Her tagline is "Cultivate a good life and record it". Each Sunday she has a guest poster talk about different ways of cultivating a good life.
Last week, her guest author was Brooke Petermann, who is on the Creative Team for Becky Higgins, LLC. Brooke wrote about using time wisely as a way of cultivating a good life. She is in her third round of the 101 goals in 1001 days challenge. She uses these 101 goals as a resource list to fill her time with worthwhile activities. She said without a plan, any downtime she had would be frittered away with browsing Pinterest, blogs and Instagram.
That really got my attention. I feel like I spend way too much time doing things that are not important, that don't help me accomplish my goals, improve my life, better my relationships, or help me be more than "just" a wife and mother.
The idea of 101 goals in 1001 days is that you make a list of specific tasks with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. 1001 days is about 2.75 years, so this allows for a lot of flexibility, as well as time to do big things that might require more than a year to do.
I took a week to write down 101 goals. They cross all parts of my life. I went back several times and looked over the list and made changes. I read other blog posts about this idea and got some new ideas. I took some off and added others. I compared my 101 list with my list of goals for 2015 and made sure that the 2015 goals with easily definable results were included on the list.
I also wrote down goals that I have been wanting to do for awhile. And I wrote down some that would challenge me. Some of the goals will be fun and fairly easy. Some will be more challenging. Some will require forethought and planning, while others will be more easily done with a minimum of planning.
While reading blogs, browsing Pinterest and surfing the Internet are fun, and fine for short periods of time, I want to be living more intentionally. I want to be able to look back and see what I've accomplished. When I feel unmotivated and unenthusiastic, I want to be able to look at this list and find a thing or two to work on that will excite me. I want to do the things that make me "Merilee", not just "Mom" or "Wife" or whatever other label applies to me at the time.
So here are my goals, broken down by category (because I like things to be organized like that)
My 101 goals in 1001 days challenge starts today, March 8,2015, and will end on December 2, 2017
*Some of the goals I have made vague for privacy reasons.
