When I decided that I was going to take a self-portrait once per month for 1001 days I thought it would be a breeze.  After all, how hard could it be to put myself on the other side of a camera every 4 weeks?

It should be easy, but I came really close to forgetting this month.  I had all of the time in the world over the weekend to take my self-portrait but it never once crossed my mind to do so.  Not until I was driving home from work tonight, with a splitting headache behind my eye, did I remember that today was the last day of April.

Bugger.

So here is the very best I could manage.  It’s the face of a girl who was on her feet for most of the day, but was clever enough to wear a wedge instead of skyscraper heels.  It’s a photo of somebody who eventually had to kick off her shoes completely to move furniture when the other guy didn’t show up, and made sure everyone else met a deadline.  She’s the girl whose laptop crashed and destroyed an hour’s work (but she didn’t lose her temper), and who made time to help somebody that nobody else wanted to deal with.

A girl who finally microwaved her lunch at 3.15pm, and ate it cold at 4pm; desperately in need of two Panadol, but too busy to walk the 50m to go and get it.

More importantly, the girl in the photo managed to get so much done at work today that she wasn’t about to drop the ball on her own little project.  It may not be beautifully lit, and the circles under her eyes may be darker than usual, but it’s done.

And it’s me.

A photo of me, one day in April.

It’s been three months since I began my mission to complete 101 Things in 1001 Days, which means there’s only thirty more to go!  It sounds like a long time (it is a long time) but I know from experience that it’s easy to get complacent.  There were a few items that I couldn’t cross off my list last time I took on this challenge, and it was all because I didn’t begin them early enough.  I’ve learned my lesson, and I’m starting strong!

I thought it would be good for my motivation to check in here every 3 months and write a bumper update about my progress.  It’s kind of cool to see it laid out this way, and it helps me to realise how much I’ve been able to cram into my already-busy life in just 12 weeks.

So, here’s the stats.

Completed: 9
In progress: 22
Not yet started: 70

Let’s start with the 9 items that I’ve been able to cross off since January 1st.

001 – Donate to an important cause or charity
An old friend was diagnosed with breast cancer last year at the age of 32.  She’s still undergoing treatment, and some of her best friends got together to raise money for breast cancer research.  I was really happy to contribute to such a worthy cause.

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022 – Complete another round of Couch to 5K
When I added this item to my list I hadn’t done much running for two years.  I expected to have to restart the C25K program completely, but was surprised that I was able to run a couple of kilometres straight away!  I ended up beginning C25K again at Week 7 and I’m now comfortably running 5km a few times per week.  (If you’re doing C25K make sure you grab my printable chart and read my tips!)

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026 – Lose 5kg
This took me a few weeks, and now I’m close to losing my second 5kg!

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031 – For one month, give up added sugar; and
032 – For one month, give up added salt
These two items were completed alongside my 12WBT eating plan, which made them much easier to tackle than if I’d done it on my own.  I’ve finally trained myself out of mindlessly seasoning my meals with salt as I cook, and instead I rely on fresh herbs for flavour.  Sugar’s never really been a big problem for me, but for one month I made sure that I didn’t snack on any sugary foods and checked the ingredients in things like sauces and dressings.  The difference in my wellbeing has been phenomenal – in my overall shape, my energy levels and my skin.

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034 – For one month, take lunch to work every day
Tim deserves a lot of the credit for making this happen!  We’ve both been taking lunch to work from home this year, and that’s made it easier to share the work and the shopping.  We’re eating SO well, and I also have a smug sense of satisfaction that I’m not subsidising the terrible cafeteria at work anymore.  Unexpected achievement: for three months I’ve quit the staffroom Arnotts biscuits and customary Friday Tim Tams.  What’s happening to me?!

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038 – Go to a new Melbourne market
I wrote about our trip to the Rose St Market in Fitzroy earlier this week.   Loved it!

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054 – Fly a kite
We bought a kite, we assembled it… and then we struggled to get the bleeping thing up in the air.  But then we did manage to get it to fly and we made a video!

