I'm doing 41 things
Reflection time
3 weeks ago
I’m not sure that I want to do this anymore. Besides the fact that it fulfills nearly the same purpose as “write a story,” it’s just something that I’ve lost interest in.
Ed's Life List
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1. Love people and use things
1 entry2 people -
2. Complete the clean sweep program
3 entries . 1 cheer1 person -
3. Discover 43 musicians who inspire me
5 entries . 2 cheers1 person -
4. identify 100 things that make my partner happy
7 entries . 7 cheers113 people -
5. create a vision board
9 entries227 people -
6. Get (or renew) a passport
2 entries . 4 cheers359 people -
7. Fix the lighting in the basement
2 entries . 1 cheer1 person -
8. Get out of debt
4 entries . 5 cheers10,985 people -
9. Become a leader at work
5 entries . 2 cheers1 person -
10. Tie up loose ends at work
3 entries1 person -
11. Read the Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
2 entries . 3 cheers3 people -
12. Support cancer research
2 entries . 3 cheers2 people -
13. Do volunteer work
1 entry . 8 cheers537 people -
14. Lower my cholesterol
5 entries . 3 cheers192 people -
15. Get in shape
6 entries . 3 cheers9,357 people -
16. Run a 5K
3 entries . 4 cheers2,162 people -
17. Study karate
1 entry . 4 cheers3 people -
18. Convince my mom I'm not going to hell
15 cheers1 person -
19. See my father more
2 entries . 2 cheers2 people -
20. Cross that bridge when I come to it
7 cheers1 person -
21. Maintain a successful saltwater aquarium
3 entries1 person -
22. Support the Zeitgeist Movement and the Venus Project
3 people -
23. Go white water rafting
4 cheers1,262 people -
24. Kayak
1 cheer212 people -
25. Write a story
2 entries . 2 cheers538 people -
26. Learn to play the saxophone
2 cheers198 people -
27. Learn German
2 cheers4,524 people -
28. Learn Spanish
3 cheers15,450 people -
29. Buy a House
2 cheers12,546 people -
30. Own a sailboat
1 entry . 1 cheer91 people -
31. Take the Mensa test
5 cheers972 people -
32. Stop assuming that if someone doesn't post a picture they must be ugly
1 entry . 8 cheers1 person -
33. Brew my own beer
2 entries . 4 cheers614 people -
34. Quit coffee
2 entries . 1 cheer27 people -
35. Encourage all the smokers who have the Amazing Goal of quitting
1 entry . 2 cheers52 people -
36. Eat less meat
2 cheers257 people -
37. Create a 3D comic
1 entry1 person -
38. Improve my mental hygiene
2 entries . 4 cheers1 person -
39. Read the Bible
3,217 people -
40. delete my facebook
1 cheer43 people -
41. Develop the Natural Language Learning Algorithm
2 entries . 1 cheer1 person
How I did it
It made me
a better person. 
How I did it: Stick at it. Keep the journal with you, just like Franklin did. Reflect on it daily, weekly. The most challenging part is simply catching yourself in the act of breaking them. You need to pay attention. At a moment's notice, you need to be able to ask yourself, "What am I doing right now? Is it something I feel right doing?" Read how I did it…
It made me
Disciplined 
How I did it: This was like any other habitual goal: I just had to force myself to develop the habit. Because my evenings are usually busier and kind of late, I decided to use my mornings. Instead of playing games or watching the news or going online, I sit down with my coffee and my planner for half an hour every morning. It's a great way to focus, and I always know what to expect that day. Read how I did it…
It made me
Happy
How I did it: This was really just a matter of making time for it. It wasn't difficult. Everyone's complimented me on how much better the basement looks. Read how I did it…
See all "How I Did It" stories...
Recent entries
Last week
2 months ago
Last week, I took a day off work and spent it with my fiancee. We slept late, went to lunch, went shopping… Without a proper “morning,” I forgot my coffee. I realized around 4 in the afternoon that I hadn’t had any all day. I also realized that that was probably the first day I hadn’t had coffee in about 10 years. So, I thought, since I’d made it until 4 with just a tiny twinge of a headache, I’d try to go caffeine free the whole day.
By 9 that night, the headache was blinding, to the point where I could barely open my eyes, let alone concentrate. I finally broke down and drove to the drug store for caffeine pills.
I’ve learned my lesson. My addiction is even worse than I’d feared, and it’s time to get serious about shaking it. I’ve made just a small start: drinking all my coffee half-caf without increasing my intake. So far, I barely even notice a difference, so I guess it’s working.
Considering
2 months ago
I’ve started to question the value of this goal. I got about a quarter of the way through it in the first few days and sort of moved on to other things. Now that I look back on it, I’m not sure it’s a valuable use of my time. I haven’t had motivational problems for the last 6-12 months, and this project just seems like busy work at this point. I’m on the fence…
If I’m still on the fence the next time I read this, I’m cancelling it.
