#9 - Spend a full, uninterrupted day with Mom
My Momma came out! I ended up getting several uninterrupted days with her. We had a great time in Santa Cruz for Britney's graduation, had long talks over coffee every morning, explored Hayes Valley and China Town. I miss her already.
#37 - Send a thank-you note (5x)
Check. Check. Check. Check. Check.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Monday, June 22, 2009
Spring Cleaning
Even though it's only been a hundred some-odd days since starting this 101 in 1001 plan, some of the original goals are out-dated, redundant, or less important to me. Therefore, I have gone through and made changes/revisions where appropriate. Those changes are as follows:
• 2. Blog about each completed task
*goes without saying, and it’s a waste of a goal. Replaced with “Take Yosemite Mountaineering Class”
• 13. Save $5,000 in 2009
*Changed to “save $20,000” by end of 1001 Days
• 15. Own a handgun and practice enough at the range to be competent
* Not important to me anymore, and I don’t want to spend money on it. Replaced with “Use Library for all new media needs for 6 months”
• 49. Use cash for all purchases that are not a bill or online for a month
* Want to change this because I want to use my new AMEX card for most purchases in order to take advantage of the rewards program. Replaced with “pay for all inevitable purchases with AMEX, while maintaining zero balance for 6 months”
• 60. Buy a decent watch
* Meh. My Timex Sport works fine…and it has a stopwatch for running. Replaced with “Buy a decent roadbike.”
• 69. Go to one Project Luz event
Not important to me anymore. Replace with “Hike the Sierra High Route”
• 76. Re-start jiu-jitsu or other grappling sport
* Cancelled. I would prefer to keep my focus on boxing. Replaced with “Market Test at least one Muse idea.”
• 81. Subscribe to "The Modern Outdoorsmen"
* Cancelled. I can’t keep up with my reading list as it is… Replaced with “Private Philanthropic Goal”
• 86. Take a politics or history class at SFCC
* Cancelled. Prefer to read about whatever subjects I am interested in at the time. Replaced with “Go without home TV or Internet for 1 year”
• 93. Go to the beach
* Redundant, since I already have a goal of having a bonfire at the beach. Replaced with “Write summary of every useful book I read”
• 96. Go on a camping trip
* Big-time redundant since I have so many camping/hiking-based activities already listed. Replaced with “Read the “Sierra High Route.”
• 98. Grow a vegetable of some kind
* Canceled. Don’t have the space for it…Replaced with “Go to Vegas for WAKA Championships”
• 2. Blog about each completed task
*goes without saying, and it’s a waste of a goal. Replaced with “Take Yosemite Mountaineering Class”
• 13. Save $5,000 in 2009
*Changed to “save $20,000” by end of 1001 Days
• 15. Own a handgun and practice enough at the range to be competent
* Not important to me anymore, and I don’t want to spend money on it. Replaced with “Use Library for all new media needs for 6 months”
• 49. Use cash for all purchases that are not a bill or online for a month
* Want to change this because I want to use my new AMEX card for most purchases in order to take advantage of the rewards program. Replaced with “pay for all inevitable purchases with AMEX, while maintaining zero balance for 6 months”
• 60. Buy a decent watch
* Meh. My Timex Sport works fine…and it has a stopwatch for running. Replaced with “Buy a decent roadbike.”
• 69. Go to one Project Luz event
Not important to me anymore. Replace with “Hike the Sierra High Route”
• 76. Re-start jiu-jitsu or other grappling sport
* Cancelled. I would prefer to keep my focus on boxing. Replaced with “Market Test at least one Muse idea.”
• 81. Subscribe to "The Modern Outdoorsmen"
* Cancelled. I can’t keep up with my reading list as it is… Replaced with “Private Philanthropic Goal”
• 86. Take a politics or history class at SFCC
* Cancelled. Prefer to read about whatever subjects I am interested in at the time. Replaced with “Go without home TV or Internet for 1 year”
• 93. Go to the beach
* Redundant, since I already have a goal of having a bonfire at the beach. Replaced with “Write summary of every useful book I read”
• 96. Go on a camping trip
* Big-time redundant since I have so many camping/hiking-based activities already listed. Replaced with “Read the “Sierra High Route.”
• 98. Grow a vegetable of some kind
* Canceled. Don’t have the space for it…Replaced with “Go to Vegas for WAKA Championships”
Friday, June 12, 2009
Media Fast
Starting at 5pm tonight, right before I head out for my last sparring session of the week, I will be cutting the cord on all media and going on a "low-info diet." The rules, based mostly on Tim Ferris's recommendations, are as follows:
No newspapers, magazines, audiobooks, or non-music radio.
Music is permitted at all times
No News websites whatsoever.
No Television at all.
No reading books, except for the challenges in the "4 Hour Workweek."
No Web surfing at the desk unless it is necessary to complete a work task for that day. Necessary means necessary, not nice to have. For any written essays or blogs that need to be published, I will copy and paste them from a Word document to the website, publish them, and exit the Web browser without checking on comments or emails.
To fill up the time, I plan on writing with more concentration, calling some clients that I have been putting off, focusing on the tasks from the "4HWW," such as the 80/20 rule and others, and getting ready for my next fight (tentatively June 20th). I will concentrate on being "effective" over merely "efficient." Throughout the day, I will ask myself if I am being productive, or just active.
This very well may suck. See you in a week.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Live Uncomfortably
Regardless of what I end up doing in a year, I need to start saving more money. Normally when I make my personal budget, I add up all the monthly expenses and then figure out how much I can allocate to entertainment, savings and debt repayment. This time, the first line items were for savings and debt repayments. That needs to be the priority, so I made sure my planning reflected it. The number one task is to save $1,000 a month. That's more than I have ever saved before. The numbers add up as long as I make the necessary sacrifices.
