Day 2: Process Ingredients

I closed out yesterday by putting a very large list in the last article, a list that nominally explained my goals, but in most cases only vaguely. The idea is to take that list, critically examine it, determine what I'm really aiming at with each item, how I can get there in manageable, measurable steps, and how to prioritize them. I'll let you in on a little secret: I've actually already given this a fair bit of thought, but I'm rendering the process transparent because I'm trying to beat the perfectionist-hiding-everything-until-it's-shiny tendency out of myself. So, let's begin.

The first step in this process is to reorganize the list into more meaningful categories. The groupings in the initial version of the list were a slapdash production, and illuminate nothing of my priorities or my method. I had given some thought into blocking them out into groups of interconnected goals which lead into or supplement one another, but even if that shows more of a 'method,' it's a somewhat myopic one. In reality, I will most likely always be pursuing multiple entirely disparate goals in parallel.

What makes more sense is to instead break the goals down into tiers of importance, which leads me to a three-tier system comprising core, priority and interest levels. Core goals are the absolute essentials of how I want to live my life both intellectually and physically. Priority goals are those things which I place high value on, but which ultimately are facilitators of or extensions to core goals, and can be safely placed on the back-burner in favor of of them. Finally, interest goals are just those things which really get me motivated, but have no bearing on the essential pursuit of my particular life.

Broken down this way, we end up with a list that looks like this:

Core Goals
Livable income from creative endeavors alone
Travel the world
Cut all artificial ingredients from my diet
120 g protein/day
Develop a video game
Total adherence to a daily schedule
Write 5,000 words/day
Learn to compose music
Learn to sing
HTML/CSS/Javascript
Web Design
Reach a weight of 82 kg at 9% body fat
Improved flexibility
Graphic Design
Drawing
Painting

Priority Goals
Improve typing speed
Improve cooking skills
1 poem/day
Music production
Play guitar
Play bass
Play drum kit
Play piano
Python
Pistol Squats, Handstand Pushups, Planche Ups, One Armed Pushups, Front Lever Pullups, Claw Pushups, Muscle Ups (Feats of Strength)
1 Minute of Double-Unders on Jump Rope
1 meter Vertical Jump, 2.4 meter Standing Long Jump
15 minute 1 kilometer swim
15 second 100 meter dash
Train grip strength
Mathematics
Physics
Computer Science
Linguistics
Photography
Acting
Learn various languages
Muay Thai
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
1 Amateur Fight

Interest Goals
Learn to play Go
Read 1 book/week
Re-read classical writings
Learn keyboard shortcuts
Memorize metric system conversions
Create an aquaponic farming system
Write 1,000 words of fanfiction/day
Sound design
All non-priority instruments
D3
All other programming languages
R
SQL
Bash scripting
Ring training
Chemistry
Biology
Material Science
Mechanical Engineering
Electrical Engineering
Architecture
Construction
Data Visualization
Pixel Art
3D Modeling
Cartography
Cinematography
Video Editing
Industrial Design
Sculpture
Tailoring
Costume Design
Interior Design
Voice Acting
All dancing
Stand-Up Comedy
All non-priority martial arts

So, all told, that leaves us with 16 core goals, 25 priority goals and 37 interest goals, if you count the collectivized listings as single items. Not a bad spread, I'd say. The next article will take a look at the core goals, the reasoning behind their eminence on this list and how I intend to go about achieving them.

Still learning,
~L