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Wage Slave Rebel Dispatch
The “As-Soon-As-Possible” List
[Credit: Daveness_98]
Recently I wrote a post called Fifty Things You And I Are Going To Do. In it, I followed Sean Ogle’s example and set myself up with a reasonably sized bucket list (except instead of “before I die” I planned to do all those things before I turned 30 in 8 years). It sounded like a brilliant idea at the time and it inspired me, at least for a while, to start working toward all those things.
But over the weeks that followed, I started to see some problems with this plan. While it might work for Sean and others, it wasn’t working for me. Not at all. And it wasn’t until I actually watched the film “The Bucket List” that I realized exactly why that was.
In the film, two older men named Edward Cole (Jack Nicholson) and Carter Chambers (Morgan Freeman) meet by chance in a hospital room, both with very negative prospects. After weeks of chemo therapy, Edward is told that he will likely live no longer than 6 months. Shortly after, Carter receives the news that the doctors expect him to live no more than a year, probably less.
The men, faced with their own mortality, create a bucket list, a list of things they want to do before they “kick the bucket.” The pair start traveling around the world and crossing off their items. Climbing the pyramids, skydiving, going on safari, racing Shelby Mustangs and so on. They chose to do things that we, as lifestyle designers, would probably want to do ourselves.
After watching this I realized what it was that wasn’t working out for me and my list. While plenty of focus is put on doing things “before we die” that wasn’t what Edward and Carter set out to do. When I say “before you die” what number pops into your head? Forty years? Fifty? Whatever it is, there’s a high probability that it’s too big to be effective. A bucket list for me became a ‘someday’ list. It was just a collection of things that I had planned to get around to eventually.
Not Edward and Carter, though. They set out not to do those things before they died, but to do as many of those things they could as soon as possible. The bucket list, at least as I implemented it, lacked a sense of urgency, lacked a purpose. These men in the film had six months while I have (hopefully) 50ish years. Instead of making another long-term ‘someday list’ I thought it would be much better to make a series of short term ‘as-soon-as-possible-lists’ since short term will allow me to retain a sense of urgency and to better track my progress. I imagine this being a list of three things per three months so that I don’t overwhelm myself. So, I’m resubmitting my bucket list as follows:
- Develop a successful digital product
- Create a basic but functional Ruby on Rails website
- Get 500 subscribers for WSR
This list is quite a bit more manageable than the last so I feel much more capable of doing it. I’ll update you on each goal as I tackle it and hopefully in three months I’ll have accomplished them all. If anyone has any advice, let me know!
What do you prefer? A long-term bucket list or a short-term bucket list? Do you have a list yourself? What are some of your goals?
Related posts
- Abolishing the Someday Mindset
- Fifty Things You And I Are Going To Do
- What James Cameron Taught Me About Passion
- The Measurement of Life
- How to Guarantee Success
Good idea. I’ve resisted the idea of creating a list, not sure why. Sure, I want to see more of the world and do a bunch of cool things but there are only a handful of things that I absolutely need to do if I want to die without regret.
Your idea echoes the saying: ‘You don’t have to decide what you are going to do with the rest of your life, just what you are going to do with today’. .-= NomadicNeil´s last blog ..Job 2 Do – Thai Reggae =-.
I like that saying. I’m sure I’ve heard it before. At least it sounds like one of those things someone would have said, but whatever the case I have to remember it. I get really overwhelmed thinking too far into the future. I get so focused on tomorrow that what I do today falls apart so ‘tomorrow’ is just this perpetual ‘some day’
Like Neil, I like the idea of a bucket list but have yet to create one.
I think I am doing the things I want everyday so I don’t really need to have a list of things to cross off. That is almost like shifting from consumerism to experiences. Life is not about how much we buy, how many countries we visit, or how many things we cross off a list. I think enjoying the daily process and journey is more important.
Your “ASAP” list sounds more in tune to my thinking. .-= John Bardos – JetSetCitizen´s last blog ..Volunteer Global, Interview with Sarah Van Auken =-.
