Personal Goals to Accompl.sh

Just over a year ago, I wrote a post about a list of 101 things I wanted to accomplish in the following 365 days (this original list can be found here). The website for this was originally called 101in365.com, but has since been renamed Accompl.sh. I actually quite like the new name! In any case, I did not complete all 101 items, but did knock out exactly 51 of them. A number were also in progress and partially completed, but others were not at all.

Before continuing, I'd like to give you a little bit of insight into this project. Before the name change, the tagline for the site was, "Avoiding mediocrity one to-do list at a time", which I found brilliant. Jenn, the creator, has brought it into a slightly different realm. Instead of limiting users to lists of 101 exclusively, she allows you to set the length of your list and lock it at whatever size you desire. In Jenn's words, "Accompl.sh harnesses the power of the social web to support personal growth. Its mission is to create a place where you can develop, track and share your goals over the course of the next 365 days and beyond by providing the tools, network and support you need to accomplish great things!" I loved the concept of 101 to-do items, so when I built my new list, I made sure to come up with that number once more.

In creating a new list, I had to take a hard look at my original list and think about why the items that were not completed were left in that state. Some of them were very simple and I should have been able to accomplish them in no time, for example, "98. Post reviews of books I've read on Goodreads". This maybe would have taken me an hour. I could have taken more time and posted even more than a few or reviews of the books already in my Goodreads account. But it would have taken little time. Unfortunately for me, I was lazy. And that sucks. Because I know I could have done this easily.

Among the other items I did not complete were things like, "26. Get a new bed". This is something I still want, but it was not financially viable. In getting a new bed, I don't want to skimp and get another sub-par bed. I want a queen sized bed, I need a new basic frame (I don't care for headboards, so just a regular metal frame hidden by the bedskirt, and a larger bed would necessitate new sheets. So the expenditure isn't just the $400ish for the mattress, box spring, and frame. It's another $150 or so for decent sheets. The same issue came up with list items 34-36, which were about bringing my credit card debt down to $0. Due to my finances during the year, this unfortunately did not become possible.

Finally, I was unable to accomplish some goals because they were too lofty or filled with idealism. For example, "52. Get my #WrockWednesdays posted on time every week". This is a great goal to have, but as soon as I miss just 1 week, I am unable to list this as completed. EVER. That's no fun. I had a few goals like this that just failed to happen because I missed 1 week, or 1 time, etc.

I definitely had every intention of trying again, so this time around I made one of my goals, "64. Create this list with more realistic goals, having learned from the unrealistic things I put on my first list. And yes, this includes being careful with my wording." (View the full new list here.)

This was the first goal that I marked off when I locked this list. I reviewed the list and felt like I had created goals that were more realistic than the previous year. I did bring back some of my goals from the previous year that were left incomplete, but I generally kept these to the ones I had been too lazy to accomplish.

One of the ways I have determined to keep my goals from being over-idealistic is to put a quantity on an accomplishment. For example, "20. Try 10 new teas that I have never tried before" or "47. Attend at least 2 community events in Chico" or even "69. Wash (and wax) my car 10 times".  Each of these goals can be easily measured and the only time constraint on them is the year in which I provided myself to accomplish them.

I also included some financial goals, but I kept them more realistic. Instead of bringing my credit cards to $0, I want to take them to half of what they are now and keep them there (list items 4-7). I also have some goals related to savings, "8. Start adding money to my savings account" and "9. Keep my savings at at least $100 unless there is a legitimate emergency".

One thing I'm a little upset by is that I totally zoned out and accidentally duplicated a couple of goals. I hope, however, to be able to work around them or figure out alternative ways to accomplish them, as one of each is more specific than the other. So we'll see!

Amendment: After Jenn saw this, she graciously offered to assist with the duplicate issue! My duplicates have now been replaced with legitimate goals I later berated myself for missing out. Success!