Day Zero: My 101 in 1001

I was over at Momotics over the weekend, one of the many blogs I enjoy reading when I have time, and I came across her post about 101 in 1001 and the Day Zero project. I had never heard of this before, and I was totally inspired by it.

Basically, the purpose of Day Zero is to make a list of 101 easily attainable goals that you can accomplish in 1001 days, or about 2.75 years. I’ve been feeling like I’m in a little bit of a rut lately, so I thought this would be a great “project” for me.

I have always been a list maker… there’s just something about being able to cross something off my list that makes me feel good inside… so I knew instantly that this would be something that could help me put some short-term personal goals in order.

This project isn’t meant to be a bucket list, that’s something totally different. The way I see it is, the Day Zero project is a way to feel good about making small accomplishments in my life. Sounds great to me!

It took me several hours to sit down and write this list. It was a lot more challenging than I thought it would be, but I feel a sense of accomplishment already. Now only I can keep that going until May 19, 2013 (that’s the date calculated for me by the Day Zero site).

To keep myself accountable, I plan to write an update on my progress every 3 months, or whenever I make a significant amount of progress.

So, without further ado, here’s my list:

1. Take a photography class
2. Institute date night once a month
3. Take a weekend trip without the kids
4. Spend a weekend alone, away from my family
5. Take a yoga class
6. Go on a cruise
7. Spend a day at the spa
8. Go on a hike
9. Make a snowman
10. Teach the girls to make snow angels
11. Go fishing
12. Get the girls to sleep in their own bed
13. Take the girls to a concert
14. Check a book out from the library
15. Take the girls to story time at the library
16. Make friends with 2 moms in my new town
17. Talk to a stranger
18. Host a wine tasting party
19. Lose 15 pounds
20. Go see a movie in an actual theater
21. Get my blog redesign finished
22. Attend a blog conference
23. Buy a sewing machine and use it
24. Participate in Operation Beautiful (http://operationbeautiful.com)
25. Get an article published online
26. Get a freelance writing job from someone I haven’t worked with before
27. Get 5000 followers on Twitter
28. Sell 5 photographs to a stock photo site like iStockPhoto
29. Plant a garden
30. Travel to a state I haven’t been to
31. Put together our wedding album
32. Update the girls’ baby books and albums
33. Cook Thanksgiving dinner
34. Buy a canvas and paint a piece of art
35. Go to Disneyland with my family
36. Learn to crochet and make a blanket or something
37. Go to a movie by myself
38. Go on a road trip without a preset destination
39. Make a gingerbread house
40. Read 10 new books
41. Make a Thai curry from scratch
42. Go to a vineyard
43. Get my online photos in order
44. Create an emergency preparedness kit
45. Bake my own bread
46. Don’t login to facebook for a week
47. Go indoor rock climbing
48. Visit an aquarium
49. Volunteer at least twice
50. Perform a totally random act of kindness
51. Motivate someone to make a list of 101 things to do in 1001 days
52. See a film in 3D
53. Visit Napa Valley
54. Take a CPR class
55. Have a picnic in the park
56. Have professional family photos taken
57. Take a cooking class for a different type of cuisine
58. Say yes to everything for a day
59. Make a list of 100 things that make me smile or laugh
60. Spend a whole weekend without using the computer
61. Do a cleanse
62. Visit the San Diego Wild Animal Park
63. Stay at a Bed and Breakfast
64. Watch 26 movies I’ve never seen—one starting with each letter of the alphabet
65. Run a 5K
66. Attend a film festival
67. Join a book club
68. Buy myself flowers, just because
69. Bake with the girls at least 5 times
70. Update our will
71. Donate hair to Locks of Love
72. Plant a tree
73. Go on a zipline tour
74. Take a snowboarding lesson
75. Visit 5 museums
76. Get a Macbook Pro
77. Write a new blog post every day for a month
78. Cook every recipe from one cookbook
79. Replace all household supplies with “green” alternatives
80. Take a self defense course
81. Photograph a landscape from the same location, capturing all four seasons
82. Have the girls pick out gifts for children in need for Christmas
83. Make baby clothes quilts for the girls
84. Fly a kite
85. Learn to can fruits and vegetables
86. Try 3 types of fruit I’ve never had
87. Get a dining room table and eat dinner at it every night
88. Go on a girl’s night out at least twice
89. Answer the “50 Questions That Will Free Your Mind”
90. Go to a Sunday Champagne Brunch with just Brian and I
91. Get published in a magazine or newspaper
92. Bake a gluten free cake from scratch
93. Go one week with no TV/movies
94. Go see a play
95. Go to an observatory
96. Watch a movie in the park
97. Enter a contest of some sort (cooking, writing, photography, etc.)
98. Start using my ShopToEarth website
99. Go to an event, festival or convention that I think is weird
100. Write down everything that happened on 10/10/10, 11/11/11 and 12/12/12
101. Make a new 101 in 1001 list when this one comes to a close

So here’s my challenge to you: Make your 101 in 1001 list and come back and post a link to it in the comments section!