Lately I have been reading a lot of personal finance and some personal development blogs and came across a post by Trent at the SimpleDollar about this neat (in my opinion) idea. Here is a quick summary from Triplux followed by my list:

• The Mission: Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days.


• The Criteria: Tasks must be specific (ie. no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (ie. represent some amount of work on my part).
• Why 1001 Days? Many people have created lists in the past - frequently simple goals such as new year's resolutions. The key to beating procrastination is to set a deadline that is realistic. 1001 Days (about 2.75 years) is a better period of time than a year, because it allows you several seasons to complete the tasks, which is better for organising and timing some tasks such as overseas trips or outdoor activities.
• Some common goal setting tips:
1. Be decisive. Know exactly what you want, why you want it, and how you plan to achieve it.
2. Stay Focussed. Any goal requires sustained focus from beginning to end. Constantly evaluate your progress.
3. Welcome Failure. Frequently, very little is learned from a venture that did not experience failure in some form. Failure presents the opportunity to learn and makes the success more worthy.
4. Write down your goals. It clarifies your thinking and reinforces your commitment.
5. Keep your goals in sight. Review them frequently, and ensure that they are always at the forefront of your thinking.

Below is the list of my goals. I am still playing with it a little bit and therefore my "zeroeth" goal is to finalize it by the end of the month. The dot means that I believe that the goal is too personal to be published on the website. I will try to update the list at least bi-weekly (goal #6). All dates are in "American" format (month/day/year). The timeframe is from July 9th, 2007 to April 5th, 2010

• General
0. Freeze the list by 7/31/07
1. Save $10 as a reward for each completed item to spend as I see at the end of the 1001 days (current: $70)
2. Donate $100 for each goal that I have not completed
• Personal
3. .
4. .
5. Catch up with someone I have not talked with in a while once per week (26 / 143)
6. Post on the website at least once in two weeks (18 / 72)
7. Check the air pressure and appropriate fill the tires with air every month (14/33)
• 7/21/07
• 8/30/07
• 10/6/07
• 11/17/07
• 12/5/07
• 12/21/07
• 01/02/08
• 02/02/08
• 03/08/08
• 04/05/08
• 05/07/08
• 06/03/08
• 07/12/08
• 08/07/08


8. Setup home entertainment network completed 3/15/08
9. Finish organizing my music files completed 6/8/08
10. Automate My Documents backup completed 11/2/07
11. Build wooden platforms to raise up computer desk
12. Use up at least two weeks of vacation per year (2.55 / 6 weeks)
13. Compile a do-not-shop list of crappy companies and do not shop there!
• Flying
14. Create my own checklist for Skyhawk (combine Epic, ERAU, POH)
15. Create before-flying checklist for local flights
16. Create before-flying checklist for cross-country flights
17. Get spin training
18. Get hypoxia training
19. Become proficient operating G1000
20. Identify each switch and circuit breaker without looking in G1000 Skyhawk
21. Get commercial ticket
22. Log 50 hours in 2008 (current: 6.7)
23. Log 50 hours in 2009
24. Fly to Ohio
25. Fly to Chicago terminal area
26. Ride in a hot-air balloon
27. Ride on a helicopter
• Travel
28. Visit family at least twice per year (2 / 6)
29. Go to AirVenture completed 8/1/08
30. Visit Gabe in Seattle completed 8/17/07
31. Visit California completed 4/9/08
32. Take family to Grand Canyon
33. Go on a cruise to Alaska
34. Go on another cruise
35. Go on a fishing trip to Canada
36. Travel to Hawaii
37. Travel around Europe
38. Travel to New Zealand
39. Travel with the family at least once per year (0 / 3)
40. Visit Mark Twain museum completed 8/17/08
41. Go to Boston
• Other hobbies and entertainment
42. Learn to sail and get Light Weather Helmsman rating in 2007 completed 10/06/07
43. Earn Advanced Light Weather Helmsman rating in 2008
44. Earn Heavy Weather Helmsman rating in 2009 and get checked out on hobby cats
45. .
46. Ride a jetski
47. Join a soccer team and play regularly summer and fall seasons (3 / 5 seasons)
48. Read one aviation book per two months (0 / 15)
49. Read one non-technical per two months (3 / 15)
• Are We Rome?
• The Time Machine
• The Adventures of Tom Sawyer


50. Learn two new balisong tricks (0 / 2)
51. Learn the riffle shuffle
52. Learn four magic tricks (0 / 4)
53. Go to five concerts (1 / 5)
• Vital Light


54. Watch two new movies per month (27 / 66)
55. Watch every DVD I have (21 / 69)
• Submarine: Steel Boats - Iron Men
• The Head of State
• The American Brew
• SWAT
• The Terminal
• The Magnificient Seven
• Office Space
• Catch Me If You Can
• Under Siege
• The Illusionist
• The Thomas Crown Affair
• Fearless
• The Family Man
• One Six Right
• The Karate Kid
• i, robot
• The Recruit
• ASF Maneuvering Flight
• The Matrix
• King's Takeoffs and Landings
• Cheaper By The Dozen





56. Write the financial manager software integrating budgeting, networth calculations, and bookkeeping.
57. Write the log book software
58. Go horseback riding
59. Get tickets for Euro championship
60. Get a gun
• Personal Development
61. Read a personal development or finance book every two months (3 / 15)
• Who Moved My Cheese?
• A Random Walk Down Wall Street
• Serious Money


62. Create a process for weekly scheduling
63. Learn Spanish to be able to understand native speakers in normal setting and be understood
64. Learn a Latin dance
65. Complete half of a MBA program
66. Complete at least two auto mechanics courses (0 / 2)
• Health
67. Collect and organize all my medical info completed 11/22/07
68. Bench press my body weight x 10 reps (best: 185 x 10, 205 x 7 )
69. Do ten pushups using one arm (best: 0 / 10)
70. Run five miles non-stop (best: 3.2 miles)
71. Run a complete 5k run
72. Ride a bike for 20 miles
• Cooking
73. Learn to make Napoleon
74. Learn to make honey cake
75. Learn to make borsch
76. Learn to make five sushi rolls (0 / 5)
77. Learn to make fried rice
78. Learn to make something out of tofu
79. Learn to cut veggies professionally
• Financial
80. Get a different car, pay it off completed 8/23/07
81. Pay off student loans completed 12/28/07
82. Save $20,000 for house downpayment (current: $7,407.33)
83. Save $10,000 in emergency fund (current: $7,407.33)
84. Establish networth equal to annual salary or greater (as of April 2010)
85. Contribute full amount to IRA ($4000 / $14,000 [$4,000 in 07+$5,000 in 08+$5000 in 09])
86. Create a process for monthly budgeting
87. Make a Will completed 7/11/07
88. Make Power of Attorney completed 7/11/07
89. Make Healthcare proxy completed 7/11/07
90. Make a Living Trust completed 8/14/07
92. Visit a financial planner completed 12/3/07
93. Set up diversified portfolio
94. Rebalance portfolio once a year starting in 2009 (0 / 2)
95. .
96. .
97. Get a fireproof, waterproof safe/storage box completed 7/21/07
• Professional
97. Get promoted to Senior Systems Engineer
98. Start a side business
99. Serve 100 customers
100. Set up modeling portfolio
101. Get a paid modeling contract

Box score: completed 17, in-progress 20, left 64