Alyse French | Fine Art Portrait Photographer | Houston, TX »

Starting Over: 101 goals in 1001 days!!

Hi friends! As I’ve been over-excitedly hinting at these past few weeks with the newness of 2012 upon us, I’ve just now drafted a brand new 101 in 1001. AKA, 101 goals I hope to accomplish in the next 1001 days! My first and most recent list was created back in March 2010, and although I fulfilled about a quarter of those goals, about 75% of them became tasks I either wasn’t at all passionate about any longer or things that just didn’t seem achievable within the given timeframe. So! I’ve decided to create a list of goals that are much more specific, measurable, and reasonable! Because let’s face it.. I was never going to “go on a hike” or “join a book club.” I mean, f’real… And just a fun little note about this list. You just might call it my “To Do Before Having Babies” list. Because so long as things go according to our plan, that is exactly how the timing would work out! BAYUM. Let’s do this thang!!

OH! And before you read on and see that I’ve only written 69 goals… Be aware that I’ve given myself the permission to re-evaluate this list on a regular basis. Adding to and taking away from it as I feel necessary! Otherwise, I’d probably try filling the gap with “capture and befriend a pet squirrel.” Just to push it to 101. And that’s just silly! So, here we go, Internet! Here are the goals I hope to achieve by October 16, 2014!! Let me know what you think!!

1. Change my name (I’m slow when it comes to these things!)
2. Get a freaking iPhone already (Completed 2/5/12)
3. Buy our first home (Completed 6/14/12)
4. Get a sectional sofa that’s more conducive to cuddling (Completed 9/18/12)
5. Find fun ways to display personal photos in our home and then DO it
6. Purge our home of unnecessary clutter on a regular basis (AKA, live SIMPLY!)
7. Create a legit cleaning schedule and try to stick to it
8. Make a habit of doing my laundry on a regular basis (I work from home, okay?)
9. Complete five DIY projects for our home
10. Give only handmade gifts for either Christmas 2012 or Christmas 2013
11. Learn to knit
12. Send out our raw wedding day images for editing by Colorati
13. Design and order our wedding album
14. Give wedding albums to both sets of parents
15. Do something nice for someone anonymously
16. Randomly send someone some small item they mention wanting
17. Mail someone a card and small gift to encourage them in some random way
18. Read through the whole Bible
19. Learn to keep Sundays as a day of rest
20. Literally count my blessings
21. Read five new books (AKA, try to love reading)
22. Make a habit of cooking more homemade meals for my husband
23. Make a legit wedding-worthy cake of fanciness
24. Hold a Martha Stewart-like dinner party for a small group of close friends
25. Get Sully to let me dremel his nails (Cutting them is a nightmare!)
26. Take a stay-cation
27. Visit Europe (namely, Ireland and Denmark)
28. Visit Seattle (I’ve always, always wanted to!)
29. Go back to NYC for a weekend
30. Be in a wedding (MOH duty, baby!!) (Completed 9/23/12)
31. Throw two kick-butt bridal showers for my sister (Completed 7/27/12 and 7/29/12)
32. Photograph one of my dear friends’ delivery of twins (Completed 2/9/12)
33. Take a martial arts or self-defense course
34. Become CPR certified
35. Try out a yoga/zumba class
36. Reach and maintain goal weight of 1_5 pounds (Like I’d really let that cat out of the bag!) :)
37. Make a habit of drinking more water every day
38. Make a habit of taking my vitamins every day
39. Make a habit of exercising three days a week
40. Grow out my hair as long as it once was and DO NOT CUT IT (only trim) (Completed)
41. Schedule a massage to enjoy after a particularly hard-on-my-back wedding (Completed 5/14/12)
42. Be better at keeping a schedule like someone who DOESN’T work from home (AKA, showering in the morning, getting dressed in real clothes, etc.)
43. Force myself to work outside of our home semi-regularly
44. Get updated head shots now that I’m 20 pounds lighter and my hair is longer (Completed 3/5/12)
45. Shoot an updated promo video
46. Conceptualize three shoots, have them styled by local vendors, and shoot them
47. Improve (AKA, finish) killer product packaging
48. Develop after-booking gifts/client kits
49. Purchase canvas gallery wraps for our office space
50. Double AFP’s profitability by at least 50%
51. Increase Twitter followers to 1000
52. Increase Facebook followers to 3000
53. Increase Google Reader subscribers to 300
54. Institute three new blog categories
55. Purchase 27” iMac for in-office work
56. Upgrade one of our Nikon D700’s to a Nikon D4
57. Begin using ShootQ (Completed 6/1/12)
58. Implement the Git Kit
59. Take a seminar on time-management (Completed 2/12)
60. Institute an internship program
61. Start Alyse French Photography workshops
62. Revamp my album ordering process (possible outsourcing)
63. Order new sample wedding albums
64. Create a “for photographers” page for our website
65. Create a “press” page for our website
66. Learn to shoot landscape orientation with more intentionality and creativity (Habit formed!)
67. Experiment with film photography
68. Blog about the majority of these goals as they are accomplished
69. Routinely evaluate the goals on this list and write down new ones (AKA, goals 70 through 101) ;)

