So as Part 3 of my End-of-the-Year wrap-up, here are a few of the things on my list for 2012…

2012 Goooooals:

• Grow savings to $X
• Sublet condo for 1-2 months
• Apply to at least one new credit card for airline miles (only did 1 in 2011, but for 80,000 miles)
• Make more money
• Plan an iPhone app
• Work remotely (not in Portland) for 1-3 months
• Roll over 401k
• Run a 5k
• Continue 3-5x week fitness plan
• No alcohol for 1 month
• Volunteer again
• Travel to South America or Portugal
• Visit NYC, San Francisco, Boston or Savannah (essentially: another US city).
• Attend 12 new Portland things (this one gets more difficult every year!)
• Go on a quarterly getaway trip with boyfriend (Oregon/Northwest etc)
• Find a mentor
• Sew/craft something again (it’s been way too long since I’ve used my sewing machine!)
• Find more girlfriends (with my best friend moving to Hawaii, I’m recognizing that I’m going to have to be a bit more proactive about getting closer with current friends and making more friends in 2012).

And to kick things off, January is going to be some kind of hybrid “be healthier and cook at home” goal + no alcohol. And with that, Happy New Year!

Part 1 – Yearly Goal Setting Template
Part 2 – 2011 Year-End-Review: So Long, Farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, Adieu…
Part 3 – My 2012 Goals

What’s on your 2012 goal list?

Since I’ve been asked for a bit of the process behind my personal planning, I decided to share an example of my Yearly Planning spreadsheet this year. (After downloading this Excel file, you can import into Google Docs or just use Excel or OpenOffice to use the template for your own goals).

Download the Goal Setting Template:

Tips for doing an Annual Personal Review:

Accountability
I like the idea of posting all of my goals for the world to see for accountability, but some are also personal, so while I’ll mention a few here on my blog, I keep a Google Doc with all my goals. Whatever your system is, share it with someone (start with your BFF!)

The Grand Picture
Some of my yearly goals tie into my 30 Before 30 list (which is now a 31 Before 31 list), some were new goals, bigger goals, smaller goals, BHAGs, etc.

Pick a theme
I’ve seen some people have a theme for their year or a one word description, which I’ve done in the past but I decided to do a quote this last year. 2011 was “Let the beauty of what you love be what you do” — Rumi. This quote really covered the different areas of my life from work to personal to fitness, and I added it to my chalkboard inspiration stripe in my bathroom to remind myself all year.

Categorize!
I like to break out my goals into broad categories. In previous years, I’ve done really specific categories (eg. job, fitness, learning, money, family, blog etc), but this last year I decided to go a little wider with the general themes of: Health, Wealth, Happiness. They all go together, yes, but then I could stick the usual sub-categories under each, like “Health” has Fitness & Learning, and Service & Spiritual etc.

What by when?
Just like typical goals, I try to follow the GTD method to my year-end personal planning. I will… {do what?} {by when} and the {next action step} is. With a  {quarterly review area} and {final review}.

Example: I will put $5,000 in my IRA for 2011 contribution by April 15 (tax time). Next step: Transfer money from my savings account to my IRA account.

A more fun example: I will list my condo on HomeAway or AirBnB by June 1. Next step: Look at current studio listings in Portland for ideas.

An even more fun example: I will take a cooking class in 2011. Next step: Look at class options and schedule at Sur la Table.

Part 1 – Yearly Goal Setting Template
Part 2 – 2011 Year-End-Review: So Long, Farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, Adieu…
Part 3 – My 2012 Goals

Do you do an “annual review” of your personal life?

This also means that my 30 Before 30 List is over. And once again, I didn’t complete my entire list. I finished about 50.5% of the things on my list this year. A few favorites include: visiting Iceland, buying my first house, trying standup paddleboarding, biking the San Juan Islands, buying a mixte bike, doing yoga for a month, and going to 200ish new restaurants.

So of course the next logic step is to create a 31 New Things Before 31 list. And then I need to try harder this year! :)

What should I put on my 31 Before 31 list?

1. Liberty of London – Remember when I went overboard on buying Liberty of London stuff? Yep, still like it.
2. World Cup 2010 – Was I stoked for World Cup 2006? No, I was on the “meh” level, but being in Marseilles and going to local pubs to watch games and then watching the French go ballistic after the Brazil/France (quarterfinal?) was awesome. So this time around, I have the infectious enthusiasm of my coworkers and a few work projects that are related, so yeah, excited for World Cup 2010? Definitely! Come on, it’s stuff white people like.
3. Häagen-Dazs Five Ice Cream – Ginger – “It tastes like ginger” Yum.
4. window gardening – I got a late start at my community garden spot, because of my move, so I started 2 small planters on my balcony that I moved to my windows after the move (arugula, basil, mint, and 1 strawberry plant). The basil died, and my kitteh is making great time on eating the arugula. Which inspired the Arugula Pecorino Pizza before it’s all gone.
5. She & Him – I won tickets to the She & Him show in Bend on Memorial Day. le sigh! Volume I & II. So good.
6. iPhone4 - I can haz? birthday coming up, yes.
7. Mumford & Sons – Rather obsessed with these fellows of late. Also, you can listen to the entire album for free on [gasp] MySpace. And if you weren’t already in love with them…
8. Gap linen shorts – You know how some people say you shouldn’t buy a ton of the same thing in different colors? Dude. Those people obviously don’t have issues finding shorts that a. fit in the waist b. fit in the butt c. are tight enough around the leg. So, I bought green, blue, and white. I did put the yellow and pink ones back… for another time?
9. Pink Gin Fizz – not a big fan of sweet drinks, but I can get behind sweet/sour. Shortcut: Grapefruit Izze + oj + gin= tasty.
10. Oregon coast – I spent some time napping in the sand dunes and sunshine last weekend. <3

