A few years ago I discovered the website Day Zero Project (https://dayzeroproject.com) which allows its users to create lists of up to 101 goals that they want to accomplish, and then gives them 1001 days to tick them off. My first attempt at this was poor and I only managed to achieve 10% of the things that I put on the list, but I learned from that and created a new list once the original 1001 days were up. One of the goals that I've put on this list is to keep a record of everything that I manage to accomplish from the list and I thought my blog would be the ideal place to do that, not just so I can look back on the things I've done but also because if I aim to write a blog every month or so with my latest accomplishments it will hopefully encourage me to look at the list regularly and put my plans into action.
I started this list on September 1st, 2014 which means I now have 670 days to go, and I've currently marked 11 of my goals complete, with various other ones in progress. Here are the things I've already ticked off:
4. Attend my 100th concert.
Live music is one of my great loves and I was nearing 100 shows when I started this list. I achieved this goal on the 2nd of November, 2014, when I went to see Motionless In White play at the O2 ABC in Glasgow. I'd seen MIW twice before and I was really into them in the year or two previous, but by the time this tour finally came around I was kind of over them. I still really enjoyed their set but it wasn't one of my favourite shows, I went on my own and left after their set (they were co-headlining with Lacuna Coil) so I was out of the venue by 9pm. The next day I went down to Leeds to see the first of 7 dates on The Blackout's Wolves tour, which was much more memorable.
10. Meet up with my high school friends.
In February I got back in regular contact with one of my high school best friends and we've been catching up over lunch and seeing movies together, which has been great because I don't really have any friends in my hometown anymore after being away at Uni for so long.
29. Go on a road trip.
This one also relates to The Blackout's tour: I was originally going to four shows at the start of the tour but then a friend with a car invited me to come to another three dates with her, so we made our way to Bristol, Nottingham and Cardiff on an eventful few days that involved breakdowns, getting lost, powercuts and amazing concerts.
46. Visit London.
I've made two trips to London in 2015: once for The Blackout's farewell tour and once to attend this year's Kerrang Awards. Both were fun trips where I got confused on the tube and hung out with Southern friends who I don't get to see very often. The Kerrang Awards weren't nearly as exciting as they're made out to be but our only aim was to see Sean Smith who was interviewing bands backstage and we achieved that aim so it was a successful trip.
49. Photograph a concert.
When I was younger I used to take my camera to every concert and take photos of the bands during the show, but I got out of that habit a couple of years ago when I decided that I preferred to enjoy every second of the show without trying to document it. However, I managed to take pictures at The Blackout's last Glasgow show in March when I was ill and had to sit at the side rather than be down the front.
51. Help sort through Granny's things.
My Granny died in 2009 but I was too upset to go along when the family rushed to clear out her things, so I didn't get to save the mementoes that I wanted. I was worried that the books I wanted were gone forever but they were found in a suitcase in a cupboard in my house so I finally got a few, some of which go back generations. The books I saved are The Complete Works Of Shakespeare, The Complete Sherlock Holmes, Grimms Fairy Tales, Roman and Greek Mythology, and Longfellow's Poems. I've opened most of them but haven't actually gotten round to properly reading any of them just yet.
65. Volunteer for a charity.
I started working in the Shelter charity shop in town around the time that I started the 1001 days, and I've now been there for almost a year. I'm the shop's 'media manager', in charge of replenishing the DVDs, CDs, video games, cassettes, vinyl and audiobooks on the shelves. I also work on the till serving customers, help out with the gift aid database and check prices of our stock online.
75. Buy a dress.
When I started this list I didn't have a dress that fitted me, although I rarely go anywhere that necessitates the wearing of one. I've now got four dresses which I bought from the shop: a kneelength black velvet dress which I've worn a couple of times, a short strapless cream dress with black lace, a casual flannel shirt attached to a leather skirt, and a really short black dress with big 80s shoulders which I wore last time I was in London.
92. Visit Wales.
I've been to Wales twice since I started this list, once to Cardiff and once to Merthyr Tydfil, both to see The Blackout.
94. Write a letter to someone who has inspired me.
I sent a Christmas card to The Blackout but I don't know if it ever arrived. I also wrote messages to each member in memory books that my friends made for the band when they split up.
100. See The Blackout for the 50th time.
My 50th, and penultimate, Blackout show was at Glasgow Garage on March 26th 2015. It was the same venue where I'd seen them for the first time in 2008, so it was a nice way to end things.
I currently have another batch of goals marked 'in progress', so hopefully it won't be too long before I'm writing an update to my list of achievements. If you're like me and struggle to motivate yourself into achieving the things you want, I'd recommend making a Day Zero list and checking it regularly - the feeling of accomplishment when I'm able to tick something off really makes my day!
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