23 by 23

Recently, I blogged about feeling pretty overwhelmed with entering the adult world and having to figure out my life, especially the whole finding-a-job thing. Constantly worrying about how I'm going to plan for all the things that I want to make happen in my life has really been getting to me lately.

One day last week, I happened upon the Day Zero Challenge at Kelly's blog, which is a list of 101 things to accomplish in 1001 days. While reading her list, I was so inspired! Some of the things on her list were career-oriented, but most of them were really fun things. What a great idea, to make a list of things you actually want to do and making time to do them!

Reading her list, it kind of hit me that since graduating, I've been losing perspective and balance in my life - it's all been about working and finding a new job. And while that's definitely still important, I really want to find purpose in areas of my life other than work and rediscover a sense of balance that I think will make me feel fulfilled even if my next job isn't my dream job. So I set about making my own list that I definitely think will help me bring back that sense of purpose and just have some fun. :)

My list is a bit shorter than the typical Day Zero list, and so is my deadline. I know that life is always changing, but I think (hope) that mine is going to change in some big ways in the next 1001 days, so setting such specific goals in that time period (especially at such an uncertain time) just doesn't seem realistic. Plus, I kind of work best when I'm under the gun, and these really are things that I can/want to do in the near future. So, my list is 23 things that I want to accomplish by my 23rd birthday, which is on March 13, 2011. I also really liked choosing things for this upcoming fall and winter, and hopefully when this list expires, I'll get to make a new one for the spring and summer!

(Sidenote: When I first started considering a deadline, for a moment, I thought, "Oh, I could do 22 things before my 22nd birthday!" only to realize that I've already had my 22nd birthday and that my next birthday will be my 23rd. What?)

I finalized my list yesterday, which was exactly 199 days from my deadline.

So, without further ado, my 23 by 23!

The Mission: Complete 23 preset tasks before my 23rd birthday.
The Criteria: Tasks must be specific (no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (they must require some amount of work on my part).
The Deadline: March 13, 2011

Adventures with Nathan
1. Visit New England to see the fall foliage
2. Pick apples and complete a corn maze
3. Go skiing
4. Venture out on Black Friday (with a serious shopping list!)
5. Have a candlelit dinner for two

Career Development
6. Make a list of Master's programs and create an application timeline
7. Learn about and study for the GRE and take at least one practice test
8. Take a class at the community college

Staying Active
9. Take a yoga/fitness class
10. Go hiking
11. Run a 5K

Lifelong Learning
12. Learn how to knit and make something (hopefully a scarf)
13. Learn how to make my own jewelry
14. Teach myself to french braid my hair

Food and Cooking
15. Try at least six new recipes - three entrees and three desserts/appetizers
16. Try at least three new restaurants
17. Use mom's homemade cookie recipe to make cookies

Self-Improvement
18. Clean out my closet
19. Stop biting my fingernails
20. Volunteer at the SPCA

Just for Me
21. Spend a rainy/snowy day watching movies
22. Redecorate my room
23. Read at least three new books

Some of these are things that I've always wanted to do, things that I've just never made the time for, and others are things that I think will make me a more fulfilled person. It's a pretty big challenge, but if I can do it, not only will I be super impressed with myself, but I'll have lots of great memories of 22 to look back on.

I also created a 23 by 23 page where I'll be updating my list and keeping track of what I still need to do. And, of course, I'll hopefully be blogging about crossing some of these things off the list pretty soon!