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081 – Have my Gran’s sewing machine serviced
She’s been given the once-over and had a part replaced.  Now all I need to do is learn how to use it!  Hmm…

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One of my strategies for tackling this round of 101 Things in 1001 Days was to begin a bunch of longer-term tasks early, and get them started in some way.  So although I’ve only been able to complete 9 tasks in these first 12 weeks I’ve also put a dent in 22 others!  It feels good to know that there will be payoff later for getting things underway now.

003 – Donate 101 things I no longer need (15/101)
I have a bunch of clothes and clutter to donate soon, so this number will have jumped the next time I check in!

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011 – Visit Tim’s family in the USA; and
012 – Visit 3 new states in the USA; and
045 – Eat a lobster roll in Maine; and
046 – See the Red Sox play at Fenway Park
My annual leave has been approved for Sept/Oct this year, so now we just need to book our flights!  While we’re in the States we’ll be visiting Connecticut, New York, Vermont & Maine and I’m going to do my best to squeeze in one more state that I’ve never been to before.  We have tickets for a Red Sox game at Fenway Park, and that lobster roll will be MINE when we get to Maine.  Can you tell that I’m getting excited?

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021 – Complete Michelle Bridges’ 12 Week Body Transformation (12WBT)
This has been an incredible experience, and it will all be wrapped up in 5 weeks.

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027 – Lose another 5kg
Nearly there!

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040 – Complete a jigsaw puzzle
I have two to choose from.  Just waiting to finish the project that’s taken over my dining table so that I can begin!

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051 – See 10 movies directed by Martin Scorcese (2/10); and
052 – See 10 classic old movies I’ve never seen before (2/10); and
061 – Watch every episode of The OC  (14/92)
Tim is in charge of the movie selection.  I’m in charge of making sure that he sees The OC in its entirety before he gets old and it gets too creepy.  Teamwork!

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068 – See 3 professional theatre productions (2/3)
In January this year we took my parents to see a production of The Importance of Being Earnest with Geoffrey Rush.  Then in February we saw A Chorus Line.  Perhaps #3 will be a Broadway show?

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078 – Take 101 photos with my Fuji Instax Mini 25 (52/101)
This has been way more fun than I expected!  I’ve been keeping all of my photos on a separate page and I can’t believe I’m already halfway through this task.  Not every shot is a masterpiece, but that was kind of the point of this task.  It’s a fun little camera.

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087 – Complete Rachel & Elsie’s Art Journal All Year e-course (5/52)
If there were 8 days in a week, I would spend the other one art journaling.  It’s messy and lots of fun.

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088 – Make a book of pressed flowers and leaves
I’ve already written a post about the progress of my pretty little book.  I’ve made a huge dent in this task, but I’ve decided to put it aside until a new season begins so that I can find some different flowers and foliage to press.  I’m scanning each page and keeping them over here.

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089 – Draw or paint 25 figures (3/25); and
091 – Draw or paint 25 hands (3/25); and
092 – Draw or paint 25 still life scenes (1/25); and
093 – Draw or paint 25 trees (1/25)
I’m slowly pushing my way through the hangups that I have about my drawing skills and making some progress with my art-related tasks.  I wish I could be more disciplined about drawing every day, but until I figure out how to do that it’s still fun to make pictures when I can.

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097 – Alter a book, and fill it with drawings
I haven’t scanned the pages of my book yet, but I’ve been hitting the pages of this book with gesso and drawing and painting over the print.  This poor book has a broken spine and a slight identity crisis – it doesn’t know whether it’s supposed to be holding fashion illustrations or still life drawings or swatches of fabric.  But perhaps that’s why I’m enjoying it so much – I’ve given myself permission to make mess and mistakes in this book!

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100 – Take a self-portrait once per month for 1001 days (3/33)
I sort of dread being on the other side of the camera, so it’s been good to force myself into this once a month.  January was just a snapshot on my instax mini, but I’m now inspired to tackle these self-portraits more creatively from now on.

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101 – Save $10 for each completed item for a fun reward at the end! (4/33)
I’m actually a month ahead – I have $40 sitting in an envelope, waiting for me to decide on a fun reward for the completion of this project.  I’m sure I will think of something by 2014!

