It’s been almost a year since I last updated you on the progress of my Day Zero List. If you don’t know what that is, or you haven’t been reading this page, allow me to inform you. Day Zero is a project that is aimed at helping people achieve 101 personal goals in the span of 1,001 days. The website dictates that once your preset tasks have been ordered into a list, your “project†begins. After that moment you have roughly 2 and 3/4 years to complete everything you want to do. In my opinion, it’s way better and more realistic than a simple New Year’s resolution, because you have several seasons in which to complete your goals. Plus, you can tackle things at your own pace. Keeping such a list also forces you to stay focused and consistently check to see if you’re doing everything you’re supposed to be doing with your life (ie. applying for better jobs, saving up for desired material possessions, getting out of the house to explore the country/world). In theory, it’s a great idea.
In theory. I’m one month away from the completion of my 1,001 days. The end date for this project has been, and will continue to be, October 28th, 2010. This being my first 101/1001 list, I had no idea what I was in store for when I crafted it. Maybe I should have looked at more lists to get an idea about what types of goals normal people set for themselves. Because…I’m failing miserably. I’m failing so miserably it’s taken 10 months for me to gather the strength to update my readers on my progress.
I have exactly one month to complete the remainder of my goals. When I last shared my list, I had completed just 41 out of 101 goals. That was in December of 2009. Since then, I have completed an additional…(Evan performs some quick math)…5 goals. Wait a minute, that’s it? I’ve only achieved 5 things in almost a year? God, I’m pathetic. Although I must say, I needed to drink 190 beers in order to consume five new ones every month and I’ve already surpassed that goal by an additional 20+ beers. If only I were as committed to doing things to promote healthy living as I am to getting drunk. This list might look quite different!
When I make my next list, I plan on eliminating goals with multiple tasks. Why should I have to read five books about LA when one will suffice? Why do I have to have ten friends recommend me a book when one or two will do? Why should I make myself fast for one day, two days, and three days at a time? Yeah…next time I’m going to be much better at this. Oh well. I’ll be able to cross a couple more things off my list by next month, but if I can reach 51 I’ll consider it a success.
So with about 30 days left, here’s my list. As always, I highly recommend the Day Zero project to anyone who has trouble getting themselves started with projects, or has trouble setting goals for the future. I also recommend the Day Zero project to anyone who has trouble achieving goals, because clearly I am a shining example of someone who should not be attempting such a feat. I kind of suck at life. Especially when it comes to completing tasks I’ve set for myself. As always, it doesn’t have to be New Year’s Day for you to start, you can start tomorrow and finish 1,001 days later. If you do decide to start your own list, let me know. I know Swan Fungus user and blogger Lope started his own list, and I hope he’s doing way better than I am so far.
101 THINGS TO DO IN 1001 DAYS PROJECT (01-01-08 to 10-28-10)
Family / Friends
001. Return to New Jersey and visit with family at least once a year. [2/2]
002. Treat my father, mother and sister each to a nice meal. [3/3]
003. Visit the graves of my grandparents. [1/2] (Note: I tried, but I don’t know where one of them is buried)
004. Send one handwritten letter a month for 6 months. [6/6]
005. Send a gift to someone for no particular reason.
006. Say something positive/uplifting to a friend each day. [971/1001]
007. Host a party.
008. Purchase card and gift for each immediate family member’s birthday for one year. [3/3]
Health / Food
009. Find a doctor and schedule healthy check-ups.
010. Find a dentist and schedule regular visits.
011. Find a good multi-vitamin, take one each day from that moment on.
012. Try 100 new foods. [101/100]
013. Go to Venice Beach. Start walking north. See how far I get. (Note: I walked several miles east from Hollywood once. Does that count?)
