My Steps To 100 Things

Narrowing down everything I own to 100 things is challenging. Since my last post about 100 things, I've only been able to add one or two items. The 100 Thing Challenge is going to be tougher than I thought.


But if I thought this was going to be easy, it wouldn't be called a challenge then, would it?


So I came up with a plan.


My Plan:

• List out everything I use.
• Narrow it down to 100.

I'm not going to make a list of what I'm planning on taking, like what is normally done. I think that is defeating the purpose of being minimal. Instead, I'm going to make a list of everything I use daily. And then narrow that down to 100 things. 


Why I think this plan is better:

• I don't need to think about it. Normally, I would sit down and think of everything I use and would use and write it down. This way I get a perfect idea of what I use.
• I account for everything. I won't miss little things like a toothbrush, or alarm clock.
• I'll have a list ready to go. Since I won't be making the list on the spot, I'll have more time to think about what I need. I'll have a list made already to start making the final 100 thing list.

For the next week or two, I'm going to write down everything I use: clothing, technology, pencils, and even my trash can. This way I'll see what I'm currently using, and what I can cross off my list. Then I'll work on shortening that list. 


What I like about this approach is that I don't need to sit down and think about what I'll need. But one flaw I can think of is that I have to do precisely what I'm talking about: writing down everything I use.


It'll be easier than I think though. I have a notebook I carry around with me, and my phone I can write in if need be. But I'll need to remember to write it all down. Which is exactly why I'm trying it out. By the end of this week, if I don't have anything accomplished, I need to consider a different method. That is my goal for this week: write down everything I use. Next week will be to write down anything new, and to narrow the list down. 


I'll write again after this week is up on my progress.

In 10 Years

While being a senior, I have filled out many scholarship applications. Most of them are the same question, asking why I need the money, what field am I going into, etc. But the latest one I worked on was different. The essay prompt wanted me to write about where I wanted to be in ten years. I don't honestly know where I will be in ten years. I just know that I will be happy when I get to wherever that is. I will have made many more goals between now and when I am twenty-eight. I do not know what those goals are now, but I do know that they will have to do with my education, career, and personal life.

My Goals: Morning Routine

I started off right away with my 2011 goals. First on the list is my morning routine. I woke up today at 5 am, and drank some water. Then I proceeded to a nice half hour of yoga. If that didn't wake me up, I don't know what could!

Since I can do yoga in the morning, I just knocked out another goal without even realizing it. That is a simple and easy way to get my goals accomplished. If I only had gotten up at 5:00, and had done nothing, I probably would've fallen back asleep. If I do that every day, I will be a happy camper.

Resolutions: Why They Do and Don't Work

 "Year's end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us." ~Hal Borland

Winter break is coming to a close for most high schools. Once back in school, everyone will probably talk about their New Year's resolution.

Resolutions are common, and even a tradition. Everyone makes at least one.

Resolutions can work for many reasons:

• It can motivate you to become better.
• Resolutions help clear out past mistakes, and will create a fresh start.
• You can complete your resolutions with other people, and help keep each other on track.

That's a short list. I couldn't quite think of other reasons to make a resolution.

Even though I love having that spark of enthusiasm in the beginning of the year, I am not making a resolution. In the past, I have usually forgotten about it by April.