Publish a Book, Build an App, Play the Piano: My 2016 (and Beyond) Goals

After sharing my full list of 2015 goals last January, I got a really amazing reply that caused me to reflect a bit on how (and why) I set my yearly goals. Here's the key snippet:

I've reached a point where I want to do less, but do those things well. I'm a list maker at heart, and often I find myself unconsciously making a bucket list, and then feeling overwhelmed. So, I sit down and decide what are the three things that I MUST do this year. That pleases my soul.

Love it!That's set me on a bit of a different path for thinking through this year's goal list. I've never been a very big stickler for completing goals at all costs. (As you will see below, I met less than 1/3 of my goals from this past year.) But I think there's some real value in this mindset shift where it's less about these milestones and targets and more about the journey, no matter where that journey takes you.

Overview: How I (usually) set goals

I do a version of Chris Guillebeau's life list, which I explained in detail last year. The tl;dr version:

1. Write down everything you might ever want to do ever
2. Break it down into measurable goals with approximate deadlines
3. Group things into 1-year, 5-year, and lifetime goals

Bonus: Write down stuff you want to stop doing alsoHere's a look at last year's goals and what got done (and what didn't).

2015 year-in-review

How I did on my one-year goals:

• Publish a book about my dad
• Play a song by ear on the piano
• Participate in National Novel Writing Month
• Manage the family budget
• Memorize the book of James
• Visit Seattle (✓) - Yes! Spent a long weekend with friends there
• Write something new every day (✓) - Grateful for the opportunity I have at Buffer that helped make this one happen :)
• Exercise five times/week
• Strengthen my faith once per day by reading, prayer, or meditation
• Go vegetarian for one month  (✓)
• Contribute to Edward Jones retirement savings (✓)
• Get a picture published on the Yahoo weather app
• Write Lindsay a poem
• Create and publish an iOS app
• Build a WordPress theme (✓)  - Here it is!
• Build a Ghost theme
• Take Demian Farnworth’s writing challenge
• Observe the 7 sacred pauses
• Follow the food guidelines in Anticancer
• Take a parenting class (✓) - Loved it :)
• Climb the hill behind my house or my mom’s house, watch the sunset
• Finish reading Divine Conspiracy  (✓) - One of my favorites of 2015

A few 5-year & lifetime goals I managed to knock off, too:

• Move to a new house in East Boise (2017) (✓) - Yes! Moved in November
• Read 52 books in a year (2017) (✓) - 59 books!
• See mewithoutYou play “Oh, Porcupine” (2020) (✓) - Saw them play (they didn't quite play the song I wanted, but I think I'll count it anyway)
• Get a DNA test (∞) (✓) - Yes! Did a 23&Me test, found out I'm G2G

New this year! The 3 things I MUST do this year

• Publish a book about my dad and have it appear on Amazon (2016)
• Play a song by ear on the piano (2016)
• Do the 7 Sacred Pauses every day (2016)

My life list for 2016

Here’s my giant list of things I’d like to do, updated for 2016

• Publish a book about my dad
• Learn to play the piano
• Build an iPhone app
• Do the 7 Sacred Pauses
• Give to charity: Pets, brain cancer, Seattle Pacific University
• Volunteer at the local animal shelter
• Memorize the book of James
• Play more board games
• Visit Seattle
• Kayak the San Juan Islands
• Go whitewater rafting
• Get a Master’s degree in something
• Exercise daily
• Pray/Bible/meditate daily
• Build a draft board with Evan for a Madden game
• Ski more
• Mountain bike more
• Go through dad/son activity books with Evan
• Build a robot using an Arduino board
• Be a one-car household
• Attend a Presbyterian church regularly
• Play on an organized sports team (e.g., city league)
• Start a game/sports night
• Try curling
• Hike the Foothills
• Contribute to retirement
• Pay off the house in 10 years
• Get a Polaris ATV
• Write Lindsay a poem
• Build a WordPress theme
• Build a Ghost theme
• Read 52 books in a year
• Play bridge
• See more concerts
• Write stuff on my website
• Take a parenting class
• Get a health checkup
• Get a blood test
• Find a doctor
• Play in a card/board game tournament
• Find and follow an English Premier League soccer team
• Write Boise State stuff again
• Make a password that'll change my life
• Make lunches for Lindsay and Evan
• Keep my cactus alive
• Update Evan's website with pictures/quotes
• Monetize my blog
• Meet the neighbors
• Do intermittent fasting more consistently
• Try a meal replacement mix for a month
• Attend a U.S. soccer game
• Visit Switzerland with my mom
• Spend a month each summer in a new place
• Ski at 20 new places

Take the overall list and break it down into measurable goals with an approximate deadline.