What’s on your list?

As mentioned, I decided to take a break from the 101 things in 1,001 days list. My clone started a 30 before thirty list, so like a good clone I’m copying her — let the listomania begin…

30 Before Thirty List

1. Buy a house – this was on my list before I bought a house!
2. Visit Iceland
3. Run a half-marathon (ie. start running again)
4. Attend a cooking class (@Sur La Table perhaps)
5. Carve out a stellar mini-office for work [at home]
6. Go raw for 1 week or do a cleanse ( hi mom, I know you’re going to leave me an inspirational comment)
7. Start strength training
8. Learn to ride my bike outside with my cycling shoes [without falling over]
9. Go to 1 new restaurant (or coffee shop) per week 52 in total
10. Do yoga six days a week for one month
11. Learn the Tittibhasana (Firefly) Pincha Mayurasana (Forearm stand) pose – (hijacked this one, sorry pal)
12. Get an iPhone (did Steve tell you that perchance?)
13. Go actual backpacking (as-in: carrying a backpack in the forest, not schlepping around the globe)
14. Take a silver jewelry class – crafter-alert!
15. Road trip Hwy 101 south & stay in that lighthouse hostel near SF
16. Try a new class that isn’t ‘my style’: belly dancing or zumba (cringe)
17. Ask 20 12 people their favorite book and read it
18. Try kiteboarding
19. Volunteer again
20. Get a car, scooter or new bicycle
21. Visit a spa for a whole day or do a yoga/spa vacay with H
22. Eat [hyper] local for one week
23. Cook a 5-course meal, have a dinner party
24. Buy awesome matching lingerie
25. Start a grown-up alcohol collection and declare a signature drink (mojitos…)
26. Buy a little black dress (note: not navy, grey, or a sundress… this one is going to be a challenge)
27. Visit all 30 breweries in Portland
28. Ask a guy out (I seriously have never done this, what is my problem!)
29. — (I’ll add this before my 29th birthday)
30. — (I’ll add this before my 29th birthday)

Well, well?

photo by 96dpi

So here are a few things I’m jumping up and down about this week:

• Winning a trip to Chicago for the BlogHer ’09 Conference. Not only did I get a ticket to the conference, but my $702 Visa gift card came in the mail last week. Now I just need to buy my flight and hotel! I love winning stuff!
• My garden was featured on Apartment Therapy’s Green Home Re-Nest site: My Great Outdoors: Olivia’s Handbuilt Container Garden
• My garden was featured again on Apartment Therapy for The Soybean’s How-To post on ikeahacking tomato ladders.
• I won a Sansa slotRadio MP3 player from Matador Travel.
• I also won concert tickets to Kate Voegele last week from PDX Pipeline.
• I snagged a free gardening book from Gardener to Farmer.
• Vote for my blog in the Blogluxe Best Eye Candy Blog awards!

Now, since I’m currently unemployed (and homeless), I’m having a hard time finding things to add to my wishlist (for my birthday), since I don’t need a lot of “stuff” to carry around. Here’s what I have so far:

• L’Occitane Verbena Eau de Toilette – I finally ran out of the original.
  
• Moleskine Cahier Pocket Notebook – the blue/red covers are more expensive than the regular Kraft covers that I usually get, but they’re oh so cute.
• Massage at McMenamin’s Edgefield Ruby’s Spa – I’ve been golfing at Edgefield, but now I’m being lured there by lovely reports of the new soaking pool!

Any gift ideas for the unemployed and homeless? Do share! This self-promoting, bragging list is now officially over.

