I’ve known about 43 Things for a while but never made an account or really given it too much thought. It’s a website where people can make a loose list of goals or tasks that they want to achieve. There’s no real formal structure to the goal so it’s not a “to-do” list in the traditional sense. Also, it seems to be used for more longer-term goals rather than “buy some milk on the way home from work.” You simply represent your goal with a short sentence, which means that some people set lofty “one day I’ll get there” goals whilst others prefer “before this time I’ll do” type goals.

Last year I had a similar project going myself, which I managed to mostly achieve. I’m going to start using 43 Things and see if it works for me. I’ve entered a few goals into the system and will build upon it as I go. I don’t want to “me too” another person’s goal unless there’s real legitimacy that I’ll undertake them.

I was surprised that only 19 other people are fans of Office Space.

My desks, both at home and at work, are normally a mess. I’m sure there’s a saying about messy desks and messy minds, or maybe it’s organised minds… I don’t know. Either way, I had to do something about my desk at home, so I formulated a plan.

I have the kind of desk that’s covered in “things.” I’ve got tiny plastic Transformers, a Sony PSP in a cradle, a SunRay 150 terminal, a bunch of army men - big and small, candles on saucers, money boxes as well as a 24″ LCD screen and my MacBook Pro. Add to that some Lego sets, multiple stacks of papers, a few books and it’s a wonder there’s actually any surface at all. This is just my desk at home - my desk at work is even worse.

I’m from the school of “let it get real bad, then clean it up real good” and I’m the first to admit I’ve got my thinking all backwards. I know it’s easier to get things ship-shape and then maintain it, rather than letting it hit rock bottom and spending ages fixing it up. I hope (and think) that’s not how I handle relationships, but I digress. Today was the day to sort it out.

Here’s the three steps; feel free to “sing” them if it helps:

1. Get yourself a box
2. Put your stuff (junk) in the box
3. Put a lid on the box

I found it was really helpful to clean everything, and I mean everything, off the desk and jam it in a box. Sometimes it’s easiest to start with a clean slate. It also meant I had the added advantage of doing the perpendicular-arm-sweep, and I wasn’t spending time sorting through things and putting them in their right place. After the desk was empty I put replaced the things that I absolutely needed, like the SunRay and my LCD. Finally, I added a few niceties, like a candle and the money box, but made sure most of it stayed in the box.

Note: any similarities with popular internet memes are purely intentional.

Firstly, this is Ken jumping his Subaru Impreza WRX STi rally car 171 feet.

 

Next up is Ken getting some gymkhana practice in.

And lastly, some relaxing times in the snow.

Who would have known owning DC Shoes would be so much… fun.

I could think of worse action heroes.

Which Action Hero Are You?
	You are Daniel Craig. Bond, James Bond. Keep up your suave style but don’t forget to remain a bad ass. Money and romance is more your style, so don’t get your hands too dirty.
Find Your Character @ BrainFall.com

Today I had my first ristretto. According to Epic Espresso:

A single extraction of coffee containing all the essential oils in a short volume. The connoisseur’s choice. Restretto is Italian for ‘restricted.’ 

It’s the first time that I’ve had “black” coffee and I actually liked it. I think I’ll stick to lattes though as I like a bit more longevity from my coffee experiences.

Who else has had a ristretto before, and what did you think?