I like this idea of having goals that flow and appreciating the small things that usually go unnoticed. And experiences, too. That’s a really important jump. I used to be focused on having certain things. “If I only had _____ I would be happy.” But everything on this list has been crossed off. I have a MacBook, an iPhone, recording equipment, a dslr camera, an hd camcorder and I’m still not particularly happy with where I’m at. I don’t get joy from owning things. I get joy from doing great things with what I own. The photographs I take and the songs I record and the blog I run. I get lots of satisfaction from creating things other people can appreciate. That’s what’s most important.
Definitely keep us to to date as to your progress! I’ve been doing something similar…I’ve created a relatively short list of things I want to do soon over at 43things.com; a site that basically allows you to make a list of things you want to do and then as you achieve them, tell otehrs how you did it, give advice, etc. Might be worth looking into! .-= Colin Wright´s last blog ..Meat, She-Pimps and Ethical Quandaries =-.
I’ve tried 43things and I always end up forgetting I have an account there. I’d be interested to see the kinds of advice offered though. That’s the best part of the whole idea, I think.
I’ve recently tried reducing the number of things on my to-do list and try and keep them managable. Most of things on my list can be achieved with 1-2 months. .-= Anthony Feint´s last blog ..A Complete Guide to Converting Your Passions into Blogging Cash =-.
This is what I’m aiming for. It’s the first time I’m really trying it out, but I feel good about it.
JD, good to see the new list! I’m sure you’ll be able to make the things on it real in a rather short time. I actually never had a bucket list myself, although I enjoyed the movie very much and certainly thought about it. But I pretty much agree with you that personal interest and priorities may change over time, and so I didn’t really feel like committing to big life goals and things to do, either. Instead, I’m focussing on short-term plans/interests/ideas that generally will move me into a direction I’m interested in, without knowing yet where it will lead me exactly. .-= Fabian´s last blog ..Happy New Year 2009! =-.
Thanks for the idea for the post! If you hadn’t brought it up I probably wouldn’t have switched gears to more short-term things at all.
My brain functions like a sieve so I actually do work better if I dump everything I want to do, now or someday, into one giant mind-map. (If I didn’t, I’d forget half of them…) This not only provides me with a central location to go to, but it’s a holistic approach: I can see the whole list at once. I can look at the map and pick certain things to focus on, putting a circle around them. As I finish things, they get checkmarked or crossed through on the paper, letting me see quite graphically the speed at which I’m accomplishing my goals and dreams. .-= Katrina McQuarrie´s last blog ..Free Guide to Creating Heirloom Jewelry =-.
Yeah, I can see the benefit in having a “dump file” where you can put all the things you want to do, but I’d only be comfortable working toward goals in 3 month chunks. I get very easily overwhelmed though, so this is bit of a defense to keep me from giving up entirely.
I think there are benefits to both types of lists. Creating an ASAP list though is a great idea. I should really do the same thing. I’ve got a lot of things on my to-do list and need to either prioritize or figure out which ones are most doable right now. Thanks for the little wake up call! Great idea for a post. .-= Nate´s last blog ..travel goals and Frequent Flyer Master review =-.
There are benefits to both, I’m sure. But this is what seems to work for me so I’m going with it. Like I’ve mentioned, I get so easily overwhelmed that breaking things down to their smallest, easiest accomplished tasks is about the only way I can get anywhere.
Good luck with the new list, J.D. I agree with Nate, both type of lists are useful. I like to have short, medium and long term goals in different areas of life, with a periodic review where I decide which long-term goals should be moved up in timing. Don’t forget about your bucket list, just choose a couple of them that you’d like to get to this year and start working towards them. .-= Corbett´s last blog ..Yes, The World Needs Trash Collectors Too, But It Doesn’t Have to Be You or Me =-.
Yeah, I’m kind of rethinking this. I should hang onto an “ultimate” list that contains everything I want to do, break them down into manageable chunks and then put all my focus and attention on the short term things, since they matter the most today. I’m still trying to figure out what works out best for me as far as accomplishing goals goes.
Really good post JD. While so far, my list has helped me stay focused on doing some out of the box things, I agree, the whole “before you die” thing, definitely lacks a sense of urgency. I like your idea of an “as-soon-as-possible-list” and I think it would serve me well to create one for myself.
Keep us posted on your progress!
I think that a “before you die” list is probably necessary, but that each item should be broken down into smaller asap lists. At least, this is the way I’m going to try it.
I’ll keep everyone updated on how things go.
