The Objective:
Achieve 90 predetermined goals in a period of 900 days. Many of my goals (marked with an *) are meant to build better habits.
The Reason Behind the Insanity:
First of all, having a list of goals and/or tasks is my "thing". I love lists! Secondly, I need accountability. Having this list on my blog is my way of staying accountable!
The Rules:
The goals needed to be very specific and measurable. Nothing like “become a better person” or “be a better wife”. Also, they couldn’t be simple little tasks that don’t require extra effort. At the end of the 900 days, for each goal left unmet,
I will pay $5 to a charity of my choosing.
Why 900 Days?
I must say that I got the idea from
this blog. I personally wanted to do it this way because this allows me to set some long-term goals alongside my short term goals. I spent a few days compiling The List, and I came up with about 90 goals, so I went with a 900-day time frame.
Start date: Saturday, April 11, 2009
End date: Wednesday, September 28, 2011
The List:(Italicized items are in progress. Struck-through items are completed.)
Spiritual/Charity:
1. * Have scripture reading & meditation, and prayer time every day for 30 consecutive days. (2 times) [2/2]
2. Seek out families to bring a meal to. (4 times) [4/4]
3. Lead our family in sending an evangelistic care package to a man or woman serving in the U.S. Armed Forces.
4. * Read through the entire Bible at least once.
5. Clean the trash out of the ditches from our house to the end of the gravel road.
6. * Share the gospel with 30 people (can use gospel tracts). [9/30]
7. Send 10 cards of encouragement. [7/10]
8. Sponsor a Compassion child. April 2009
9. * Read a chapter in Proverbs to the children each day for 4 weeks. (2 times) [2/2]
10. Unplug (no TV, computer, or radio) for 2 days. (4 times) [3/4]
11. Walk/run a race for a good cause.
12. * No complaining AT ALL for 3 consecutive days. (2 times) [2/2]
Marriage:
13. Watch the Lord of the Rings trilogy with Chris (Why is this one in “marriage”? Because if I can suffer through this, then we know that our marriage can withstand ANYTHING! Haha!).
14. Have 10 dates with Chris (can include “home” dates…as long as they are kid-free and fun/romantic). [10/10]
15. * Make Chris’s lunch every day for 4 weeks straight.
16. * Establish regular Bible study and prayer time as a couple.
17. Wash Chris’s feet in an act of love.
18. * No nagging for 7 consecutive days (doesn't count to do this one during a week when he's working crazy hours).
Kids/Family:
19. Take a 5+ day vacation.
20. * Reinforce chores for 4 weeks straight. (2 times) [2/2]
21. Take a mini-vacation. (2 times) [2/2]
22. Have 6 one-on-one dates per child. [16/18]
23. * Be 100% consistent in discipline for 7 days. (2 times) [2/2]
24. Have a “girls’ night” with Emmy after she’s turned three. (2 times) [1/2]
25. Go biking at The Lake with the family. (8 times) [1/8]
26. * Don’t raise my voice or show anger at all for 3 consecutive days. (2 times) [2/2]
27. Go camping as a family.
28. Start the boys on music lessons.
29. Enroll the boys in one extracurricular activity per season for one year. [4/4]
Relationships:
30. Get involved in a couple’s Bible study. April 2009
31. Get involved in a women’s Bible study.
32. Open my home to someone (friend or not) once per week for 4 consecutive weeks. (2 times) [2/2]
33. Have a shopping day with Mom – ALL DAY! – complete with breakfast, lunch, supper, and coffee. (2 times) [1/2]
34. Send an “update letter” to grandparents that we don’t see often, complete with pictures and kids’ creations. (10 times) [10/10]
Financial:
35. Build our Emergency Savings Fund.
36. Reduce unsecured debt by 25% using Dave Ramsey’s plan.
37. Get Disability Insurance for Chris.
38. Get better Life Insurance.
39. * Have bi-weekly financial meetings with Chris for 3 months straight.
40. Open a Health Savings Account for me and possibly the kids.
41. Don’t dine out for 1 month.
42. Don’t use the clothes dryer AT ALL for 14 consecutive days (read: use the clothes line. Thought I'd better throw that in there so I'm not tempted to accomplish this goal by letting the laundry pile up!). (2 times) [2/2]
Health/Wellness:
43. Lose the 52 pounds.
44. Run a 10K or more.
45. * Work out 30 minutes, 5 times a week, for one month straight.
46. * No soda for 30 days. (2 times) [2/2]
47. * No sugar/carbs for 2 weeks. (2 times) [0/2]
48. Have a yearly physical exam. (2 times) [0/2]
49. * Take my multi-vitamin daily for 4 weeks.
50. Learn how to make a GOOD homemade whole wheat bread.
51. Learn how to make a GOOD homemade pizza.
52. * Try “Whole Foods Only” for 30 days.
School:
53. Start teaching the boys either Latin or Spanish.
54. Make/buy 30 new learning centers/games/activities. [30/30]
55. Take 15 field trips. [15/15]
56. Find a History/Geography curriculum we like.
57. Teach Emmersyn how to read.
Homemaking:
58. * Stay on top of laundry for 1 week straight (Laundry washed the same day a full load is available, and folded & put away within 24 hours of being washed. Doesn’t include partial loads.) (4 times) [4/4]
59. Organize my recipes. Completed 2009.04.13
60. * Do 30-day “make ahead” meals for 3 consecutive months.
61. Finish hanging wall décor.
62. Plant evergreen trees.
63. Try 5 new vegetables. [2/5]
64. Plant a garden. Completed 2009.05.03
65. * Make bed every day for a month.
66. Make a detailed house cleaning schedule. Completed 2009.05.05
67. Plant 10 new bushes/perennials in our yard. [10/10]
68. Shampoo the carpet on the stairs.
69. * Have supper on the table by 6:00 p.m. for 10 consecutive days. (2 times) [0/2]
Intellectual Growth:
70. Read 10 Pulitzer Prize-winning novels. [5/10]
71. Re-read/study the Constitution.
72. Re-read/study the Declaration of Independence.
73. Read newspaper from front to back (excluding sports/comics). (5 times) [5/5]
Misc:
74. Finish each of the kids’ “first-year” scrapbooks. [0/4]
75. Start and finish Chris’s Marine Corps scrapbook.
76. Finish and legalize our wills.
77. Take household inventory for insurance purposes.
78. Sell or give away “the pile” of stuff in the basement.
79. Paint kitchen ceiling.
80. Get our honeymoon photos developed & put into an album.
81. Put the kids’ greeting cards into scrapbooks. [4/4]
82. * Back up important files/photos at least bi-monthly. [15/15] Installed Carbonite, which automatically backs up everything!
83. * Keep inside of van clean for 30 days.
Just for Fun:
84. Get my old yahoo blog put into “book format”.
85. Get
OurOwnLittleNest blog put into “book format” for the year 2008.
86. Dress up with the kids for trick-or-treating.
87. Practice shooting Chris’s pistol. (6 times) [2/6]
88. Go to Red Lobster with Chris.
89. Blog every day for 30 consecutive days.
90. Make my own custom blog background.