Step two was setting up an automatic transfer from my checking account to savings every week for $230.
It is definitely a bit scary and nerve-wracking to know that that much money is going to be leaving my account EVERY week, but it's a good thing. It forces success rather than just hope that my resolve stays strong enough every month to make the manual transfer.
Living uncomfortably can be a good thing.
Step two was setting up an automatic transfer from my checking account to savings every week for $230.
It is definitely a bit scary and nerve-wracking to know that that much money is going to be leaving my account EVERY week, but it's a good thing. It forces success rather than just hope that my resolve stays strong enough every month to make the manual transfer.
Living uncomfortably can be a good thing.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Current Inspiration
It's important to take inspiration where you can find it. That's mostly because we all spend a lot of our time doing the exact same stuff over and over again. Wake up, eat breakfast, battle the commute, work, work, work, get home, prepare for the next day, rinse and repeat. Inspiration, in whatever form it comes in, reminds us that there is a reason we do what we do. We have goals, plans and dreams that are furthered by what we spend our time doing. If not, then changes are needed, and inspiration helps bring about those necessary changes. Below are some of my current sources of inspiration that I hope others will find useful as well. The common theme that you will find running through most of them is simplicity, time over money, and the value of spending your time in pursuit of that which is most important to you.
Books
"Fup," by Jim Dodge - Has to be first on just about any list of mine. I have read this probably a half-dozen times at least, and it reminds me that life is a marathon, not a sprint, that the person who uses the most F-bombs often wins, and the value of the still life. Also encourages the use of whiskey via mason jars.
"Vagabonding," by Rolf Potts - A how-to guide for the art of long-term travel. Part instruction manual, part motivational speech, Potts' manifesto is an ode to grabbing a backpack and hopping over the back fence... and landing in Ecuador, Moscow and other exotic locations.
"The End of Poverty," by Jeffrey Sachs - My current read. Real solutions on how to help the world's poorest grab the lowest rung of the economic ladder. Sach's is one of the world's premier economists, and has spent a life-time involved in analyzing and practicing the best ways to help communities escape the poverty trap. As reading this is one of my "101's," there will be a more detailed summary to follow after I have completed the book.
Blogs
"Live Uncomfortably" - Wish I had thought of this title first. Part of a growing circle of lifestyle independent-minded folks who travel and move through the world on their own terms. A mindset that can be applied to your life today just as easily as if you were traveling.
http://liveuncomfortably.com/
"The Art of Nonconformity" - A blog of Chris's way of living life unconventionally and on his own terms. Useful stuff here.
http://chrisguillebeau.com/3x5/
"Location Independent Living" - Tips, guides, and how-to info on taking your work, career, and life to whatever exotic locale you wish. The goal is being completely independent of a set location, and is probably most helpful for contractors, project managers, writers, artists, and the like.
http://locationindependent.com/blog/posts/
And a great way to start your day, or pick it up a notch halfway through. If this doesn't get you fired up, you may need a blood transfusion.
Books
"Fup," by Jim Dodge - Has to be first on just about any list of mine. I have read this probably a half-dozen times at least, and it reminds me that life is a marathon, not a sprint, that the person who uses the most F-bombs often wins, and the value of the still life. Also encourages the use of whiskey via mason jars.
"Vagabonding," by Rolf Potts - A how-to guide for the art of long-term travel. Part instruction manual, part motivational speech, Potts' manifesto is an ode to grabbing a backpack and hopping over the back fence... and landing in Ecuador, Moscow and other exotic locations.
"The End of Poverty," by Jeffrey Sachs - My current read. Real solutions on how to help the world's poorest grab the lowest rung of the economic ladder. Sach's is one of the world's premier economists, and has spent a life-time involved in analyzing and practicing the best ways to help communities escape the poverty trap. As reading this is one of my "101's," there will be a more detailed summary to follow after I have completed the book.
Blogs
"Live Uncomfortably" - Wish I had thought of this title first. Part of a growing circle of lifestyle independent-minded folks who travel and move through the world on their own terms. A mindset that can be applied to your life today just as easily as if you were traveling.
http://liveuncomfortably.com/
"The Art of Nonconformity" - A blog of Chris's way of living life unconventionally and on his own terms. Useful stuff here.
http://chrisguillebeau.com/3x5/
"Location Independent Living" - Tips, guides, and how-to info on taking your work, career, and life to whatever exotic locale you wish. The goal is being completely independent of a set location, and is probably most helpful for contractors, project managers, writers, artists, and the like.
http://locationindependent.com/blog/posts/
And a great way to start your day, or pick it up a notch halfway through. If this doesn't get you fired up, you may need a blood transfusion.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Quick List
1. Call T-Mobile and change plan to include unlimited text messages.
2. If you aren't going to plan your day, than owning two day-planners is a bit silly.
3. Go through books that you don't need. Sell or donate. :(
4. No more than one firefox tab open at once.
5. No more than one facebook status update per day.
6. Making food is better than buying food.
7. Making beer is better than buying beer.
8. Drinking beer is better than...wait, what?
9. Get up in the morning and do your goddamn roadwork.
10. If you aren't going to sell your car, then you don't need to buy a bike.
11. Your writing habits are inconsistent and lack focus. Fix that.
12. You don't get credit for just buying vegetables, you actually have to eat them.
13. Focus on only one thing at a time.
14. Start putting money back into 401K.
15. Get your eyes fixed.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
#79 - Play Chess
This was accomplished a few weeks ago with Mae at a wine bar by her house. I won one, and then got stomped in the second game. We have loose plans to have an on-going game, where we each submit one move a day.
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