1st Year Anniversary

Well, it's done. It's been 1 full year since I officially smoked the last cigarette of my life. I haven't posted on this since the six month mark, but I've stayed 100% nicotine free since. Not a single puff or drag off a cigarette, and now that I live in a city without smoke-filled bars, it means my lungs have been clean of second-hand smoke as well. Although I am a believer in personal will-power, I know from prior failed attempts that it's not a will-power over the desire to smoke. Just as you can't make a person do something -- you can only make him want to do something -- you can't make yourself not smoke. But you can make yourself want to stop. Cheap psychology tricks aren't effective. Neither are scare tactics. Those anxiety inducing techniques only give rise to one and the same urge they're trying to quell -- albeit in their own perverted way. No, what's necessarily is to literally reprogram the conditioning that created those urges in the first place.

Following a saying I'm quite fond of, "That looks interesting/I want to try that/I wonder how that works....I think I'll pick up a book on it," the title of this post, just as with every post on the topic, is linked to amazon.com product page for The Easy Way to Quit Smoking, by Allen Carr. It looks hokey. It sounds hokey. I'll grant that, at times, it even reads a little hokey. But it's damn intelligent, not preachy, and works with wherever you're at in your attempt to quit. I decided I was being a hypocrite by giving up meat for my health and yet still smoking nearly a pack-a-day. But whatever the reason, it does get better. The first three weeks you think about it, the first few months it crosses your mind, and every now and then it comes up. But Carr talks about a moment when you know it's just done. Well, I had that moment at about the end of the first month, but it's good to say it again at the 1 year anniversary (and every once and awhile, for that matter): it's done.

Namaste' and good health to all.

Day 10 - A Cluttered Life

One of the pitfalls in attempting to start up any new habit is the overwhelming shift that marks the initial transition. Cleaning your apartment once a week isn't bad. But cleaning it that first time...that sucks.

This past week has been extremely productive. But there's just a lot to be produced. The bed has been flipped, floors have been swept, flat surfaces have been cleared in the living room and kitchen, and the dishes are being done nightly. So far, so good. But I look round the house and realize just how much there is left to go. I still haven't been able to take care of all the filing in my office, nor the requisite shredding that'll entail so as to free up some space for said files. And, in general, I feel like I have too much crap.

I was sitting in my living room, staring at my bookcase and thinking when was the last time I even flipped through some of those books. There are certain books, academic and otherwise, that I'll pull down from time to time. And some are reference worthy...you know, just in case. But there's probably a treasure trove of resale value lying dormant in there. And DVDs. I probably have about 35 DVDs right now. Why? Because the $5 price of some of them, either in Wally-World's cheap-o bin or used from Blockbuster, was worth seeing it once (and, at only a dollar more than the rental fee, what a deal?!?). Of course...I only watched them once. So, really, I'm down a buck, even for an impulse purchase.

The point being, the transition period is taking a little longer than I had hoped to adjust. There's a lot of stuff on The List that, once I'm able to get it done for the first time, it should follow again like clock-work. But I've just been feeling a little behind on the getting things done for the first time department. The title of this post is linked to a great article on beating the clutter entropy in our lives. Hopefully you enjoy it. As for me, I'm getting back to work (...okay, I'm going out for a drink with friends...but tomorrow...really...)

Namaste'.

P.P.S.

In case you know my good friend Kinney (or if you're one who doesn't read comments, which is fair), I thought I'd repost his comment in the body of a front-page post. I actually defer to his expertise in all things political. While we don't necessarily agree on everything, he's the most politically informed person I know.

"I have never really been inspired by a politician before even though I really like politics. You have to watch the acceptance speech Obama gave. It is amazing. I am fired up and ready to go."

The title of this post is linked to the video Kinney added to his comment.

P.S.

Completely unrelated to lists or, really, anything I've presented on DW so far, let's just all gather under one banner, hold hands and celebrate the repudiation of Clinton in Iowa (and what a good word choice; click the title of this post for the news segment). Not only did Obama win Iowa, even Edwards came in above Clinton. Even such a whisper of hope is enough to let me sleep soundly tonight.

Day 3

As you can see in the right-hand sidebar, I've included a version of my list as it was originally posted on Day Zero. In addition to the categorization and numbering, you'll also notice that quite a few of the items have a "(0/##)" tailing them. This is, obviously, to assist in checking off items from the list. Some of them are one time events, so no (0/1) is necessary. Once they're completed, I'll add a script to strike through them. But others which are monthly or weekly, etc., I will periodically update the numerator portion of their ratios-to-being-done.

Also, while I will hopefully continue (or, uh, improve upon?) posting about other divergent events and thoughts, I'll just title the posts regarding The List as "Day #". That way, those of you who have 107 feeds on your news lists (in both your morning and evening checking thereof) don't need to trouble yourself with mine. However, that's not to say I won't still be tagging the title of my posts to interesting and tangentially related sites (this one is to a great article on modest changes in our lives, a focus I attempt to maintain in developing my own list, with a few well-considered allowances).

That being said, in amending the list to include those quantifying numbers, I realized just how quickly the 1001 started up. Luckily, I've made good time on starting things I intended to do anyways (it sure does help keeping to #78). I figure the best way to stay on top of things is to create an abbreviated list of things I need to accomplish each week, month, and year. That way I can easily reference back and forth through them without overlooking one. I know, a little neurotic of an approach to simplifying one's life, eh? Well, like all good habits, a little work on the front side should hopefully make it all second nature as the days progress.

