Happy end of April!

Today marks the end of my original “101 Things in 1001 Days” list I created back in August 1, 2020. A lot has happened in the past 1001 days since I wrote my original list mid-pandemic – in isolation in our Vermont home, with a very uncertain future under an unstable president, still employed at my old job, and just beginning to consider grad school.

My original list was inspired by Mackenzie Horan of Design Darling! She started her first list in 2011 and just began her fifth one on April 25. Her lists are a combination of must-dos, personal and professional goals, and fun aspirations she sets for herself for the next 2.75 years.

As I’ve worked my way through my original 101 in 1001 list, I’ve appreciated that it is not meant to be a high-pressure, “you must complete all the tasks” list, but more of a way to grow as an individual. As in my previous list, I’ve included professional and educational goals, personal goals, goals for this blog, health goals, creative goals, and a whole section devoted to purely fun activities. If I can get to all 101 that would be incredible, but I’m not going to feel bad if I only make it to 10. This list will help give me things to look forward to and includes challenges that encourage me to grow, and I’m very grateful to Mackenzie for sharing her journey through her previous lists.

I completed 40 out of 101 items on my original list, which I’m honestly very proud of due to the ongoing pandemic restrictions and various major life changes that occurred during that time period. A few accomplishments I’m particularly proud of are reading 122 books (my original goal was 80), applying and getting accepted to graduate school, creating a media kit, finding a group therapy session in DC, and going on Birthright to Israel before aging out. This list served as a reminder to hit some milestones during a generous amount of time so I can enjoy each experience without stress.

My new 101 in 1001 list contains a lot of the same goals such an continuing to expand my mind through reading new books and watching documentaries, as well as incentives to travel and get out of my comfort zone. I hope you all get inspired to push yourselves and maybe create a 101 in 1001 list of your own!

Without further ado, here is my 101 in 1001 Days List!

Start Date: April 30, 2023

End Date: January 24, 2026

Personal Development (5/18)

1. Read at least 100 books (50/100) – Sleeping with the Enemy; Happy Place; Virtually Yours; The Power of Cute; Mastering the Art of French Murder; Yellowface; The American Roommate Experience; Big Gay Wedding; Delilah Green Doesn’t Care; Sweet Paprika #1; Bonding; The House in the Cerulean Sea; Summer Reading; States of Neglect; The Three of Us; Cobblestones and Ice Cream Cones; Love in the Time of Serial Killers; The Cat Who Saves Books; Charlotte Illes is Not a Detective #1; The Art Thief; Boys Weekend; Silver Nitrate; Being Present; Back in a Spell; Memories, Lies, and Other Ties; Race After Technology; The Burnout; Rule Breaker; Hard Hitter; Front Runner; Play Maker; Game Changer; Don’t Forget Me Tomorrow; Iced Out; Trick Play; Hot Vampire Next Door; The Monster’s Wife; End Game; Freeing Luka; Saving Verakko; Choosing Theo; Tempting Auzed; Resisting Maxu; Using Fejo; Releasing Maladek; Ruling Sikthand; The Graham Effect; Love Kills; Bride; Bad Vibes Only;
2. Put $150 into my savings each month for six months
3. Vote in the 2024 elections
4. Renew my driver’s license in 2024
5. Try at least 10 new-to-me DC restaurants (10/10) – Butter Me Up; Gordon Ramsay’s Fish & Chips; The Grill; Le Bar a Vin; Tiki on 18; Josephine; Petite Cerise; El Presidente; Fitzgerald’s; Hiraya
6. Have a no-spend month
7. Try out five new recipes from a cookbook (0/5)
8. Learn to make a signature cocktail
9. Watch at least five documentaries about topics I’m unfamiliar with (2/5) – Bama Rush; Tik Tok Dance Cult;
10. Learn how to make pierogis on my own from my family’s recipe
11. Volunteer at least 10 hours for a cause I believe in – Special Olympics World Games in Berlin, June 2023
12. Write a letter to an author whose work I admire
13. Unplug completely for 24 hours – Kripalu Retreat in January 2024
14. Wake up at 7am every day for a week
15. Learn how to change a tire
16. Complete at least 50 of these 101 in 1001 goals
17. Beat my past 101 in 1001 record of 40 goals completed
18. Get back to pre-pandemic strength levels

Professional and Academic Development (4/6)

1. Graduate from Grad School
2. Update my Resume after graduation
3. Update my Linkedin after graduation
4. Get a side job dog walking or babysitting
5. Secure a summer 2023 internship
6. Get a job after graduation in 2024

The Blog (1/13)