Give yourself a pat on the back if you made it to the end of this post!  I promise not to bombard you constantly with the details of this project, but I hope you guys won’t mind me checking in every 3 months with a big update.

The cool part about this project, and this particular list of tasks, is that it never ever feels like a chore.  It makes me feel really positive about finishing all 101 Things by the due date!

Task number 88 of my 101 Things in 1001 Days list is to make a book of pressed flowers and leaves.  I’m having a lot of fun with this little project, and learning a lot about patience!  I’m doing it the old fashioned way (ie, using a flower press) which means that each time I collect specimens I need to wait a couple of weeks to see the finished product.

I’m not very good at waiting, but when I open up my flower press for the first time in 2 weeks the big reveal is worth it.

I’m about a third of my way through my book now.  I guess I pictured white paper when I dreamed up this project, but when I was digging through my stash of unused journals the kraft paper in this journal called to me.  It’s been a bit tricky to manage because the paper is flimsy, but I love the way that the colour contrasts with the green leaves.

I’m scanning all my pages as I complete them, and posting them on their own page.  Take a peek if you like, it’s coming together nicely!

Challenge #100 of my 101 Things in 1001 Days project is to take a self-portrait every month.  I don’t often put myself on the other side of the camera (except for the occasional “selfie” on Instagram) and I have to admit that this particular task is a little daunting!

I’ve set up a separate page to house my 33 portraits, so you can head over there to check out my January photo.  It’s nothing special (just a snap on my Fuji Instax Mini 25), but hey – it still counts!

I hope to make my self-portraits as varied as possible over the 1001 day period – different cameras, different post-processing techniques, different locations.  Some will be posed and artistic, others will be more spontaneous.

The photo above is my February 2012 photo.  I am forever indebted to the Gregorian calendar for giving me a 29th day in February in which to complete this task!

That dog is such a photobomber <3

I’ve set myself a challenge to complete 101 Things in 1001 Days, from 1 January 2012 to 28 September 2014.  You can read more about this project here, and follow my progress as I go!

A page from an old journal of mine.  Any excuse to start thinking about autumn!

One of the best parts of having a list of 101 Things is that it gives you permission to do things you wouldn’t normally do on the spot.  We’re all constantly being reminded of the things we should do – sensible, responsible uses for our time and money that qualifies us as grown-ups.  There’s no escaping those.

But what if you wrote a list that was partly made up of Very Silly Things (VSTs)?  What if you set yourself a timeline that was every bit as real as the bright red due date on your energy bill?  What if your success was measured not just by the completion of your responsibilities, but by your VST progress?

My 101 Things projects have been conceived with that exact philosophy in mind.  I know that I have grown-up goals to conquer, and that they’re really important.  I have goals on my list that cover skills I want to develop, fitness milestones, study and money.  I know that when I’ve achieved each one I’m going to feel amazing.

But my list is also peppered with little VSTs, like #54 – Fly a kite!  These little items are really special to me, because they tend to be about experiences and memories and reconnecting with the fun times.  Some of them are downright irresponsible, when you consider the money that could be saved for a financial goal.

But personally, I hope to never become the sort of person who says no to a brightly-coloured kite.

Source unknown.  Does anybody know who made this cute little guy?

We were shopping for a few things this weekend, and I wandered into a games shop for inspiration for another of the items on my list – a new jigsaw puzzle.  While I was there I spotted a rack of little kites, and was surprised to discover that they were all between $20-$50!  I chose one with two strings that could do tricks and assured the helpful gentleman behind the counter that the operator would be over the age of 12.  Well over the age of 12, as it turned out.

Tim and I took it for a spin after dinner last night, and that’s when we discovered that we had absolutely no idea what we were doing.  Everything we tried would send it plummetting to the ground, and after a while a highly-amused audience began to gather.  Eventually some kind soul came over and gave us some tips (add a tail, and let the line out completely) and we were able to get it up in the air.

It was the BEST feeling to watch our little kite soar through the sky when the wind picked up!  The crashes were still violent, but after a while they became less frequent.  And our little makeshift shopping bag kite tail flapped happily away in the sky.

