About 7 years ago, when I was still in college and still had a lot left to learn, an older (i.e. my mom’s age) co-worker and I were chatting over lunch when she made a comment that I doubt will ever leave me. We weren’t talking about politics or religion or philosophizing about the origins of the world. In fact I’m honestly not sure what we were talking about when she said: “…it’s been about 10 years….man…where have all those years gone??”
At the time that struck me as such an odd statement. At the age of 21 I knew exactly how those 7600+ days had been spent (or at least most of the sober ones). But once I got over the curiosity of her situation, I became very, very sad. Mostly for her, but also for the hundreds of thousands of people that could say the exact same thing. At that point I resolved to never, ever say that.
Since then I’ve learned that every moment can’t always be a glorious, memorable experience. It can hard to seize the day when you’re sick or cramming for finals or trying to figure out how to get your newborn to stop crying. But its in between those moments when you’ve got no choice but to go with the flow, that you’ve got to remember to break up the monotony. Over the years I’ve done it by taking jobs some would call crazy, I’ve traveled to parts of the world during times that people said I shouldn’t, and I’ve tried to keep my mind open to the possibilities. Sometimes I’m damn good at shaking things up, other times I struggle. But I do give it my best shot.
So when a friend and fellow Nestie introduced me to the concept of 101 in 1001 I knew it was for me. First and foremost its a mechanism for keeping life interesting. It helps you to actually attempt all those “one day, I really want tos…”and “wouldn’t it be awesome ifs…” instead of looking back, 30 years later and being sorry that you didn’t even try.
Second, and this is really just my own weirdness coming out, it involves making a MASSIVE list. And I love lists. I love making them, and then crossing out the items as I get them done. As if the act of crossing something out actually solidifies the accomplishment.
Here’s what I’ve signed myself up for:
The Mission
Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days. I’ll keep my list in the left sidebar of this page, and as I accomplish each task I’ll change the font for it so that it’s still readable, but different from the rest.
The Criteria
Tasks must be specific (i.e. no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (i.e. represent some amount of work on my part). Some of the things are no-brainers for others, but for me they all represent something I’ve wanted to do for awhile or have been neglecting to do on a regular basis. All of them, though, will keep me from wondering where in the heck the last 2.75 years of my life went.
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. Also, 1001 days from today will be my 31st birthday and I cannot imagine a better way to usher in a new decade of my life than trying new things and making incredible memories.
And now its time to take these chances out of the box, because there will never be a better time than now.
