New Year new goals

I'll get to the new goals in a minute, but first a look back at 2012. Here is how I did on my one-year goals from the past year.

• Learn Spanish. Nope.
• Start a brain cancer non-profit (✓). Did something super simple on the cheap just to say I could cross this one off.
• Compete in a Hearts tournament. Not yet, but I'm on a mailing list for online Hearts tournaments. Listserv is half the battle.
• Participate in National Novel Writing Month. Nope.
• Start a website for our son (✓). Done.
• Get good at photography (✓ sorta). I take lots of pictures. Some of them are good. A monkey at a keyboard will write Shakespeare if he types long enough.

Now for my to-stop-doing list of 2012:

• Yard work. We paid for someone to fertilize, but the rest is up to me/us.
• Shaving. I still shave, but less frequently.
• Haircuts. I still get haircuts, but less frequently.
• Talking on the phone (✓). Proud to say I can go almost a week without a phone conversation.
• Junk mail (✓). Proud to say I throw most of our mail in the trash.
• Home Depot projects. Few and far between.

Now, onto 2013 ...

Life list update, 2013

Life list / bucket list: Spend an afternoon, or even just half an hour, listing out a range of activities and experiences you’d like to have sometime. The typical life list contains a wide variety of goals, ranging from the trivial (“try 100 fruits”) to the difficult (“camp on Antarctica”).

• Compete in a Hearts tournament
• Write a book about my dad
• Learn to play the piano
• Learn Spanish
• Participate in National Novel Writing Month
• See a U.S. soccer game live
• Attend the World Cup
• See a hockey game in Europe
• Get access to Boise State practices and skybox
• Get organized, live simply
• Visit Park City, Utah
• Start a business - selfpreneur
• Manage the budget
• Read Positive Discipline: Zero to Three Years
• Give to charity: Pets, brain cancer, SPU
• Volunteer at the local animal shelter
• Read the whole Bible in one year
• Memorize the book of James
• Play more board games
• Write a book - any book
• Attend a Steelheads game
• See Scott and Hannah
• See Nicholas
• See Joshua and Lori
• See Casey and Alyssa
• Visit Seattle
• Kayak the San Juans
• Be involved in football
• Wish lanterns on the beach
• Get a Master's degree in something
• Teach at a college
• Ask for at least one gift from KickStarter

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

• Compete in a Hearts tournament (2013)
• Write a book about my dad (~ 2015)
• Learn to play the piano, i.e. Play a song by ear (2017)
• Learn Spanish, i.e. Understand a conversation in Spanish (2017)
• Participate in National Novel Writing Month (2013)
• See a U.S. soccer game live (2014)
• Attend the World Cup (∞)
• See a hockey game in Europe (∞)
• Get access to Boise State practices and skybox (∞)
• Get organized, live simply, i.e. Remove clutter by giving things away (2013)
• Visit Park City, Utah (2014)
• Start a business - selfpreneur, i.e. Make enough income elsewhere that I can quit my job (2014)
• Manage the budget, i.e. Check transactions, expenses, and income at least monthly (2013)
• Read Positive Discipline: Zero to Three Years (2013)
• Give to charity: Pets, brain cancer, SPU, i.e. Give $100 to each cause (2017)
• Volunteer at the local animal shelter, i.e. Walk shelter dogs once a month (2017)
• Read the whole Bible in one year (2015)
• Memorize the book of James (2017)
• Play more board games, i.e. Have a game night/afternoon with friends at least once a month (2013)
• Write a book - any book, i.e. Publish something on Amazon (2013)
• Attend a Steelheads game (2013)
• See Scott and Hannah (2013)
• See Nicholas (2013)
• See Joshua and Lori (2013)
• See Casey and Alyssa (2013)
• Visit Seattle (2014)
• Kayak the San Juans (2017)
• Be involved in football, i.e. Serve as coach/scout for a team (∞)
• Wish lanterns on the beach (2013)
• Get a Master's degree in something (∞)
• Teach at a college (∞)
• Ask for at least one gift from KickStarter (2013)

Radical goal-setting, 2013

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.

• Compete in a Hearts tournament (2013)
• Participate in National Novel Writing Month (2013)
• Get organized, live simply, i.e. Remove clutter by giving things away (2013)
• Manage the budget, i.e. Check transactions, expenses, and income at least monthly (2013)
• Read Positive Discipline: Zero to Three Years (2013)
• Play more board games, i.e. Have a game night/afternoon with friends at least once a month (2013)
• Write a book - any book, i.e. Publish something on Amazon (2013)
• Attend a Steelheads game (2013)
• See Scott and Hannah (2013)
• See Nicholas (2013)
• See Joshua and Lori (2013)
• See Casey and Alyssa (2013)
• Wish lanterns on the beach (2013)
• Ask for at least one gift from KickStarter (2013)

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.

• Write a book about my dad (~ 2015)
• Learn to play the piano, i.e. Play a song by ear (2017)
• Learn Spanish, i.e. Understand a conversation in Spanish (2017)
• See a U.S. soccer game live (2014)
• Visit Park City, Utah (2014)
• Read the whole Bible in one year (2015)
• Start a business - selfpreneur, i.e. Make enough income elsewhere that I can quit my job (2014)
• Give to charity: Pets, brain cancer, SPU, i.e. Give $100 to each cause (2017)
• Volunteer at the local animal shelter, i.e. Walk shelter dogs once a month (2017)
• Memorize the book of James (2017)
• Visit Seattle (2014)
• Kayak the San Juans (2017)

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.

• Attend the World Cup (∞)
• See a hockey game in Europe (∞)
• Get access to Boise State practices and skybox (∞)
• Be involved in football, i.e. Serve as coach/scout for a team (∞)
• Get a Master's degree in something (∞)
• Teach at a college (∞)

To-stop-doing list, 2013

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.

• Working
• Watching movies / TV shows I don't like

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Lindsay’s lists, 2013

First, a review of last year ...One-year goals: Start a family (✓), wish lanterns on the beach, own an iPad (✓), watch a meteor shower, spend more time outside (✓), plant new vegetables in the garden (✓), visit family in Montana (✓)To-stop-doing list: couponing, going to Valley Shepherd services (✓), cleaning the bathrooms, sitting in traffic / driving (✓)Lindsay's updated life list, 2013

• Get a master’s degree in counseling
• Own a dog
• Travel to the East Coast
• Watch a meteor shower
• Spend more time outside
• Plant new vegetables in the garden
• Pergola
• Make at least one gift for everyone
• Join a mom group
• Attend the kid's book reading at the library
• Do P90X for 30 days
• Take clothing items to consignment
• Paint/redo Evan's play room
• Go paddleboarding
• Install a sprinkler system for the garden
• Grow a raspberry patch
• Cut her hair very short
• Buy new glasses
• Move
• See more plays
• See a Broadway show
• Take Evan to an aquarium
• Visit England
• Visit the Caribbean
• Get a passport
• Own an SUV
• Go snowshoeing
• Do a snowshoeing/yurt getaway

One-year goals: meteor shower, spend time outside, plant new vegetables in the garden, make gifts, join a mom group, attend library kids' reading, P90X, consignment, raspberry patch, glasses, get a passportFive-year goals: Master’s degree, pergola, Evan's play room, paddleboarding, sprinkler system for garden, see more plays, Evan aquarium,Lifetime goals: Own a dog, travel to the East Coast, haircut, move, see a Broadway show, visit England, visit the Caribbean, SUV, snowshoeingLindsay's updated to-stop-doing list

• Clothes shopping in stores