In the meantime, I'm well underway with the more mundane items on the list (#70, #81, #37). And Mardi Gras (#59) is currently in the works. I'll update you on that one soon. It should also be one of the better items for which I'll have some pretty decent photos to post and caption. So, till then...

Namaste'.

Day Zero

Happy new year, friends! To jump right into things and ignore the absence you've been subject to recently, I'd like to share with you my new resolutions. Mind you, I didn't say "new year's" resolutions; these are simply new goals I aim to complete within the next 1,001 days. In other words, they're long standing habits I hope to develop in my spare time...101 of them. The reasons for such an undertaking are many-fold. First, 365 days is hardly enough time to plan for, work on, and undertake many of the goals I want to have. Second, many goals shouldn't be confined to an all-or-nothing mentality. It's okay to miss a week here or there in your efforts, so long as you have the ability to be successful later. And if nothing else, I'll at least be able to cross off some goals, even if I'm unsuccessful at completing all of them. So in addition to the purpose DW served before today, I will also be incorporating pictures and posts of these events as they get completed.

Some qualifiers: Many of these goals will need a little explaining as they come up, and of course none of them are completely transparent towards their intended purpose. In other words, they shouldn't be judged solely at face value. For right now, they serve as simply a guidepost to be expanded upon in future posts. This is also my first time undertaking such an adventure, so many of the goals which may seem worthwhile right now may end up being trivial. Alternatively, many of those that seem more on the trivial side right now may end up being my greatest challenges. Whatever happens, it'll be a learning experience useful when I attempt to complete #101. And just so it's out there, the stop-date for this list is Tuesday, September 28, 2010.

You can see that they're divided up by what area in my life they most serve to improve. Additionally, many give certain time qualifiers or consistency standards to live up to which are, again, merely guideposts and serve as simply a minimum requirement. If you're interested in a similar adventure, the title of this post is linked to the site from which I got this idea. I'll be updating the general layout of DW to reflect the recent shift in focus, as well as posting more about the shift in the coming days (along with getting started on the goals). But without further ado, here's The List:

Finance:
1. Specifically save money in three different accounts
2. Keep finance records up to date
3. Remain under my envelopes per month
4. Put $800 away each month
5. Keep monthly credit balances under $300
6. Develop means for a passive income
7. Make a will

Purchases and Expenditures:
8. Purchase a house
9. Take on any remaining bills
10. Buy a motorcycle
11. Buy a good road bike

Lifestyle & Experiences:
12. Update my blog once a week
13. Spend one week a year in solitude
14. Grab a pint once a week
15. Be in a committed relationship
16. Reflect on how I’m using my freetime once a month
17. Recap each day at the end of that day, then let it go
18. Go camping once a summer
19. Try a new restaurant each month
20. Cook a new recipe bi-weekly
21. Take one not-for-credit class a year
22. Go to a play once a year
23. Learn to play golf
24. Learn to play the piano
25. Learn yoga
26. Go ice-fishing
27. Take a bike tour/weeklong camping trip around Wisconsin
28. Read one non-philosophy, non-fiction book a month
29. Read one fiction book a month
30. Memorize 5 new poems
31. Eat at the dining nook table once a week

Household:
32. Clean the house weekly
33. Clear off flat surfaces bi-weekly
34. Create a personal library database
35. Get rid of 101 materialistic items
36. Make a list of what I’m looking for in a new house and what I can afford
37. Clean my car weekly
38. Wash my car monthly
39. Wax car once every 3 months
40. Keep up-to-date on car maintenance
41. Brush Relic once a week
42. Get Relic a friend
43. Plant and maintain a garden through a season
44. Organize files in my home office once a semester
45. Organize desk and files at work once a semester
46. Make the bed everyday for a month
47. Do the dishes before bed everyday for a month

Career:
48. Pass Premils
49. Outline dissertation topic
50. Become independent of my second jobs
51. Teach my own course
52. Sacrifice independence at work
53. Keep CV current updated at the end of each semester
54. Get published
55. Keep schedules up-to-date
56. Time manage to create one day of rest per week
57. Attend an Eastern APA
58. Go to at least one conference per year

Travel:
59. Make it to Mardi Gras
60. Make it to each friend’s wedding
61. Make it to Texas
62. Make it to Ithica
63. Make it home twice a year
64. Take a long weekend to nowhere
65. Get a passport
66. Leave the country
67. Take a family vacation

Health and Wellbeing:
68. Make a 101-things-that-make-me-happy list
69. Shop farmers market once a month
70. Work out 3 times a week
71. Learn 1 pack of vocabulary words a week
72. Volunteer tutoring or reading
73. Give blood 6 times per year
74. Get a real massage
75. Bike to campus every day the weather permits it
76. Go on a meditation retreat
77. Meditate daily for three months
78. Keep a daily to-do list
79. Do a years worth of 5-minute writing
80. Compliment others 3 times daily
81. Take my vitamins
82. Take one month of martial arts classes
83. Do home exercises daily
84. Do stretches nightly
85. Train for and run a 5K
86. Take a month off from alcohol
87. Bring packed lunch to work for 1 month straight
88. Go strict vegan for 1 month
89. Achieve a BMI < 13% (Currently 19.5%)
90. Be able to bench my own body weight
91. Remove all caffeine for one month

Relationships:
92. Call home once a week
93. E-mail home twice a week
94. Keep in touch with "My Five" once a month
95. Remember friends’ birthdays
96. Get a family portrait taken
97. Put up more pictures of friends on my walls
98. Write a letter each week
99. Have a dinner party once a season
100. Play more games with friends

Goal-setting:
101. Make a new 101 in 1,0001 List