The video captures a little bit of the excitement, and it’s worth watching for the crash montage.  I only wish that I had remembered to record it in landscape!

Music credits: “Kite Fight” by Sweet Thing / “Let’s Go Fly a Kite” – Mary Poppins (Original Soundtrack) 

My advice: put a VST on your to-do list this week.  Your smiley muscles will thank you!

Now that I’ve finished tinkering with my list of 101 Things to do in 1001 Days, I’m excited to start ticking some of those things off!  I Have a number of art related tasks on my list this time around and I wanted to make sure that I started early and enjoyed the process.  And besides, my art classes start up again next week and I was slightly concerned that I had forgotten everything from last year!

The still life scene above was painted on a fairly large piece of canvas board with acrylic paint.  There’s a lot to like about this painting, but I can’t help but stare at the obvious problems with my initial drawing.  I think that’s what always lets me down – I’m so excited to break out the paint that I don’t spend enough time on my sketch.

In any case 1/25 still life scenes complete.

This tree was really just an exercise in playing with a bunch of my art supplies – watercolours, acrylic paint, sumi ink and gesso.  I’m trying to fill an altered book with drawings and being a little more experimental on those pages.  It’s a really fun way to discover which mediums work well together.

24 trees to go!

I’ve also set myself a challenge to take 101 photos with my cute little Fujifilm Instax Mini 25.  This camera is the little brother of Polaroid, and prints out cute credit card sized instant photos.  I’ve had the camera for about a year and for most of that time it was pretty badly neglected.  I’m glad we’re finally spending some quality time together.

I thought that it would take me a long time to churn out 101 photos, but to my surprise I’m almost halfway through in my first month!  Once you get the hang of this camera it’s pretty addictive.  You can see more of my Instax Mini 25 photos here.

I’m really looking forward to beginning another one of my tasks next week when a big box of Ilford black & white film arrives.  I’ve been tracking its progress across the ocean for about a week now and it’s actually in my city now!

I wish I’d been able to purchase the film locally, but to do so would have cost $14 per roll, instead of $3.50 per roll from the US.  Even with 5-day shipping it worked out much cheaper for me to buy it online.  Why do Australian consumers always get the blame for the shift to online shopping when it’s the retailers who won’t compete?

Are you interested in making your own list of 101 Things in 1001 Days?  I often receive comments and emails about my 101 project, and it’s always exciting to hear of people starting up lists of their own.  I also know how daunting it can be to come up with such a big list of tasks that you’re still going to care about two years from now!

I thought I’d share some tips for writing a bulletproof list – little tips and tricks that I wish I’d known when I started my first 101 project.

Ready?  Here we go!

01.  Pick a start date for your project
I’ve always chosen 1 January because I love clean slates.  You may prefer to finish at the end of a calendar year, or you might like to start or finish on your birthday.  Whatever works for you.

Something to consider: what else will be going on in your life during that final month of your project?  Don’t schedule your finish date during your exams or during a busy month of family birthdays.  That last month is a race against the clock!

02.  Start writing your list early
Nobody ever tells you how much work goes into creating a list of 101 things that represent your goals.  I’m sure that all of us can think of a handful of tasks off the tops of our heads, but what then?

I recommend keeping a small notebook nearby to jot down ideas as you think of them.  Try to come up 150 things if you can, that way you will have plenty of choice when it comes time to curate your best 101 goals!

It took more than a month for me to come up with a really solid list.  Towards the end of this post you’ll find plenty of inspiration to use if you find that you’re getting stuck.

03.  Brainstorm and categorize
As I jotted down my ideas I noticed that they formed some themes.  I had written about places I wanted to visit, how I wanted to improve my health and skills I wanted to practise.  There were tasks related to personal growth, and lots of experiences that I wanted to enjoy.  It helped me a lot to recognise these themes and use them to create a list of big-picture categories.

From there, other goals became more obvious to me.  For example, I had already listed Complete another round of Couch to 5K as a goal, and this reminded me that I’ve always wanted to sign up for a 5km fun run.  Lots of things fell into place for me this way.

