35 Things to do in 2011

Hello, all.

So I read this very adorable blog written by this very adorable girl I knew in Junior High and High School. Her name is Emily and she just has the most cheery disposition ever. If only I could be as positive as she is...

Anyway, several months ago she and her husband created a list of 101 things to do in 1001 days.

When creating my New Year's "resolutions" this year, I decided following in their footsteps was the way to go, for a few reasons:

1) If you remember from years past, I'm not really into the traditional "resolution" stuff. I think it is setting yourself (ok, myself) up for disappointment.

2) Making a list of "things to do" keeps things specific and measurable. I've made too many "I want to be better at X" or "I'm going to do Y every day!" goals. Those end up getting me down because either I miss one day and the whole thing goes out the window, or I have a hard time defining what "better" is. Either way, it's discouraging. Hopefully, having "things to do" will keep me more on track.

I changed things up a bit, which you've probably realized if you read the title of my post. I decided to scale it down for one year instead of the 2.74 years that is 1001 days, which means I also scaled my list of things to do down by 2.74, coming out to 35 instead of 101. (Okay, so it is technically 36...but 35 is...rounder.) I think keeping it to one year somehow seems a little less overwhelming to me; plus, it will hopefully keep me from procrastinating.

Anyway, enough justification. I don't have to justificate myself to you anyway (no offense).

So here's my list, divided into categories and listed in no particular order:

35 Things to do in 2011

Spiritual

1. Read the whole Book of Mormon...twice
2. Have one month when I go to the temple weekly
3. Reread all 2011 Conference talks
4. Memorize the Family Proclamation
5. Attend a missionary discussion

Food (yep, it gets its own category)

6. Try a food I've never tried before
7. Create a meal plan - AT LEAST one week every month
8. Make hi-hat cupcakes
9. Make homemade bread
10. Build food storage (3 month supply)
11. Grow herbs
12. Bake a new cookie every month

Home

13. Clean out the extra room
14. Donate old clothes to DI
15. Finish the nursery (really finish it!)
16. Clean out and organize the pantry
17. Clean out bedside drawers

Activities

18. Go on a picnic
19. Sing in the ward choir
20. Go on a hike
21. Throw a party

Financial

22. Start a savings account for Madelyn
23. Create a grocery budget
24. Save up to buy something I want

Personal

25. Read 30 books
26. Buy skinny jeans
27. Graduate from Grad school
28. Write one blog post every day for one month
29. Do not drink soda for one month
30. Use cloth diapers exclusively for one week
31. Babysit for free
32. Watch 10 movies I've "always wanted to see"
33. Send 10 thank you cards for no real reason
34. Update my ipod
35. Complete an act of service every month

I'm working on more specific planning, like deciding which books I'm going to read and which movies I'm going to watch, or deciding which month to make my "no soda" month (EEK) or which month to write a blog post every day (lucky you). I think planning it out pretty specifically will help me stick to it even more.

For now, I'm really excited about my list. I think it is a good motivator without being overwhelming (and I get overwhelmed easily). It's amazing how quickly time passes and I think this list will help me do the things I want to do before the whole year slips away.

Happy 2011 everyone. Let's make it a good one, shall we?