1. Launch my blog redesign
2. Design a new “about me” page
3. Update my DC travel guide
4. Attend at least 5 blogger meetups (5/5) – September 2023 DC Bloggers; February 2024 DC Bloggers; March 2024 DC Bloggers; June 2024 DC Bloggers; September DC Bloggers
5. Host an Instagram Q&A
6. Consistently post at least 4 times a month to the blog for 4 months straight
7. Update my O&O Facebook page
8. Do a giveaway on my blog
9. Participate in a blogging challenge (Blogtober/Blogmas)
10. Create a custom logo for the blog
11. Write at least five “how to” posts (0/5)
12. Reach 4,000 followers on Instagram
13. Do a museum photoshoot

Health (0/9)

1. Not eat out or get takeout for a whole month
2. Do 30 pushups continuously
3. Take vitamins every day for at least one month
4. Drink 8 glasses of water each day for a week
5. Try a 2-day juice cleanse
6. Try one-out-of-my-comfort-zone exercise class
7. Go vegan for 2 weeks
8. Do one form of the splits (increase flexibility)
9. Find out my blood type

Friends and Family (1/11)

1. Mail care packages and send flowers to my mom and dad just because
2. Do a Virginia winery tour
3. Attend two weddings (one family, one friend) – family in August 2023; friend in November 2023
4. Go to a sunflower field
5. Go leaf peeping in New England
6. Spend a weekend at a Getaway House
7. Spend a day golfing with my dad
8. Treat dad to a Yankee game
9. Do a spa day with my mom
10. Treat mom to a Broadway show or musical
11. Go on a cousins girl’s trip

Home (1/6)

1. Organize my bookshelf by color
2. Keep my bedroom clutter-free for three months
3. Get two herb plants and keep them alive/Begin an herb garden
4. Scrutinize my closet/beauty/wellness products and donate, organize/store, sell, or toss all the things I never wear or use
5. Take all clothing that requires tailoring to a professional tailor – including vintage pieces
6. Do a deep clean/organization of my paperwork

Travel (6/10)

1. Visit at least 6 new states
2. Travel to at least 3 new countries (3/3) – Germany in June 2023; South Africa in Oct/Nov 2023; Puerto Rico in May 2024 (US territory, but still); Czech Republic in June 2024
3. Take a solo trip – Nantucket in August 2023
4. Plan a vacation with high school friends
5. Do a girls-only road trip
6. Return to Nantucket at least twice (2/2) – August 2023; October 2024
7. Go on one tropical vacation – Puerto Rico in May 2024
8. Return to Newport, RI and visit the mansions – December 2023
9. Visit two more national parks (1/2) – PR?
10. Visit a new continent – Africa in 2023

Art and Creativity (1/4)

1. Visit at least 5 new museums (6/5) – Martha’s Vineyard Museum in July 2023; Hadwen House in August 2023; Planet Word in October 2023; Robben Island Museum in November 2023; U.S. Postal Museum in February 2024; Glenstone Museum in February 2024
2. Take three art classes
3. Draft a comic, graphic novel, or book
4. Learn calligraphy/lettering

Just for Fun (5/23)

1. Go to at least three concerts (3/3) – Jake Blount at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival – July 2023; T-Pain – July 2023; Rob Mathes – December 2023
2. Go to at least five after-hours museum events (5/5) – After Hours Disco at the National Building Museum – July 2023; Filipino Festival at the National Museum of Asian Art – July 2023; Indigenous Futures at the National Gallery of Art – November 2023; Phillips After 5 – February 2024; NMWA Nights – February 2024
3. Leave a 100% tip for great service – Tuesday, May 2, 2023 at Grace Street Coffee
4. Pay for the person behind me at a coffee shop
5. Do DC restaurant weeks 2023 and 2024
6. Learn to style my hair (learn how to French braid)
7. Go on five romantic dates with strangers
8. Watch 10 classic movies I’ve never seen before (3/10) – Meet Me in St. Louis (December 2023); Holiday Inn (December 2023); Holiday Affair (December 2023)
9. Take a cooking class
10. Take 3 official dance classes (1/3)- Salsa in October 2024;
11. Host a tea party
12. Host a dinner party
13. Go horseback riding again
14. See Harry Potter and the Cursed Child on Broadway
15. Have a Marvel Marathon in chronological order
16. Get a tattoo
17. Go to a murder mystery dinner party
18. Pickle my own food
19. Submit my DNA test
20. Celebrate my Golden Birthday (31!)
21. Attend one Fashion Week Show (NY or DC)
22. Do a graduation photoshoot
23. Have a portrait done of me in a favorite outfit
24. Go to a local fair

Let me know if you’re inspired to start your own 101 in 1001 or a personal bucket list!

XOXO

Parisa