I know that categories don’t work for everybody.  In fact, if you look around the web at other 101/1001 lists you’ll notice that most of them are just randomised, unconnected tasks.  I can see how this would be an excellent approach for people who don’t have their hearts set on long-term goals.

04.  Be  S.M.A.R.T.
Take a look at your list.  Can you define exactly when you can cross off each task?

Specific (what is it, and by when?)
Measurable  (how much?  how many?)
Attainable (can it be done with available time & money?)
Relevant (does it matter? will it matter later?)
Timely (how long? by when?)

Nothing kills a list of goals like ambiguity.  Instead of get fit, how about these: run for 20 minutes without stopping or fit back into my wedding dress?

If you have a really big goal it can be a good idea to break it down into smaller goals that you can cross off at various milestones.

05.  Review your list
1001 days is enough time to train for a marathon.  It’s also plenty of time to visit every continent, start a family, write a novel or learn to dance en pointe.

However, most of us can’t do all of those things together – especially if we want to keep our jobs and partners and sanity!

It’s easy to get carried away.  1001 days seems like such a long period of time, but believe me – it can fly!  Check that your list is achievable as a whole so that it doesn’t wind up ruling (or ruining) your life.

Rather than scrapping items altogether, consider setting yourself smaller versions of your goals.  Don’t write a list that is destined to fail.

06.  Put your list away for a week or two.
Don’t skip this step!

In my experience, most people who quit their 101 projects halfway through do so because they don’t have time, or they stop caring about the goals they picked out at the start.  Both reasons boil down to the same issue: the list just wasn’t right in the first place.

When you bring your list back out of hiding ask yourself these questions.

-  Is my list realistic?  Can all of this be achieved in 1001 days, without sacrificing my job or relationships?
-  Am I really going to care about each of those things a couple of years from now?
-  Can I still finish my list if I change jobs, start a family, or move to another country?

If your answer to that last question is no, read on!

07.  Set some rules

Life has an uncanny ability to get in the way of the things we set out to do.  1001 days from now you might have more children, or a high-flying job that demands more of your energy.  Maybe you’ll win Idol and your manager controls your schedule now.  Or – this happened to me – maybe you were relying on an online resource to complete a task, and it disappeared!

It’s good to have an idea from the outset of what you’ll do if life throws you curveballs – do you scrap your list and start again?

You haven’t signed any contracts here, and what you do next is a personal decision. If I discover that a task is unachievable or irrelevant a year from now I’ll be substituting it with something else.

OK.  You’ve started to jot down some ideas, and you’re struggling to get past #32.  Here are some ideas for building a great list that will stretch and inspire you.

Perhaps you’ve always wanted to travel, but other commitments have gotten in the way.  Maybe you have been secretly hoping that somebody will take you skydiving for your birthday but nobody has picked up the hint!  At least a couple of the tasks on your 101 list should be Big Things that put you in the driver’s seat, and they need to be achievable in the next 1001 days.

Big Things don’t have to be expensive; that’s really  not the point.  For example, some of us might be able to easily afford a trip to Paris in the next 1001 days but would struggle to go because of career or family commitments.  What’s the biggest thing that’s stopping you from realising your big dream – work, family, money or procrastination?  Is there anything you can do to break your goal down into smaller chunks that will get you closer?

Big Things are the luxuries that we would happily give to or do for a loved one on a round-number birthday to show them how much we care.  Big Things are large-scale challenges that we set for ourselves.  Big Things are what we dream about at 3pm on a boring workday.

Examples:  visit an overseas country / go skydiving / buy a house / run a marathon / set foot in every state or continent /  start a business / go back to university / move to a new town / take the kids to Disneyworld / sing in front of a crowd / start a family / get a tattoo / write a novel / make a short film / have a solo art exhibition / learn a language / pay off your credit card / raise funds for an important cause / hike the Kokoda trail / climb a mountain / quit smoking / conquer a fear

One of the best ways to write a 101 List is to think about the sorts of things you always wanted to do when you were a kid.  Make sure that your list has at least a few ridiculous, frivolous tasks – and go out and do them!  Most people I speak to carry some sort of regret about the things they stopped doing when they “grew up”.  I think we’re always happiest when we take the time to nurture our inner child.