Packing Tips:

• Backpack size is important. People often comment on how small my pack is (Marmot Diva 35 2,100 cu in and a $70 backpack to boot!), but they forget that I’m 5′ 3″ and 125 pounds.  If you’re small, your pack should be proportionate to your size.
• Ziploc bags are your friend.  Gallon size freezer bags are great as cheap/disposable compression bags.
• Don’t let your toiletries get out of control. Chances are, if you’re going to be gone for a year, you’re going to have to replenish your shampoo etc anyway.  I pack 2 oz bottles and then repurchase every few months.
• Bring what you’ll use. Don’t let the “experts” say what you can and can’t pack.  If a blow dryer is really important to you, then buy a travel one and bring it.  Besides, I’ll probably ask to borrow it! ;)  My “Packing Nazi” no-no item is a pair of jeans.
• Think about layers.  How do you pack for snow in Japan and surfing in Australia, for museums and shopping in Barcelona and mosques in Istanbul?  It’s all about layering. And a scarf goes a long way.
• Skip the hiking boots. I’ve met so many backpackers over the last year, with the obligatory pair of huge hiking boots tied to the side of their pack. My anecdotal research tells me that most of them have only used them once if that, and it could have been done in running shoes.  So if you don’t already hike in hiking boots, you probably won’t need them.  I hiked for 6 hours in the mountains in Morocco with my Diesel slip-ons.
• Leave room for purchases. I pack 1 scarf and 1 skirt, and always come home with about 4 scarves and 3 sundresses!  It’s fun to pick up clothes along the way, but I try to save most purchases towards the end of my trip.  By the time I came home from Morocco in November, I was lugging an extra: 2 huge pieces of material/blankets, 5 scarves, 2 dresses, 1 leather purse, a leather belt, 10 pillow covers, and a cardigan.

The Ultimate Packing List

Clothes/Shoes:
Diesel tennis shoes (or running shoes)
Havaianas flip flops
jeans
North Face hiking pants
cargo khakis
3 pairs shorts (2 short, 1 long)
Helly Hansen Fleece or hoodie
Columbia Packable Windbreaker with hood
7 tank tops
3 tees
1 skirt
2 long sleeve shirts
1 button-up camp shirt
2 bikinis
2 bras
10 undies
4 pairs of socks
leggings
Pashmina scarf

Toiletries etc.
REI toiletry bag
2 oz shampoo / conditioner
3 oz mint body wash (keeps the mozzies away)
toothbrush / toothpaste / floss
razor
nail clippers
deodorant
face lotion
face sunscreen
concealer
eyeliner
mascara
Burt’s Bees chapstick
Ibuprofen
Misc. travel meds
small pack of tissues
Antibacterial hand gel
REI Quickdry towel

Electronics/Fun Stuff:
iPod
ipod charger
iPod Lego block speaker
Swiss Army knife/usb drive
SD card USB reader
Black Diamond headlamp (way cooler than a flashlight)
camera
camera battery charger
Otter Box for camera
extra 1 GB SD card
watch
universal adapter
PacSafe Wrap Safe Lock

Other:
REI mini Clothesline
Sea to Summit Silk Sleep Sheet
laundry kit (soap and sink plug)
Travel Guidebook
Reading book
Moleskine Cahier pocket journals
sunglasses
money belt (which I’ve never actually used)
passport
photocopies
visa photos
insurance info
Moleskin 2008 info journal
Mildew free wet suit bag

The following items didn’t make the cut, after my first 4 months on the road packing list:

• cell phone
• collapsible water bottle
• Malaria meds
• beanie
• fleece (I switched to a hoodie)
• Nike running shoes (I switched to Diesel city shoes)

What’s on your packing list?

Backpack:
Marmot Diva 2,100 cubic inch backpack (from France ’06 trip) a $70 pack!
REI Packable pocket daypack (it literally folds up into a pocket)

Clothes/Shoes:
Diesel shoes
2 pair Havaianas flip flops
1 pair jeans
1 pair North Face hiking pants
1 pair of cargo khakis
3 pairs shorts (2 short, 1 long)
1 fleece
1 Columbia windbreaker with hood
7 tanks
3 tees
2 long sleeve tees
1 bikini
1 sports bra
2 bras
7 undies
4 pairs of socks
1 beanie

Toiletries etc.
REI toiletry bag
shampoo / conditioner
body wash
toothbrush / toothpaste / floss
razor
nail clippers
deodorant
face lotion
face sunscreen
concealer
eyeliner
mascara
Burt’s Bees chapstick
Ibuprofen
Malaria meds
Misc. travel meds
mini-roll of TP
Antibacterial hand gel
REI Quickdry towel

Electronics/Fun Stuff:
ipod
ipod charger
phone
phone charger
Swiss Army knife/usb drive
headlamp (way cooler than a flashlight)
camera
camera battery charger
extra 1 GB SD card
watch
universal adapter

Other:
mini clothesline
laundry kit
collapsible water bottle
Guidebooks
Reading book
moleskin mini journals
sunglasses
money belt
pack lock
passport
photocopies
visa photos
insurance info
Moleskin 2008 info journal

The only thing I’m indecisive about is whether to take my Nike running shoes. The Diesels are way smaller than running shoes & just as comfortable. However, I would rather have my Nikes if hiking through mud is involved and they also have better arches. But they’ll probably just be extra weight 99% of the time… yay or nay?

UPDATE: Visit the Post-travel Packing List

Well, it looks like I’m starting from scratch this year. 4 out of 5 are in theaters and the 5th comes out on DVD 5 days before the Oscars, so at least it’s doable. :)

*UPDATE Feb 18* I can officially consider this one done, since I’ve been contacted by 2 other bloggers who’ve started lists! :)