don't inadvertently stack the deck against myself.  Since other people who find this blog are often looking for ideas for their lists, I thought I'd re-print them, here.

Here are my guidelines for my new list, based on what did, and did not work well the first time around.

don't assume the status quo of your life will continue for three years

On my first list, I had a number of home improvement projects related to my condo.  Touch up some paint, build some shelves--that sort of thing.  I didn't realize in 2007 that my partner and I would buy a 110-year-old Victorian house two years later.   Suddenly, all of the specific projects that we'd set became things that couldn't possibly be crossed off the list.   Of course, some of the things that I'd put off were things that I managed to do before selling the house, just because we needed to fix things up and stage the place for sale, but even then, many things didn't get done.


The big old house we moved to has great bones, but lots of little cosmetic projects (and a few substantial projects) that needed to be tackled.  I decided that it wasn't cheating if I replaced the projects on my list with projects for the new house that were of equivalent weight or difficulty.

if you want to establish a habit, use averages to set a schedule

This turned out to be one of the smarter things I did.  Rather than set a goal of watching two movies on DVD or DVR every month, I averaged it.  That way, if I had a busy month when I couldn't possibly sit down for four or five hours to watch a couple of movies, I could make it up the next month.

The problem with this is that I lost sight of the "slow and steady wins the race" component of what I was doing.  A lot of the things that remain on my list are things that I only made an effort to do in fits and starts.  If I'd kept in mind that I need to have a museum day every once in a while, or take a day off to go to the movies on occasion, I wouldn't find myself at the end of my list with 20 movies left to see or a dozen museums left to visit.

don't include too much (and too specific) travel

I travel a lot for work.  And I've got limited amounts of vacation time.  Travel is one of the more difficult goals for me to reach, because I'm in the habit of tacking vacation onto the end of work trips.   I've always wanted to go to Italy, so I put it on the list.  I've also always wanted to see Scandanavia, but didn't put that on the list because it was lower on my priority list.  At the end of my first list, I still hadn't made it to Italy, but it just so happened that I had to go to Oslo for a conference, so I spent a week checking out the fjords and stuff.  It was a great experience, and it'd likely have been on my next list, but since I didn't put it on my first list, it was not something I could have crossed off.  That wouldn't be a problem, but I had other trips on the list (Italy, Australia) that didn't get knocked off my list, the first time.   So, I try to avoid specific destinations, for the most part when putting travel items on the list.


don't include things that are almost entirely out of your control

One of the things on my list was to win a contest or prize.  I managed to do that, but, really, it could just as easily not have happened.  I dodged a bullet on that one.

just because it seems impossible, doesn't mean it won't happen

When I made the first list, I included at least one thing that I thought probably would not happen.   I wanted to lose about 20 pounds.   I knew it was something that I needed to do.  I knew it was something I wanted to do.  But the idea of losing weight just seemed impossible to me.

Guess what?  I did it.   I signed up for Weight Watchers online, did it for a few months, stuck to it, and hit my target weight.  For the most part, I've kept it off, too.  I've gained about five pounds back, but I'm pretty happy about it.  And, I'm really, really glad that I put it on the list.  If I hadn't put it on, I'd never have made the effort.  Of everything I accomplished, this one was the most satisfying, which brings me to...


include a lot of things that are easy to knock off in a day

If I loaded up my list with things that were as challenging as losing weight, I'd have accomplished a lot less, this time around.   Including things that I could do in one day, like making French onion soup or going to Ellis Island, really helped me make progress.   It was good to have a mix.   Some of my "one day" things were purchases I wanted to make.   I'm glad I bought an iPhone, but in general, I think it's best to shy away from one-day things that are really just shopping list things.

And, if you'd like to see a little re-cap (with fun pictures) of my first list, check out this post from the last day of the first project.

Wish me luck!