One of my happiest memories from my last list was building a snowman.  It mightn’t seem like much, but I grew up on the beach – not the snow!

Examples: go on every ride at a theme park / wear mismatched socks for a day / lead a restaurant in singing happy birthday to your friend (especially if it’s not their birthday!) / go grocery shopping in your pajamas / dye your hair a bright colour / see 3 movies in one day / have a food fight / go skinny dipping / build a sandcastle / find a pen-pal / read a book in a day / write a letter to future-you / try a new craft / wear false lashes for a day / open a recipe book to a random page and cook / make somebody a mix tape / dress up for Halloween / write a song

One key tip for surviving the next 1001 days: ensure that your list has plenty of little tasks that can be easily crossed off!  It can be very overwhelming to have a number of big challenges on the go at one time, and sometimes it helps to cross off something quick so that you can see some progress.

This might be the most important tip of all!

Examples: grow a plant from seed / rearrange your bedroom / do something nice for a stranger / try a new cake recipe / re-read a favourite book / try that food you hated as a kid / buy a set of luxurious bath towels / start a collection / fill somebody’s parking meter / kiss in the rain / no fast food for one month / alphabetise your bookshelf by author’s surname / don’t complain for one week / take a cooking class / make a playlist of your 101 favourite songs / learn to use your camera’s manual settings

Need more inspiration?  Check out my list of 101 Things to do in 1001 Days (2012 – 2014) or my previous list  from 2008-2010 for lots more ideas.  Make sure you also visit Day Zero, the birthplace of this project, for tips and ideas.

Good luck!

If you’ve been reading this blog for a while you’ll know all about the 101 Things in 1001 Days challenge that I tackled from 2008-2010.  It was an incredibly inspiring and motivating project and I have so many achievements and happy memories under my belt as a result of seeing it through.

I went hot air ballooning, and went horseriding on the beach.  I gave blood and sponsored a little girl in Eduador.  There was so much more… I’d love for you to read my wrap-up post from 2010 to see all of the other great stuff I was able to pack into those 2.75 years!

Part of me wanted to begin another 101 list immediately after finishing the last one, but instead I decided to enjoy the lack of deadlines and think carefully about what I wanted to achieve with my next list.  This little break gave me the headspace I needed to think about what sort of things I really wanted to achieve, and a year later I was ready to write it all down.  The tasks I chose are the usual mix of self-improvement, travel/experiences and creative challenges, but this list feels a lot more focused than my last.  I’m excited and ready to go!

Now that the last-minute tinkering is done I can share with you my latest 101 Things in 1001 Days project.  Enjoy!

Are you interested in beginning a list of 101 Things in 1001 Days too?  I’ll be sharing some tips for writing a bulletproof list in my next post.

On January 1st 2008 I embarked on a challenge to complete 101 Things in 1001 Days.

Yesterday it all came to an end!

This project has been one of the most fulfilling projects I have ever undertaken. I am known to be a little evangelical on this topic if given the chance, but only because it has had such an incredible impact on my life. This project has helped me to put some shape to the things that matter most to me, and granted me several much needed butt-kickings along the way!

The end result has been 2.75 years of growth and experiences that I may not have otherwise gotten around to tackling. I was able to complete 94 goals from my original list of 101 (with a few modifications along the way), and a few “works in progress” that just missed the deadline.

Here’s the breakdown:

The 5 tasks that I couldn’t complete in time:
002 – Weight loss goal #2
017 – Set a savings target, meet it, and maintain it for 6 months.
027 – Learn the names of every country, and identify them on a map
057 – Finish the last “Harry Potter” book
101 – Plan and execute an online crafty collaboration, swap or competition

Despite not finishing these 5 tasks, I consider each of them an achievement because of the time already invested in them during my 1001 days. I have made a good dent in all five incomplete goals, so I feel like I am well on my way!

And of course, the end of my 101 in 1001 project is no reason to just stop working on them. I guess it was just a race against the clock in the last few weeks, and these were the ones that I had to let go.

The 2 tasks I never started
003 – Weight loss goal #3
099 – Participate in mailart.org

My third weight loss goal couldn’t be started until I successfully finished my second, and I didn’t quite make it!

