Tag: to-do lists

Do Less Better.

The Life and Times of Casey Palmer — The State of the #BloggerLife, February 2019 — Do Less Better. (Featured Image)

Last updated on March 21st, 2021 at 02:36 am

Table of contents

One thing I’ve been particularly horrible at is learning to say “no”.

The Long Road to Becoming a Better Blogger

They say hindsight’s 20/20, and if my old report cards are an indication of anything, the people around me could see I was sowing the seeds to my destruction long before I could.

We all know there’re only twenty-four hours in a day, but I’ve been working to optimise every minute of my days since I was twelve. I could sleep when I was dead—I had too many ideas and a plethora of interests; it was all about the short-term pain for the long-term gain, and I was confident that I’d reach the day where I wouldn’t need to work so hard anymore.

But it’s been more than twenty years of sleepless nights and wishful thinking since, and I’m still not quite so sure when I’ll figure it all out.

I mean, the question is this—how do you succeed with your content when you can’t make it your everything?

CONTINUE READING to see how much of The 2019 200 I pulled off in January, and what’s yet to come! “Do Less Better.”

The 2019 200

Last updated on March 10th, 2021 at 11:56 am

If you’ve been around a while, you’re probably familiar with the lists of 100 goals I’d write every year. And saying, “But you missed 2018!” And —2018 indeed came hot and heavy; I wasn’t in any position to commit to a list that ambitious. And I could probably say the same now—with a bigger and better Live from the 3.5 than ever, Chatting with Casey picking up steam and a slew of other things in the works, I likely wouldn’t be wrong. But if you’ve been around a while, you’ll probably know my Achilles heel—much like Marty McFly, I can’t turn down a good challenge.

Welcome to The 2019 200—Because When You Skip a Year, 100 Just Won’t Do!

This post? This post has history. Zach and I go way back, and he’s easily one of the people I respect most in this game. We’re talking the guy who had a podcast long before Toronto was anywhere on it and got media coverage when he worked to show what life was really like when you tried to live it all off sponsorships. There’s a lot he sees coming before they blow up and proves unstoppable when he digs his teeth into something.

Which is why I felt a little inspired when he challenged me to tackle 2019 with not one hundred goals, but two.

It won’t be easy, but I’m working a lot harder than I used to—and smarter, too.

With so much going on in my life, slowing down ain’t much of an option, and my to-do lists are the things that keep me going. But I’ve mostly kept them to myself as I work on all the things—I think it’s time to make ’em public again so there’s a chance I can get everything done.

So without further ado, let’s dive into The 2019 200—because no one creates anything innovative without pushing some boundaries first!

The 2019 200—The List

So first things first—two hundred items make for a really long list, so I knew no one was about to read this thing if I just put them together without any order. What I needed to do was write the 200 items out first, and then find some way to categorise them so they’re easier to keep track of.

And the easiest place to do this? Excel. Not only could I easily keep track of how many items I’d put together with a simple numbering column, but when I was ready to categorise and prepare for the final list, it was a simple sort away!

But you’re not here for any of that; you’re here for the list. So let’s do this!

I’m not even kidding—I whipped up 200 goals. Let’s DO THIS. “The 2019 200”

The 2017 100

Last updated on April 1st, 2021 at 01:08 am

Unless my life sees some major changes this year, 2017 may mark the last list of 100!

It’s January 13th—I’ve spent nearly two weeks of my new year agonising over 100 items that matter enough to hit a list of goals and aspirations for the year ahead. And that’s a key difference from the lists that came before it.

Before it was a task list—I’d look around at everything that needed doing and jot it down, because my life would obviously be better with them out of the way.

But task lists aren’t inspiring. They’re not motivational. As a creative, that’s like dropping a pile of 100 things I dread on my lap and nagging myself to get ’em done by the year’s end.

Once I realised what I was doing to myself, so much so that I just went through my least successful year yet for my list, I knew I needed to make a change for 2017.

I’m particularly proud of the list I’ve put together for The 2017 100. I didn’t take any shortcuts—I wrote out 100 things that’d help me live the life I’d like to lead and prove instrumental along the path there. Rather than hurriedly scrawl out a list I’d likely ignore ’til December, I wrote one that I’d happily check off, knowing that each accomplishment would take me a step closer to a far better 2018. I feel like I’m finally getting it right this time, and I hope that shines through as you give it a look for yourself!

But that’s enough of my chatter—I’ve already made you wait long enough. Here for your consideration is The 2017 100—because it’s not what you do… it’s how you do it!

CONTINUE READING to see The 2017 100 and all I hope to accomplish this year! “The 2017 100”

The 2016 100 Wrap-Up, Part 3: The 28 Things Left Over

Last updated on March 20th, 2021 at 08:39 pm

And we’re finally here—the 28 items that either just didn’t make the cut to come back after 2016, or got tabled for future Casey to handle somewhere down the line!

