101 Things in 1001 Days

The number of things is catchy and the number of days is supposed to make you feel that you have all the time in the world. It’s supposed to be a balance between a New Year’s resolution and a bucket list – The resolutions are sometimes open ended and non-specific, with less time to complete, while bucket lists have no time constraints and sometimes have dreams and goals we realistically know we will not complete in our lifetime.

This is where the 101 challenge is supposed to fill the gap. By being specific in our goals, we give them an end point that we can measure. This helps to beat procrastination and have a better sense of completion. By giving ourselves longer than a year, we have more time to plan and achieve everything.

It’s the perfect compromise.

But it’s not easy.

If we were to break this down, 1001 days equals out to about 33 months. 101 things to finish in 33 months means we should be averaging about 3 completed goals each month. That’s not something I thought about the first time I tried this challenge.

It’s so easy to procrastinate. The majority of the excitement in this challenge comes at the beginning and at the end – the motivated enthusiasm you see from so many people in the planning stages, then the happy satisfaction that you see from the few that make it to the end. In the middle ground, you have the hard task of doing everything.

 

Keep it Going

So how do you make sure that you’re one of the determined few that make it to the end?

1. When you make your list, be clear and definite in your goals. For more on how to do this, you may want to read 101 in 1001: Tips and Tricks to Make Your List Work for You

2. Make a plan. Not just during the fun part of putting your 101 list together, but a plan for once the clock starts ticking. How are you are going to complete most of your goals? Think of budget, location, timing. How many goals do you plan on achieving each month or year or season? The more practical and realistic you are, the higher your chances of completion get.

3. Don’t put it on the back burner. Do you know how many lists I see online that are forgotten about or abandoned? I myself am guilty of “forgetting” about my list for a couple of months and then trying to scramble to catch up – and this is probably part of the reason I haven’t fully completed a list yet. If your list only exists in a small corner of your blog or notebook, it’s easy to forget about it. How many of you are guilty of reading through your list and realizing you actually completed this goal and this goal six months ago by default with no thought of it being a goal? Kind of sucks the sense of accomplishment out of it, doesn’t it?

4. Make your list part of your everyday life. This relates a lot to point #3. Make your list visible. Share it online, make a spread in your journal, print it off and stick it to the fridge – anything to always have it at your fingertips and always keep you aware of what your goals are, and to keep you thinking of how to complete them. Don’t be afraid to share it with your family and friends. It’s a pretty big adventure to make your way through a list of 101 goals. Sharing it makes the journey fun, helps to keep you accountable and ups the stakes a little bit.

 

In addition to my 101 in 1001 list being on the blog, I also keep a hard copy in my bullet journal. My favourite notebook these days is the Rhodia in yellow. Love the colour, and the paper quality is fantastic.

My Adventure

I think stalling at some point along the way is bound to happen. I’m off to a slow start on my current 101 Adventures list (part of that due to the wonderful winter weather and part due to my work busyness for the next couple of months) with only 3 goals completed so far. The first goal I completed was #10 Go for a walk in the snow which I’ve already blogged about. I’ve also completed #49 Visit the library with the kids, which we honestly do not do enough. I also used the visit to finally set up my online library account so I can finally borrow ebooks!

We also completed #88 Go to a professional sports game. We were lucky enough to be gifted with Raptors tickets so we took the boys and made a day of it. It was J’s first time going to anything like that, and he’s still a bit hesitant, but K’s been to a few events, and he really gets a lot out of it. As much as he enjoyed it though, he loves his Blue Jays and hopes that next time it will be another Blue Jays game!

Despite my slow start, I’m using my time to plan my coming adventures and I continue to look forward to all the things I get to do as I knock my goals off my list. Get to do – not have to do. (I really think that mindset makes a difference in how many goals you end up accomplishing).

If you’re in the planning stages of your 101 Things in 1001 Days challenge – good luck to you and have fun setting your goals! If you’re part way through your challenge and feeling stuck – find a way to revitalize your list and make it fun again! And truly, enjoy the journey and all the adventures you find along the way.

Thanks so much for stopping by!  I often post about my 101 challenge and my outdoor adventure with the kids with the hashtags #101in1001 #101adventures or #asimplesomething.  You can join me on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest.  Or, you can follow me on Bloglovin or subscribe via e-mail to be alerted to each new post!

 

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