The mailart.org task became impossible when the website disappeared at some point during the past couple of years. I had always intended to replace it with something similar but simply ran out of time.

I am beginning my post with the items that I didn’t complete so that I can finish with the good stuff! I expected to feel a bit disappointed in myself if I didn’t hit all 101 goals, but one of the things I learned about myself during the project is that I have had some serious issues with perfectionism in the past. There were times when I found myself not beginning a task because I was worried I wouldn’t do it in the best possible way, and that’s just dumb! I really had to learn some strategies to get me doing instead of just thinking about it, and over time I’ve really developed some perspective.

After all, the only person I have to answer to is myself!

You can see my full list over here, with all of the details of my itemized tasks.  Rather than recreating it here, I thought I might explain in real terms the ways in which those tasks have had an impact during the past couple of years.

I travelled.

I travelled to Tasmania, and indulged in some incredible seafood.
I went to Phillip Island, and made vegemite chocolate at Panny’s Chocolate Factory
I experienced the Great Ocean Road, and saw the Apostles
I saw snow on Lake Mountain, and made a very stylish snowman.
I visited 50 Melbourne suburbs
I walked to the city and back 8 times in one month
I have planned my travel to New York and New England in September 2011!

I improved myself.

I learned to run 5km comfortably
I learned 15 new vegetarian recipes
I learned to cook a recipe from 30 countries
I have improved my health and fitness by riding my bike more and joining a gym
I challenged myself to a fortnight without meat
I challenged myself to a month without chocolate (and survived!)
I have found full-time employment which challenges and fulfils me (preceded by another job that didn’t)
I taught myself to use Excel (and am now completing a Cert IV which expands what I have learned)
I read the dictionary from beginning to end
I have learned to spot 5 constellations in the sky
I kept a swear jar for 2 weeks (and raised enough cash to sustain a small village!)
I learned a lot about wine, and the different regions on the East coast and Clare Valley
I learned all the US state capitals
I learned to sign the alphabet
I made a Will

I improved my lifestyle.

I have learned to budget, and set up joint savings/spendings accounts with Tim
I have donated, sold and thrown away hundreds of material items
I organised my filing cabinet
I bought a new computer and scanner
I organised and backed up all my photos with a new hard drive, and streamlined my workflow
I organised all of my music, and fixed up all the tagging
I grew a herb garden
I bought a BBQ, a new microwave and some beautiful Global knives
I bought a spare bed and a new coffee table
I bought a car (ok, Tim helped!)
I had my guitar fixed
I expanded my photography equipment with new lenses
I have had my couches dry-cleaned
I had my pup’s teeth cleaned (yes, that improves my life too!)
I have walked my dog more regularly

I helped other people.

I have sponsored a child through World Vision for the past 2 years
I did an anonymous favour
I did an anonymous prank (it was harmless and positive!)
I donated blood, and renewed my Senior First Aid certificate
I have identified (and put into practice) 5 ways in which I can reduce my impact on the environment
I donated books
I secretly flew into Brisbane to surprise Mum for her birthday

I had new experiences.

I have taken a beautiful ride in a hot air balloon
I have been horseriding on the beach
I watched 25 of Tim’s favourite movies
I read 10 novels by Melbourne authors
I have visited 5 different Melbourne markets
I ate at 25 different local restaurants (actually, it was more like 40!)
I went to Werribee Zoo
I visited to Luna Park
I went to a ghost tour at Old Melbourne Gaol
I went for a cruise down the Yarra River
I have experienced my first AFL games (at Etihad Stadium, and the MCG)
I visited 10 Australian art galleries
I ate on the Restaurant Tram
I have, with a healthy amount of embarrassment, been on the Neighbours tour
I have seen a Gold Class movie for the first time
I saw an outdoor movie (at the Rooftop Cinema, then at the Moonlight Cinema)
I slept under the stars
I watched the sun rise from the beach
I have been part of a live TV audience
I have watched every episode of Lost (and loved every second)
I have blown a stack of cash on a serious haircut and colour (and decided that it was overrated)
I built myself a time capsule
I carved a pumpkin for Halloween

I created.