The more I do these, the more I realise I can’t do everything today, and so I work harder to focus on what’s in front of me so I can give myself the room to manage future challenges!

But hey—if there’s something on this list you think you can make happen sooner, feel free to let me know at palmer.casey@gmail.com and we’ll see what we can do!

Without further ado, here’s The 2016 100 Wrap-Up, Part 3: The 28 Items Left Over!

The 2016 100 Wrap-Up—What I MAY Do, But Not Necessarily in 2017

2) Win a vacation for my dry cleaner

One thing I’ve learned as a blogger is that while it’s all too easy to get high on yourself when you have successes, you also need to keep realistic. Though many great things have happened in my #BloggerLife so far, I don’t have the clout nor the contacts to conjure a vacation from thin air. Not yet, anyway. This is one I’ll pursue awhile, yet.

4) Take Eric to a sporting event so he can stop complaining about getting left from sporting events

After hitting a Toronto Argos game last year with a few buddies (and by association the Canada vs. Slovakia World Junior Hockey Championship game I was at just before the new year), I may have promised my buddy Eric that I’d take him to a game sometime. This would make the 2017 list, except I have no idea when I’ll find myself invited to a game next, so we’ll get back to this one eventually.

12) Do the CN Tower Edgewalk

By this point in my life, this one’s more of a “nice to do” than anything else. I’ve climbed a mountain. Backpacked through Europe. I’ve shot guns, ridden roller coasters across the continent, and gone face-to-face with black bears in the wild. I wouldn’t do the CN Tower Edgewalk to chase a thrill—I’d just do it because it looks fun to do! One day I’ll be a tourist in my city and give it a try!

24) Find the time to pack more lunches for work

This should be a given—with our access to fresh ingredients in Ontario, there’s little reason why anyone should eat takeout meals on a regular basis. Yet here we are. Eventually, I’d love to consistently bring lunch to work every day, but it seems so hard to squeeze it in between everything else going on in this phase of our lives. But who knows—maybe we’ll find a way!

25) Clean up and optimize my Pinterest account (I still have that copy of Pinterest Savvy lying around somewhere)

Many say Pinterest is still super relevant in an age dominated by Facebook, YouTube and Instagram, but I’ve failed to make great use of the account I’ve had laying around since forever. Sometime in the future, I’d love to take my copy of Melissa Taylor’s Pinterest Savvy and apply it to a killer content strategy to introduce my site to people who might not discover it otherwise!

28) Clear out the bookshelves to prepare for Baby #2

So far, my boys’ books and mine manage to coexist peacefully on my old Bombay bookshelves, but the time will come to thin the collection down to what’s still relevant to make room for the Seusses and Munsches of the world. But we’re really good at purging—new things rarely come in the house without us sending out two to Value Village or a friend who might need them more, so I haven’t had to lock horns with this issue yet.

CONTINUE READING the 28 things I won’t get around to in a LONG time… if EVER. “The 2016 100 Wrap-Up, Part 3: The 28 Things Left Over”

The 2016 100 Wrap-Up, Part 2: 46 Things I DIDN’T Do But Still Very Much WANT To.

Last updated on January 3rd, 2023 at 02:27 am

So somewhere in my crazy mind, I’d convinced myself it’d be a good idea to write my wrap-up for The 2016 100 all as one post, because I’m always so curt with my posts, of course. A few days of working on it quickly killed that idea, and here were are with the second part of my wrap-up, covering the things I didn’t get around to in 2016, but still plan to manage this year, as well as my reasons why.

(Note: You will see these in some form in The 2017 100, so you know—don’t be too surprised.)

What I Didn’t Do, But Still Want to Do Next Year

7) Stop biting my nails—Ugh. What I probably need to do first is reduce the amount of stress in my life to get a better chance of dropping this disgusting habit. I had a good run early in the year, but hey. Maybe I’ll have better luck this time!
8) Get rid of the wedding thank you cards I never sent—I don’t think those past thank you’s are getting sent. It’s just… not something I’m doing. Instead, I think I’d love to start sending Christmas letters with some personalisation. I’m not a complete jackass, guys, but there needs to be a point where we agree to move on.
13) Sort out my old TD employee RSP—Any outstanding finances in general, really: part of being an adult is knowing how much your insurance will pay out. What your benefits cover. What’s in your stock portfolio. 2017 Casey Palmer needs a better handle on all this kind of stuff!

14) Consolidate everything down to a single notepad—I mean, you don’t see the magic happening, but my desk and dining room table are plastered with pages of notes as I draft out my posts. Will it happen? Maybe. Do I want it to? Oh heck yes ?

CONTINUE READING about the 46 things I still need to get around to in 2017! “The 2016 100 Wrap-Up, Part 2: 46 Things I DIDN’T Do But Still Very Much WANT To.”
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