Explore how 43 things can be a social change tool

I was at church a few weeks ago when someone asked me what my favorite website was. Knowing him, I figured it would be a loaded question, so I gave him an acceptable answer.

He then asked me what my next favorite website was, and if it was goal-oriented, or stress-relieving. Another loaded question, hehe. Okay, so I gave him a goal-oriented site—this one! I doubt very much he’d forget the easy-to-remember URL this site has :)

What are the limits of this social network?

There are some entries out there that seem to be quite tongue-in-cheek, as if they were not meant to be taken seriously at all. Is this bad? Not necessarily. But it does get me thinking about how this website is structured.

Take a look Rasterweb’s 43 Crazy Things

He has a few very valid points:
Over on 43 Things people write up the things they want to do, things like be happy or relax ...

So how do you define “be happy”, or “relax”? That’s not terribly specific. That doesn’t mean those goals are invalid, but I am saying it does point to a possible lack of structure.

A few Crazy Things he lists:
get shot in the leg

fall down a flight of steps

and total my car

Yes, it is listed, in a few different versions. I decided to “do” one of them.

As I learn the GTD philosophy a little better, I plan to examine how it can be integrated here.

Re: comments on Fill ‘er up, again! on drink more water

I’ll never know if the commenter read my reply, and did not see said person on this or a similar goal, but I felt encouragement was a good thing to do.

that I do this for me.

I sometimes take issue with the seeming myopia of this format. Especially for a blog site like this, quick and decisive actions garner the praise, which might not necessarily be the best ones. I have even counted a few goals where someone just checks “Worth Doing” on a goal with no posts.

So I try to remember that I find this site a good way to organize and be motivated about my goals. The feedback and Cheers are just a bonus :)

While brevity is a strength of this blog, it is also unfortunately a weakness where the question form is concerned.
I made the last question I asked on a particular goal a little too short, so many who answered did not fully understand my intentions.

I am concerned, however, that part of this is because many readers skim through this site pretty quickly.

Cross-referencing seems to come naturally here, for me.

I cross-post many entries for various goals here to my LiveJournal account and I get feedback over there. It was easy to set up.

I find myself cross-referencing goals and individual posts within those posts from goal to goal. Of course, this allows my readers to read as little or as much as they wish. See also Brevity.

When I asked NYCinephile why he wasn’t posting at VOX, he said he found that it using a “short form blog” was easier.

“Short form blog”... interesting.

Those that know me well know that I tend to go on and on when I have something to say. 43 Things has encouraged me to get right to the point.

(as mentioned in my intro)

So I wonder why 43 Things seems to be more inclusive than other blogging sites? I was discussing this the other day with NYCinephile.

I’m guessing it’s primarily has to do with the implicit purpose of 43 Things. Most folks here seem to be more interested in accomplishing something than stating an opinion.

Not surprisingly, I learned about the Getting Things Done philosophy here.

But I’m glad it’s here.

Although I came here by way of contacts through VOX, I have realized at least a small part of the potential this site has.

I’ve looked at goal sites before—the last one I participated in was a small site called Joe’s Goals. It was moderately typical in its format, as far as I have learned to set goals. But I found it too rigid.

When NYCinephile invited me to work on the Daily: Reflect on 5 things for which I’m grateful Thing, I began to see (after overlooking it before) that 43T is a powerful tool for goals. After reflecting on some life experiences and other recent Internet communications, I started doing the become a computer technician Thing.

I finally realized… this is the work I want to do. And I’ve already been able to organize my efforts very well so far using 43T. Things just started falling into place.

But I also quickly realized that this was a ROBUST community, and… for once, I found a blogging community that was inclusive. That’s kinda rare as far as I can see! No longer did I have to apologize for my spiritual convictions. People were openly interested in what I had to say, and I was interested in what they had to say.

I’ve found that to a degree with VOX as well but my experience here has been super. I’m going ahead with the opportunity to see just how much I can use this site to carpe diem: to seize the day, and make my life, and how I live it with others… extraordinary.