My mom and I were talking recently and she told me about the 101 Goals in 1001 Days project.
The project, started I think, at triplux.com is intriguing both as a personal challenge and as a study of Web 2.0 in action. Participants are asked to make a list of 101 Goals that they want to complete over the next two and three-quarters years. From the Day Zero site:
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).
In addition to setting out the above guidelines, the site provides examples of others goals as well as a place to list your own, thereby adding in the all-too-necessary web 2.0 interactivity.
So, and as anyone who reads this site must be expecting by now, I made my own list.
And here's where the trouble started. I am very willing, perhaps too willing, to put aspects of my life online. I have several blogs or places on the web where I write, draw, post photos, whatever, and I do all these freely and without worrying about my privacy. And, of course, I love the social aspect of this particular challenge as I believe public goals are actually much easier to keep.
Unfortunately, my list is private. There are some things on my list that I do not feel I can share, either because they relate to my job, or they name other people (something I rarely do on any of my webspaces), or because they are just things I do not want other people to know.
What to do.
My original list is valuable to me in that each of the goals represented are...well, remember that scene in Fight Club where Tyler Durden is driving like an idiot and there are two members of Project Mayhem just trapped in the back seat? Tyler says something like "If you were to die right now what would you regret not doing?" And the two guys snap back with answers immediately and our poor protaganist is stuck without one. Yeah, well that's my list. Things that are imperative for me to do before I die.
Which does not make for good, light-hearted, fun blogging. Trust me.
So I decided that tonight, I'm going to make a second list. A list of small things. Things that I have always wanted to do and just have not made the time to put in the minimal effort needed. Things that will probably take far less than 1001 days. Hell, it won't even be 101, just a list of things. Call it a list of alternates. Fun things that did not quite make the main list but that I do not mind having on the list.
I'll post it here as soon as I have it finished.