SOME UPDATED ADDITIONAL GOALS (in no particular order)…

70. Be selected as a Little Black Book vendor for Style Me Pretty
71. Snazzy-up the blog a bit (Completed 3/22/12)
72. Complete the CLEAN Program
73. Write a systems manual for the business
74. Trick out my office/meeting space in our new home
75. Establish vendor referral system
76. Establish strict 9AM-5PM office hours
77. Retake the Myers-Briggs test again
78. Complete The Challenge
79. Vacation with my family in Bar Harbor, ME

To be continued…

Now feel free to share some of YOUR goals below!! Happy 101’ing!!

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  • January 19, 2012 - 1:45 PM

    Lindsay - Ok, that was awesome. Now I want to make a list! …and possibly shamelessly steal a few of those. First smile at the office all day. Thanks for sharing!

  • January 19, 2012 - 1:53 PM

    Lauren Jolly - Alyse, please take me with you to see Newsies! Gah! I LOVE that movie! My goals for this year include finishing designing my website, and a blog to go with it, create a Facebook page for Lauren Jolly Photography, and attend at least one photography workshop. It’s gonna be a great year!

  • January 19, 2012 - 2:03 PM

    Amber Jacoby - film photography!! Alyse, we can do this together!! Cause it’s been something i’ve wanted to learn! As always, you’re adorable. And I miss you!

  • January 19, 2012 - 2:30 PM

    Mischelle - Suggestion on number 19. My hubby HATES reading but has wanted to read the entire Bible. Well as you can imagine, it was a challenge. Till technology stepped in. He Downloaded the Audio version ( and it is done in different voices, not bland) onto his phone. Now he listenes to it when ever he is in the car or working at his desk. A great way for a non-reader to be able to achieve his desire!!

  • January 19, 2012 - 2:30 PM

    Adrienne - Alyse! Check out this blog for #16! :) http://mixmingleglow.com/blog/?p=1358

  • January 19, 2012 - 2:52 PM

    Noël - You defiantly should do number 40.

  • January 19, 2012 - 9:19 PM

    Chris Potash - Oh my daughter has #34 on her list too! It’s her new favorite musical!

  • January 20, 2012 - 5:56 AM

    Jessica - I’m with ya on #3! Hey, #66 sounds like something big. The best to you on working through this list!

  • January 21, 2012 - 11:59 AM

    Pam - Oh great. Now you have me wanting to make a 101 in 1001 list….thaaaaanks :P

  • January 23, 2012 - 8:06 PM

    Casey Chappell - Here is one of the BEST messages on the Sabbath I’ve EVER heard!!! It’s so refreshing and will change the way you view keeping it… or at least it did for me. So, maybe after listening to it you can accomplish #20 with a little more Joy!!
    http://www.thevillagechurch.net/resources/sermons/#series-sort_the-path (it’s the one titled Sabbath) :)

  • January 24, 2012 - 2:04 PM

    Hayley Hughes - #22! I didn’t love reading until I read The Mark of the Lion series by Francine Rivers, you should check them out!

  • January 24, 2012 - 2:25 PM

    Kathy - The book “Getting Things Done” (aka GTD) by David Allen might help you with a number of these goals. I haven’t finished it yet (ironically) but it’s starting to change my mindset.

  • February 11, 2012 - 11:34 AM

    3. Get a freaking iPhone already … CHECK!! | Alyse French Photography | Houston-Based Wedding and Lifestyle Photographer - […] tell you!! I fiiinally got “a freaking iPhone already.” Consider number three on my 101 in 1001 checked OFFFFF, yo. Gone are the days of my horrendous Blackberry and $14 Tracfone. HERE are the […]

  • June 14, 2012 - 11:52 AM

    Lara - Good for you! Love #78 and 18, 19 and 20. So awesome!

  • June 26, 2012 - 8:56 AM

    Tidbit Tuesday #130 | Alyse French Photography | Houston-Based Wedding and Lifestyle Photographer - […] determined to use this new phase of life to settle into some new routines. Number 42 of my 101 in 1001 goal list states, “Be better at keeping a schedule like someone who DOESN’T work from home […]

  • November 14, 2013 - 12:39 PM

    Joy - I just made my own Goals/Resolutions list. I love this idea! But not as much as I love crossing them off as they happen. :)