5 Steps to Create a 101 in 1001 List That Gets Accomplished
Things I’ve Learned From Failing the Challenge Twice
The 101 Goals in 1001 Days has been around for a few years and was created by DayZero, an online community developed to help crush goals.
The idea is pretty simple, write down 101 goals that you plan to accomplish in the next 1001 days. The hard part comes while actually accomplishing those goals.
There are things that if you don’t realize while planning can set you up for failure from the starting point. I know because I’ve failed the challenge twice… once in 2016 and once in 2018.
A few things that I did that set me up for failure:
- trying to cram too much in: one of my entries was to tackle all consumer debt. That’s a huge undertaking when you have two credit cards and a car. That goal by itself warrants enough for 1/3 of the time. For me, it should have been at least 3 goals, not one.
- Choosing things I wasn’t committed to long term: while it’s fun and even a growing experience to try things that are outside of our comfort zones, it is important to consider what will actually add the value. Think of it long term, what you think you may be interested in learning or doing in 6–18 months or more.
- Not being crystal clear on why things made the list. For me, if I was interested in it, I wrote it down. Simple. However, without knowing a why behind our actions, it’s uncommon that we’ll stick around for long enough to see it out.
- Allowing myself to avoid thinking about how all of these things fit together. There is a point to balancing your list between easy and hard. Between needs and desires. Make sure that all are included in your list but make sure that at least some of them they work together.
Crafting a New List
Step 1: Brainstorm. The length of the challenge is approximately 2 years, 8 months long. What do you want do accomplish during that time. Consider categories such as:
- finances
- relationships
- work
- experiences
- challenges
While it can be helpful to google and read other’s 101 in 1001 list, it’s just inspiration.
Just because something sounds cool does not mean that it needs to be on your list. Keep only what speaks to you at a deep level.
Step 2: Set it aside for a few days. It will give you time to think about if there’s anything not on the list that should be or on the list that should be changed.
Think about what you have already. Are you mixing fun with serious, easy with difficult, passions and needs?
Step 3: Rewrite Your List: rewrite your list considering the mixture and if things need to be broken down.
If one of your big goals is to get better at writing, how do you define that goal? Working with a mentor for a month? Practicing your skills during NaNoWriMo? Writing 25 posts in a month?
Each of these becomes a smaller goal. Instead of having a goal to attend 3 writer’s workshops, your list can include 3 goals to try 3 types of workshops.
Step 4: Set it aside for a few days. This is almost 3 years of your life that you are setting goals for. Knowing that you have fresh eyes and time to plan are crucial.
Don’t rush this process. You risk leaving things out, setting yourself up for failure and not being clear.
Review in a few days. Is this a list that you can commit to whole heartedly or is this a list that you think will stress you out? Revise again if necessary.
Step 5: Allow yourself flexibility to change. This is not an excuse to change every detail once a month. However, reflection is crucial to self development and self growth.
Also, despite our best efforts, sometimes the things on our list change and it’s outside our control.
Some examples: a class clashes with a consistent work schedule, an event gets cancelled, circumstances change or our viewpoints change.
It’s ideal to allow time at least once a year to evaluate what has happened with the list and where you’d like it to go from there.
Celebrate your accomplishments and realize what is or is not true to you at this point in your life.
In conclusion…
Lists like the 101 in 1001 keep us focused, motivated and on track to meeting goals, if used wisely.
They can help us to accomplish more than we currently think we can.
However, the commitment to a project of this magnitude can set us up for the next few years or tear us down.
Allowing for flexibility and not overwhelming from the beginning will help us to stay on track and keep the things that matter front and center.