014. No soda pop for one week.
015. Drink the recommended daily allowance of water (50 fl oz) for a month.
016. Subtract “fast food” from my diet for one year.
017. Bake My Own Bread.
018. Learn how to make Fawn’s vegan sushi. Make it for friends.
019. Eat a piece of fruit every day for a month.
020. Buy a bike to ride instead of driving locally.
021. Do 100 sit-ups every night before bed for one month.
022. Do a system cleanse.
023. Eat vegan for one week. (Note: had I known yogurt was dairy, I would have achieved this goal)
024. Make my own tortilla chips in the deep fryer, make salsa to go with it.
025. Try ten new styles of cuisine. [10/10] (Brazilian, Persian, West African, Ethiopian, Tibetan, Peruvian, Korean BBQ, Greek, Burmese, Nepalese)
026. Eat the fried egg / chili / bacon / cheeseburger at Fatburger.
027. Fast for 24, 48 and 72 hours.
Projects: Artistic / Creative
028. Get my book published.
029. Put together a band for live shows/recordings
030. Have 10 friends recommend a book, and read all ten. [3/10]
031. Read five books about L.A. [1/5]
032. Make a collection of favorite poetry.
033. Watch all unseen movies in AFI’s Top 100 List. [45 / 100] [48/123]
034. Create stencils for homemade t-shirts.
035. Write a screenplay.
036. Write one song a day for one week.
037. Learn to read music.
038. Think of a unique, marketable idea and try to sell it.
039. Put out an album for an artist/band you enjoy.
040. Have an article published in a newspaper/magazine.
041. Wear a suit one day for absolutely no reason.
042. Call into a radio show.
Home
043. Rescue a dog from a local shelter. Keep it alive!
044. Find a residence and sign a long-term (or open-ended) lease.
045. Make your bed every morning for one month.
046. Clean, then maintain a spotless bedroom floor.
047. Vacuum whenever you think “this room needs to be vacuumed”.
048. Paint something and hang it on a wall.
Financial
049. Find advertisers for my website, make some money.
050. Get a job that pays better than the record store.
051. Pay one month’s rent entirely from blog income.
052. Sell at least twenty items on eBay / Craigslist / Amazon [20/20]
053. Give money to a beggar. Get money from a beggar.
054. Spend $0 For One Week.
055. Donate $2 to charity for each task on this list not completed.
Travel / Leisure
056. Visit remaining 13 states I have not visited. [1/13]
057. Attend a Lakers game and a Clippers game. [0/2]
058. Drive cross-country again.
059. Go on one multi-night camping trip.
060. Go on a real picnic.
061. Go SCUBA diving.
062. Take one of the long hikes in Joshua Tree.
063. Drive to Mexico
064. Ride a roller coaster.
065. Attend a rally or protest.
066. Drive the PCH up to San Francisco.
067. Drive to Vancouver.
068. Spend a summer day in Death Valley.
069. Sleep on a beach one night.
070. Fly somewhere first-class.
071. Make a list of local weird sites, visit twelve. [12/12]
072. Visit the remaining two Pizza Port Breweries.
073. Tour 5 breweries. [3/5]
074. Visit 5 museums. [5/5]
075. Memorize the Alpha Bravo Charlies.
076. See a theatrical production.
077. Take The Scientology “Free Stress Test” with a friend.
078. Attend Dia de los Muertos at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery.
Personal / Capitalist Urges
079. Have name printed in newspaper, in a positive article.
080. Buy a nice pair of sunglasses.
081. Do not use a computer for one week.
082. Do not say anything sarcastic for one week.
083. [PRIVATE]
084. [PRIVATE]
085. [PRIVATE]
086. Try five new beers each month. [212 /190]
087. Buy something from the Rose Bowl flea market.
088. Don’t speak for an entire day.
089. Play poker at a casino in Vegas.
090. Pay for the car behind me at a fast food drive-thru.
091. Learn and identify 10 constellations.
092. Buy a Jerry Jones baritone guitar.
093. Buy either a Hiwatt, Orange, or Sovtek guitar amplifier.
094. Buy a nicer camera than the one I have.
095. Make a new 101 in 1001 list.
096. Write three letters of complaint for a bad product/customer service. [3/3]
097. Convince somebody else to create a 101/1001 list.
098. Win something. Anything.
099. Visit a psychic.
100. Buy An Extraordinarily Expensive Bottle of Bourbon.
101. Subject myself to hypnosis. Why? I don’t know, just because.