I built a portfolio of my photography
I rebuilt my recipe blog
I sold a little of my photography
I took 100 snapshots, and turned them into a little book
I photographed a day in my life
I made some jewellery
I recorded a song for guitar, piano & voice
I drew 5 hands & 10 people
I drew every day for a month
I drew everything I ate for one week
I completed a course in art journaling
I have sewn a sock monkey and a doll
I have bought (and used) a flower press
I have created a list of 100 things that make me happy!

My list was created at a time when I was new to Melbourne, looking for work, and figuring out what to do with myself at the end of a career path.  I remember wanting to turn my new city into “home” by discovering as much as possible about it, and to develop the sides of me that had been neglected while I pursued my career in music. 

I didn’t have much money in the bank when I wrote my list, and so there are no grand round-the-world trips.  I didn’t go overseas or write a novel.  Instead, my list was created to build upon the areas of my life that needed a little more structure, and a time limit!

The end result is a set of goals that is very “me”.  And since I am such a massive procrasinator I can confidently say that most of those goals would still be sitting in the one day basket if not for my deadline!

This simple idea has done so much to enrich my life, and some of my new experience have given me memories I will treasure forever.  Naturally, my next 101 list is already in the planning stages!

I have so many tips for people who want to embark on this project, and so I will be writing a bit of a guide later which outlines the strategies that worked for me. Most of it comes back to the writing of the list itself, as this entire project is pointless if your list isn’t completely authentic and specific.

For the time being, however, I am going to bask in my goal-lessness of “Day 1002″! It is already off to a cracking start, with the delivery of this beautiful orchid to work yesterday:

How good is that? I had no idea I had managed to program the date into somebody else’s head!

It goes without saying that I have had tremendous support throughout this project, but I’ll say it anyway! Massive thankyous go to:

Tim, who arranged our beautiful hot air balloon ride on my 30th birthday, brainstormed with me for “100 snapshots”, watched 25 movies with me, donated blood with me, helped us to afford a new car and computer, carried our new coffee table home on the tram and performed countless other acts of kindness to put me in the path of my goals over the past 2.75 years

Sally, who helped me tick off a stack of items in two separate trips to Melbourne (Ghost tour, Neighbours tour, Yarra cruise, trip to the Apostles, some international recipes… and she bought me a Will Kit!)

April, Tim, Sally & Janelle who contributed a letter to “future me” for my time capsule

Foodie friends who helped me to find recipes for my ’15 vegetarian recipes’ and ’30 recipes from 30 countries’ goals (or helped me eat the finished product!)

Olivia & Laura for answering my call and buying some of my photography from my RedBubble store

YOU GUYS, for listening to my little achievements whenever I reported in, and giving me encouragement to keep going!

Whew! What a ride. And what a post! Give yourself a pat on the back (and an extra glass of vino) if you managed to read this far!

Photo by Craig Matthews for The Mercury

This time tomorrow we will be wandering around the markets at Salamanca Place, and – if the photo above is anything to go by – freezing our BUTTS off! Tasmania obviously didn’t get the memo about Winter being over already. I will spread the word when we fly in tomorrow.

So there won’t be much action here until late next week when we return from our trip. Visiting Tasmania is another item on my 101 Things in 1001 Days list, and fortunately the Universe arranged for me to be there without any real effort on my part!

This is my first trip to Tasmania and we have a lot of ground to cover while we’re there. We’re going to spend a day in Port Arthur, see parts of Hobart and Richmond (including the markets) and tours of the Cascade Brewery and Cadbury Chocolate Factory. This will be my second chocolate factory tour in 8 days but no I *twitch* don’t have a *twitch* problem OKAY?!

We also have a long list of restaurants to try, so we’re in for a great few days away. Mostly, I’m excited about having a change of scenery and seeing a bit more of this brilliant country of mine.

(We’re very grateful to our friends J & G who will be puppysitting for us while we’re away. They seemed to think that our original plan to leave Harry with the TV remote and the number for Pizza Hut was somehow inadequate, so hooray for good friends!)

I’ll be back next week with 60,000 photos…