• Publish a book about my dad and have it appear on Amazon (2016)
• Play a song by ear on the piano (2016)
• Build an iPhone app and have it appear in the App Store (2016)
• Do the 7 Sacred Pauses every day (2016)
• Give to charity: Pets, brain cancer, Seattle Pacific University (2021)
• Volunteer at the local animal shelter (∞)
• Memorize the book of James (2016)
• Play Cosmic Encounter with a group of friends (2016)
• Get Thai food in Seattle (2016)
• Kayak the San Juan Islands (∞)
• Go whitewater rafting (2021)
• Get a Master’s degree in something (∞)
• Be active more days than I'm not (2016)
• Build a draft board with Evan for a Madden game (∞)
• Ski Sun Valley (2016)
• Ride my bike into downtown Boise (2016)
• Go through The Dangerous Book for Boys with Evan (2021)
• Build a robot using an Arduino board (∞)
• Be a one-car household (2021)
• Listen to 10 sermons from First Presbyterian Hollywood (2016)
• Play on an indoor soccer team (2021)
• Start a monthly game night with friends (2021)
• Join a curling club (2021)
• Hike the Foothills (2016)
• Contribute to retirement account (2016)
• Be on pace to pay off the house in 10 years (2016)
• Get a Polaris ATV (2021)
• Write Lindsay a poem (2016)
• Build a WordPress theme (2016)
• Build a Ghost theme (2021)
• Read 52 books in a year (2016)
• Win a game of bridge against real people (2021)
• Play Rook at least once (2016)
• See Underoath in concert (2016)
• Write an article per month on kevanlee.com (2016)
• Take a parenting class (2016)
• Get a wellness checkup (2016)
• Get a blood test (2016)
• Find a primary physician (2016)
• Play in a Hearts tournament (2021)
• Know the score of every Crystal Palace game (2016)
• Write a weekly Boise State football article (2021)
• Make a password that'll change my life (2016)
• Make lunches for Lindsay and Evan (2016)
• Keep my cactus alive for the entire year (2016)
• Publish at least one picture/quote to Evan's website each week (2016)
• Earn $1 from my personal website (2016)
• Know the names of all our immediate neighbors (2016)
• Do intermittent fasting more consistently (2021)
• Try a meal replacement mix for a month (2016)
• Attend a U.S. men's soccer game (2021)
• Visit Switzerland with my mom (2021)
• Ski at 20 new places (∞)

One-year goals: This list gets reviewed a few times a year, and I create next year’s goals each December. I break this list down into further specific categories. Some of mine are Writing, Health, Business, Friends, Family, Service, Travel, Income, and Giving.

• Publish a book about my dad and have it appear on Amazon (2016)
• Play a song by ear on the piano (2016)
• Build an iPhone app and have it appear in the App Store (2016)
• Do the 7 Sacred Pauses every day (2016)
• Memorize the book of James (2016)
• Play Cosmic Encounter with a group of friends (2016)
• Get Thai food in Seattle (2016)
• Be active more days than I'm not (2016)
• Ski Sun Valley (2016)
• Ride my bike into downtown Boise (2016)
• Listen to 10 sermons from First Presbyterian Hollywood (2016)
• Hike the Foothills (2016)
• Contribute to retirement account (2016)
• Be on pace to pay off the house in 10 years (2016)
• Write Lindsay a poem (2016)
• Build a WordPress theme (2016)
• Read 52 books in a year (2016)
• Play Rook at least once (2016)
• See Underoath in concert (2016)
• Write an article per month on kevanlee.com (2016)
• Take a parenting class (2016)
• Get a wellness checkup (2016)
• Get a blood test (2016)
• Find a primary physician (2016)
• Know the score of every Crystal Palace game (2016)
• Make a password that'll change my life (2016)
• Make lunches for Lindsay and Evan (2016)
• Keep my cactus alive for the entire year (2016)
• Publish at least one picture/quote to Evan's website each week (2016)
• Earn $1 from my personal website (2016)
• Know the names of all our immediate neighbors (2016)
• Try a meal replacement mix for a month (2016)

Five-year goals: This list gets reviewed once a year and contains some of the “big things” you hope to do in the near future. Note that as some of the goals on the one-year list are completed, other goals from the five-year list shift down.

• Give to charity: Pets, brain cancer, Seattle Pacific University (2021)
• Go whitewater rafting (2021)
• Go through The Dangerous Book for Boys with Evan (2021)
• Be a one-car household (2021)
• Play on an indoor soccer team (2021)
• Start a monthly game night with friends (2021)
• Join a curling club (2021)
• Get a Polaris ATV (2021)
• Win a game of bridge against real people (2021)
• Play in a Hearts tournament (2021)
• Write a weekly Boise State football article (2021)
• Do intermittent fasting more consistently (2021)
• Attend a U.S. men's soccer game (2021)
• Visit Switzerland with my mom (2021)

Lifetime goals: This list gets reviewed once a year and includes everything that you want to do, but either don’t have a timeline for or will take a long time to accomplish.

• Volunteer at the local animal shelter (∞)
• Kayak the San Juan Islands (∞)
• Get a Master’s degree in something (∞)
• Build a robot using an Arduino board (∞)
• Ski at 20 new places (∞)

TO-STOP-DOING LIST, 2016

The best way to stop spending time on unnecessary distractions is to make a “to-stop-doing list.” This is better than a to-do list, because it helps you see what’s bringing you down. Your to-stop-doing list is exactly what it sounds like: a list of things you simply don’t want to do anymore.

• Check the mail every day
• Shop in real stores
• Eat sugar