I’m with Corbett on this one. Both are required. Everything goes into the bucket and then gets reviewed at some point. The asap list would be what you are working on this week.
I’m pretty sure I agree with you now. The bucket list is really worthless without the asap list though.
Cool to see your thoughts evolve and the re-adjustments you made based on the experience. I love when this happens for me.
I have those longer term goals that are fun to daydream about and like you, a more urgent soon-as-possible list. The difference is that I prefer to put a firm date on everything, even the bucket list stuff. I do this for two reasons that may not apply to everyone:
1) A firm date forces me into action. Some people feel overwhelmed by deadlines, and are better served avoiding this. I don’t get stressed by the short deadlines, it actually helps me to focus, so I use this method.
2) I want to build my life around these goals/lists/experiences really happening and setting a clear date and scheduling around it, makes it feel like it is, without a doubt, going to happen. In so many ways, when I lock in a date, it feels like it has already happened.
I just completed a 21 day mini-asap list with the help of an accountability partner and the results were incredible. Far greater than if I would have just gone at it alone. So I guess one suggestion would be to have someone hold you accountable to these goals you’ve set for yourself. You can return the favor and support someone with their goals.
Instead of looking at completing your goals in roughly 3 months, maybe with the help of an accountability partner, you could just do the following for 21 days:
1) Develop a successful digital product (spend 30 focused minutes on this project) 2) Create a basic but functional Ruby on Rails website ( spend 30 focused minutes on this project) 3) Get 500 subscribers for WSR (spend 30 focused minutes on this project)
Or pick just the one that excites you the most and allocate a certain portion of your day to doing whatever is needed to go forward. By reporting your results everyday to an accountability partner, you will be forced to take steps.
Great article bro! .-= Mike Siete Cinco´s last blog ..The 21 day Challenge =-.
Dude, this is what I was looking for. Things seem so vague until you say “21 days, 30 minutes a day.” Who can’t do something for 30 minutes? It seems like so little, just 30 minutes per day. It really makes it all sound less overwhelming. I LOVE that. I’m rolling with it, starting today. Thanks, man!
[...] Rebel provides a new take on the ‘bucket list’ made famous by the recent film. The As-Soon-As-Possible List urges us all to get off our butts and start doing some of those things on the list. JD says: A [...]
Hey JD I agree, it’s a good idea to have a to-list that focus on short term stuff. In fact I would say the todo list should only be stuff that you can do right now. But I think its still probably a good idea to have a list of long term goals and targets. Some things just take longer than a month to accomplish; like getting a degree or something.
So what I have found works for me is have a list of long term goals, like your things you want to do before you die type of list, then create your “as-soon-as-possible” list based upon what is the next actionable step I can do right now to bring this goal to fruition.
I do this weekly, as part of a weekly review, so I come up with a bunch of tasks I think I can fit into the week, based upon the what I want to do before I die list. And then at the end of each day, I actually block out time to work on each of these actions in my calendar for the next day. Which forces me to take action on these things.
So It’s like starting of with the high level goals and then chiseling them down into bite sized actionable pieces. The basic idea here is actually based upon Agile Software Development, or more specifically SCRUM.
Having developed software for a long time, it seemed natural to me that Agile would be a great fit for lifestyle design so I started following the above process (just a couple of weeks ago, in fact) and so far the results have been quite exciting.
The next tweak I’ll be looking at is to try to determine the optimum number of projects to work on at once. Obviously we can’t work on all 50 of our lifetime goals every week right? But can we do 10, or would 3 or 4 be a more productive number? I’m sure the answer lies somewhere in the trade off between the mental cost of task-switching versus the attention span / average productive on-task duration of an individual. I hope to find out for sure in a couple of weeks time, after testing on myself.
By the way great blog.
My list is somewhere in between. Not short term. Not long term It is a 101things in 1001days list. To keep the pressure on I select one or more items each month that I want to check off the list (or at least, start working on) .-= Elke Gunst´s last blog ..in kader van themed-reizen =-.
You make some good points here. I have known many people that can’t even do new years resolutions let alone bucket lists. It really does come down to procrastination. If you think that you have decades to finish your goals, you are going to put them off. This is especially true if those goals require a lot of energy in planning and effort to accomplish.
.-= Steve´s last blog ..Six Ways to Travel Endlessly =-.