Oh, the infamous “To Do List”. To most, they are a burden, a reminder of uncompleted tasks that only fuel one’s procrastination.
But not me… I have always been a fan of them. I thrive off understanding a goal and then assembling the steps/action items that get me to achieving the goal. The goal can be as small as house chores or as big as prepping for the World Race. Which is where find myself now…
I have been studying the blogs of current and past racers like weekly homework, trying to take away tips on where to get started. Thank God they assign you a mobilizer! Mine is the wonderful, Jessica Belkot. She will be a professional “question answerer” by the time I launch in January.
It has been 19 days since I have been accepted on the Race and still trying to get my act together. Here are my 3 main areas of focus right now:
GEAR:
I walked into an REI the day after I was accepted and was COMPLETELY overwhelmed haha who knew how many different backpacks and sleeping bags there were. Good thing a merciful, REI employee saw my despair and offered some help. That conversation ended with me signing up for a “Backpacking Basics” class at REI (for anyone who has never gone backpacking before, it was pretty helpful and FREE).
FUNDRAISING:
This is basically a full time gig. I’m in the process of scheduling all my 1 on 1 conversations with close friends & family and trying to assemble all mailing and email addresses. I am also brainstorming for 2 to 3 BIG events that majorly get the word out there and bring the funds in 
(Any suggestions? Feel free to comment below)
HEALTH:
This is all around: physical, mental and spiritual. I know this trip will push me to the limits in all 3 so I don’t want to wait until January 1st to start strengthening these areas. I’m trying to be more active and eat a little better… soon, I will be weaning myself off Starbucks :/ not only to save money but so the withdrawals won’t be so extreme (pathetic I know). I am being intentional about the books I am reading, ones that showcase God’s faithfulness and encourage believers in their faith. Most importantly, I am seeking God. I am spending more time in silence and learning to hear His voice. This is NOT an easy thing for me to do. Anyone who knows me knows I enjoy being busy and its a rare occasion for me to slow down and sit in silence. But this will be key when January comes and our team is solely dependent on that voice.
As months go by and the Launch gets closer I know the “To Do List” will get lengthened and more detailed and I’m sure I will be blogging about it.
So stay tuned…
Jolene
Helpful tip:
For those of you who are maybe ‘not-so-savvy’ in the art of organization, there is a fantastic book called Getting Things Done by David Allen that help me tremendously! It’s not the most exciting read, but it’s practical and ridiculously effective.
http://www.amazon.com/Getting-Things-Done-Stress-Free-Productivity/dp/0142000280/ref=pd_sim_b_4