FINANCIAL
1. Set up a will/Gather recommended documents for preparation for death/Organize
1. Set up a will/Gather recommended documents for preparation for death/Organize
2. Pay off Credit Card #1 ($XXX/month will pay off in 39 months)
3. Pay off Credit Card #2 ($XXX/month will pay off in 7 months)
4. Pay off $XXXX of Credit Card #3
5. Set up savings accounts for children/deposit money
6. Set up USEP accounts for Child #1 and Child #2/deposit money
7. Set up vacation savings account and save for 2 vacations/20th anniversary vacation
8. Save $xxxx for new van
9. Set up a retirement account
10. Find/get van title/ensure lien is removed
WITH/FOR THE WRITER
11. Date nights x 20 (and document!)
12. Celebrate The Writer's birthday (and document!)
13. Celebrate Father's Day (and document!)
14. Nights after bedtime with no computer x 100
15. Put a love note in suitcase for each trip
16. Spend an anniversary night at a bed and breakfast or nice hotel
17. Have a candlelight dinner x 4 (with the good linens, china, etc.)
SPIRITUAL
18. Read all 4 standard works once through
19. Find a family name and prepare it for the temple ordinances x 2
20. Go to Time Out for Women (and document!)
21. Go to BYU Women's Conference (and document!)
22. Go to Education Week (at least 2 days)(and document!)
23. Take an ASL Institute class
24. Attend the temple x 30
TRAVEL
25. Family vacation to Colorado with Swain family
26. Visit Arches National Park
27. Visit Yellowstone
28. Family vacation to San Francisco and area
29. 20th anniversary trip with The Writer 2017
EDUCATION
30. Read 101 books
31. Plan a year of preschool for Child #4 (2015-16 school year) and produce materials
32. Do Tiger Scout activities with Child #3 during first grade year (October 2015-16)
33. Take a class through BYU Continuing Education x 5
HEALTH
34. Train for and run a 5K x 2 (one a Childhood Cancer Awareness run)
35. Reach 175 lbs and maintain
36. Get yearly mammogram 2015 2016 2017
ORGANIZE
37. Organize each room of the house
37. Organize each room of the house
38. Organize garage
39. Organize shed
DOCUMENT (scrapbooking and related)
40. Finish wedding scrapbook
41. Finish high school/college book
42. Finish each child's baby book (birth to 1st birthday)
43. Finish "almost done" pages and get in albums
44. Organize and back up digital photo files
45. Purchase negative scanner/convert negatives to digital images
46. Finish Christmas book
47. Finish Christmas ornaments book
48. Finish scrapbooking San Diego trip
49. Scrapbook Colorado trip
50. Do Project 52--focusing on the everyday of our life
51. Finish Georgia book
52. Update family portraits book
FOR FUN
53. Visit Cherry Hills
54. Visit Natural History Museum at U of U
55. Visit Living Planet Aquarium
56. Visit Little Sahara sand dunes
57. Hikes x 10 (Ideas: Silver Lake, Ensign Peak, Donut Falls, Minnetonka Cave, Temple Quarry, Rocky Mouth, Delicate Arch, Bell Canyon, Secret/Cecret Lake, Lake Mary)
58. Visit Lagoon
59. All 6 of us dress up for Halloween (6 superheroes? a group of 6 costume?)
HOUSE STUFF
60. Paint entire house
61. Spruce up kitchen (install crown molding, caulk/paint baseboards, finish kitchen ceiling, decorate)
62. Living room: add some not-family pictures
63. Master bedroom: buy new bed (mattress and headboard/footboard); replace baseboard with something that matches living room; install crown molding; put up curtains; decorate
64. Master bathroom: replace light; install fan; replace sink/vanity; tile floor; decorate
65. Replace front door
66. Replace sliding glass door
CRAFTY/SEWING
67. Finish current craft projects (wood snowflakes, hearts, pumpkins; drying rack; felt Mr. Potato Heads; felt superhero masks; gratitude board; Christmas activity advent board; Jordan's Scout shadow box; egg candlesticks; egg tree w/ leftover eggs)
68. Finish all started sewing projects
69. Use girly fabrics to make things for girlfriends' daughters
70. Make burp cloths with remaining cloth diapers (half boy, half girl)
71. Make cloth shopping bags with denim squares
72. Make quilt for Child #4
73. Make favorite sports teams quilt for Child #2
74. Make new Arrow of Light for Child #2
EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS
75. Assemble 72 hour kits for each family member
76. Assemble emergency kits for each vehicle
77. Inventory food storage and make plan to replenish/increase long term food storage
78. Set up tent in backyard/check poles/replace broken poles
79. Buy another water barrel
80. Find permanent home for water barrels/move there/fill with water
GIVE
81. Contribute to ward Sub for Santa program 2015
82. Contribute to ward Sub for Santa program 2016
83. Contribute $10 to 30 different charities/groups/organizations/etc.
84. Volunteer at Deaf Center for 2 events
85. Volunteer at JMS for 2 events
OUTDOORS
86. Fix fences
87. Remove trees in backyard
88. Remove willow tree in front yard
89. Shape new flower beds and put in borders
90. Clean up rocks and put along south side of driveway
91. Plant new plantings in flower beds
92. Plant garden 2015 2016 2017
PERSONAL
93. Complete Personal Progress 2015 2016 2017
94. Girls weekend with 2 girlfriends
95. Get a professional massage
96. Get a pedicure
97. Win NaNoWriMo
98. Have a 45th birthday party with girlfriends (2016)
99. Learn to play 4 songs on the piano--play well!
100. Run a Color Run
101. Complete a 30 day Core challenge and a 30 day Plank challenge
So that's my list! I think it's a good mix of fun, frivolous, serious, and challenging. I look forward to seeing what the next 1001 days bring!
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