101 Things in 1001 Days: My Ultimate Life Goals List

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I’m a sucker for a to-do list. It once even got to the point where I had a list of lists saved on my phone so I would know where each list was stored. A job list for each room in the house, planning for work, a second list of jobs round the house, paperwork, calls to make, emails to send, thoughts to share with Brett… It got a little bit ridiculous and I had to give myself a bit of a talking to at that point.

But personal goals lists are a different kettle of fish. I’ve always had a bucket list of goals. Last year I tried New year’s resolutions, weight loss targets, monthly focus… but something always comes along and derails me. And once I’m derailed, I find it hard to get back on track. I see it as a failure.

So that’s where this new challenge comes in and I think it’s a great idea (originally from Day Zehttps://dayzeroproject.com/ro Project). 101 things (goals, or resolutions, or targets, whatever you want to call them) in 1001 days. 1001 days. Sounds impressive doesn’t it. It’s 2.75 years. Or two and 3/4 years. 24024 hours, 1441440 minutes, or 86486400 seconds. I actually really enjoy the symmetry in it. That sounds like a long time. In 1001 days the average person will spend:

⁃ 8030 hours asleep

⁃ 5720 hours working

⁃ 4653 hours watching TV

⁃ 1137 hours eating and drinking

⁃ 858 hours completing housework

It’s so much time, that by the time my challenge ends, my children (now 4 years old and almost 9 months old) will be 7 and 3. Wow. That seems so far away! But it will pass in the blink of an eye.

So, how do I plan to keep myself on track this time around? Well, I plan on doing a check in every 100 days. I’ll also use this list to create monthly targets so I’m keeping these at the forefront of my mind. But, and here’s the biggest difference, it won’t matter if something comes up in that month and derails me. Because I can try again next month, knowing I haven’t gone over my actual “deadline”. If I don’t meet my target before the end of January 2024, I’ll have another 30 months to try again.

On average I would need to complete 10 goals at every 100 day check-in. It’s a better period of time and it just feels right. Close enough that (with check in dates planned) I can stay on top of things, but plenty of time so that I can set a real, meaningful list of things I actually want to achieve.

I’ve spent a long time brainstorming and thinking of where I’d really like to be in 2.75 years time. In the end, I’ve split my list of things into different categories so I can really focus myself. There are a mix of simple challenges, new skills, outdoor activities, professional goals, some to push me out of my comfort zone and some just for fun things.

That being said, 1001 days is a long time and a lot can change. This is my first list and my first time attempting this challenge. I reserve the right to make reasonable changes to goals that are no longer relevant or achievable if and when life throws me a curveball.

So, without further ado, here is my very own list of 101 things to achieve in the next 1001 days:

101 Things in 1001 Days start date: 1st January 2024

101 Things in 1001 Days end date: 28th September 2026

Check in dates:

• 10th April 2024
• 19th July 2024
• 27th October 2024
• 4th February 2025
• 15th May 2025
• 23rd August 2025
• 1st December 2025
• 11th March 2026
• 19th June 2026

Home

1. Move house

2. Make a realistic cleaning schedule

3. Stick to a cleaning schedule for a month

4. Buy a new sofa

5. Complete a decluttering challenge

6. Donate/sell 101 things

7. Set up Bertie’s knight/sword wall

8. Sort the desk and actually work from it

9. Put ring doorbell up

10. Put Moroccan rug up

11. Organise printed photos up to current date

12. Buy fresh flowers for myself 5 times

Health

13. Complete a 30 day health challenge two times

14. Go to the dentist

15. Close all rings on Apple Watch for an entire month

16. Stay within weekly calories for a month

17. Lose 10lb

18. Lose 20lb

19. Lose 30lb

20. Lose 40lb

21. Go to sleep by 10.30 every day for a month

22. Wake up at 6.30 every day for a month

23. Donate blood

24. Drink a smoothie every day for a month

25. Get my eyes tested and buy more than one new pair of glasses

26. Take vitamins every day for a month

27. Give up fizzy drinks for lent

Family

28. Family photo shoot

29. Go to the zoo

30. Host a play date

31. Visit Hadrians Wall

32. Camp in the tent

33. Picnic in the woods

34. Weekend trip away completely unplugged

35. Go to a festival (other than Big Malarkey)

36. Take a spontaneous trip after school/nursery

37. Holiday or day trip with another family

38. Visit the maritime museum when it reopens

39. Date day without the kids

40. Have a solid weekday routine morning and evening

41. Have the boys grow sunflowers without killing them

Personal

42. Try 5 new foods or new recipes

43. Make a pie

44. Bake bread 3 times

45. Sew a project

46. Have an uninterrupted bubble bath with a book

47. Fix Maggie’s bracelet and wear it again

48. Buy a necklace for Granny’s charm

49. Buy breast milk jewellery

50. Go kayaking

51. Play badminton

52. Go to the theatre 5 times

53. Get a massage and/or spa treatments

Reading

54. Re-read Harry Potter

55. Read 5 classics

56. Read 5 new books per year

57. Read Bertie a chapter book from my childhood

58. Read a book originally written in a different language

59. Read a banned book

60. Read a book written in the year I was born

61. Read a play

Career

62. Take 3 in-person or online courses

63. Read 5 books for CPD

64. Submit paperwork 1 week in advance at least 3 times

65. Take lunch for a whole month

66. Exceed an appraisal target

67. Organise a whole school event

68. Do a sponsored challenge to raise money for new equipment

69. Be a well-being fairy and surprise someone with a cheer up gift 5 times

70. Have an up-to-date and organised subject lead folder

71. Host a training session for another school

72. Work desk clear at the end of every day for a half term

73. Create and maintain a new blog and instagram to share knowledge and ideas

Blog

74. Paid work with a brand

75. Write a guest post for another blog

76. Host a guest post on the blog

77. DA above 10

78. Publish twice a week for 2 months

79. Publish 100 blog posts

80. Buy/create a personalised theme

81. Create a paid download and sell at least 5

82. 5 review posts with affiliate links

83. Break even on the money I’ve put into the blog

84. Publish daily on Pinterest for a month

85. Post daily on Instagram for a month

86. Have a post rank 1st on google

87. Earn enough to buy a MacBook to work from

88. Have a post hit 1000 views

Finances

89. Debt free (minus student loan, mortgage, car)

90. Go through monthly subscriptions and cancel what isn’t needed

91. 30 days no spend challenge

92. Buy a new car

93. Fully funded pots (£200 MOT, £300 car insurance, £1,000 emergency fund, £500 annual bills)

94. Sort through finances folder – organise and shred old documents

95. Start a savings pot for the Lego house for Brett’s 50th – £5,000 target by 2031

96. Start a savings pot for Disney world for my 40th – £5,000 target by 2032

97. Make a will

98. Side hustle £100 in a month (blog work not included)

99. Pay it forward 5 times

100. Put away £5 for every goal met in a separate pot

101. Write a new goal list for the next 101 in 1001

You can expect to see my first round of updates in the coming months and I’ll pop back here with any relevant links to share my journey.

Why not have a go at writing your own 101 in 1001 days list? There are no preset tasks and it could be so much fun to come up with a new list. Please do tag me if you have a go, I’d love to read your 101 things in 1001 days challenge list and help you to tick off as many as you can.