Reading More
To track my reading, I’m using Shelfari (sign up and add me!) which allows you to track the books you’ve read, books you’re currently reading and books you plan to read.

Writing More
In order to write more, I’ve challenged myself to write three “morning pages” every day. These are three pages of unfiltered words and thoughts. The idea is to get the words out of your head and recorded somewhere. The concept comes from the book The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. It suggests writing these out long hand but I’ve decided to use 750words.com because I’m more likely to complete the goal using the computer than with pen/paper. However, I will probably graduate to pen and paper after a month of getting the habit down. I know the computer has handicapped my handwriting and I would like to reverse that.

These three pages of words are meant to be a private conversation or internal dialogue with you and only you. These are not meant to be 750 word public posts on your blog or social network of choice.

750words.com helps you to track your daily writings and can even send you an email each morning to remind you that you have writing to do. The creator has added a few subtle game mechanics which makes following your progress fun and is more likely to stick as a habit than tracking your progress on pen and paper.

Each month, the website invites you to take the monthly challenge of writing your 750 words every day for the following month. Those who sign up for the challenge but miss a day or more are displayed on the “Wall of Shame” and writers who are successful are displayed on the “Wall of Amazingness.” I’ve started writing today (February 24) and have signed up for the March challenge. I encourage you to sign up and take the challenge with me as it adds a level of accountability to sign up for things with other people. In fact, the only reason I’m writing this post is to state my goal publicly and hold myself accountable for accomplishing it.

The rules on 750words.com are:

• The challenge starts at midnight on Mar 01, 2011 and ends at 11:59pm on Mar 31, 2011.
• Write (at least) 750 words every day for this month.
• The words can be anything, as long as they add up to 750 of them. Nobody will be checking to make sure you wrote anything resembling actual sentences. That’ll be up to you to decide.
• A day starts at midnight in your timezone (assuming you’ve set it correctly on the Stats page), and ends at 11:59:59. You can’t go back and add words to a previous day.

Why Improve My Writing?
I’ve been doing some side work with Pearson Education as a technical editor for books on various programming languages and software platforms and the experience has made me reconsider my own writing and I would love to write my own book sometime in the near future.

1. Macbook Air
2. iPhone
3. Ray Bans
4. Chrome Bag
5. Carryon Bag
6. 22” Monitor
7. Boxers (all counted as 1)
8. Socks (all counted as 1)
9. Undershirts (all counted as 1)
10. Keys
11. Wallet
12. Bike
13. Running Shoes
14. Dress Shoes
15. Chucks
16. Bike shoes
17. Helmet
18. Belt
19. Razor
20. Electric Razor
21. Toothbrush
22. Button-down long sleeve
23. Button-down long sleeve
24. Button-down long sleeve
25. Button-down long sleeve
26. Button-down short sleeve
27. Button-down short sleeve
28. Long sleeve shirt
29. Long sleeve shirt
30. T-Shirt
31. T-Shirt
32. T-Shirt
33. T-Shirt
34. T-Shirt
35. T-Shirt
36. T-Shirt
37. T-Shirt
38. T-Shirt
39. T-Shirt
40. Jeans
41. Jeans
42. Jeans
43. Jeans
44. Hoodie
45. Slacks
46. Suit jacket
47. Suit pants
48. Dress shirt
49. Dress shirt
50. Leather jacket
51. Chrome jacket
52. Blazer
53. Flip flops
54. Bike lock
55. Hoodie
56. Pens & Pencils
57. Notebook
58. Laptop Case
59. Glasses
60. External hard drive
61. Car
62. Board shorts
63. Shorts
64. Shorts
65. Tie
66. Bike pump
67. File cabinet
68. Speakers
69. Office Desk
70. Workout shirt
71. Workout shirt
72. Bike shorts
73. Base layer top
74. Base layer bottom
75. Sunglasses (running + cycling)
76. Tent
77. Sleeping Bag
78. Backpack
79. Rain jacket
80. Rain pants
81. Running shorts
82. Beanie
83. Bass guitar
84. Guitar amp
85. Flip video camera
86. Headphones
87. Hat
88. __________
89. __________
90. __________
91. __________
92. __________
93. __________
94. __________
95. __________
96. __________
97. __________
98. __________
99. __________
100. __________

100 Thing Challenge

So the big question now is, can I purge the material possessions from my life and reduce the number of things I own to just 100?

I’ll be following the few rules that were outlined by David Bruno when he started his own 100 thing challenge.

Things not included:

• Non-personal stuff, like dishes, cleaning supplies, etc.
• Books.
• Tools.
• Collections count as one item.

I think I can do this and I have a few reasons for wanting to do so:

Packrat Tendency
I really don’t know all the things that I own. I have containers full of electronic parts and broken components that I’ve held onto with the hope of one day fixing them or using them in some spontaneously inspired project in the future. For most of these things, those days never come and the collection just continues to grow and collects dust. I have clothes that no longer fit right or that never have. I look forward to inventorying it all, keeping only the essential and donating/selling what I don’t keep around.

Financial Freedom
I currently am working on freeing myself of all types of debt. I don’t have a lot but starting Reno Collective and Lively Labs in the last couple months required everything to be bootstrapped. I never took any loans or funding from banks but rather used two credit cards and income from web development projects.

Clarity
Most people are more productive and even happier when their environment is sparse or supportive. I find I am most productive at work and most relaxed at home when both places are clear of clutter and distractions. Physical clutter is mental clutter and I don’t need any of it.

Why?
While there are certainly a good number of items that I will rely on, the things I enjoy most are the experiences I have with the people that I love here in Reno and hopefully abroad.

100 Thing Challenge

1. Stick to the 100 possession limit. New items will have to mean the replacement of an existing item
2. Get rid of cable at home (I never watch TV anyway)
3. Get rid of the paper trail – I have A LOT of files and things that should and could be digitized so that I can not only get rid of the clutter but also find things quickly in one place
4. My goal list of 100 things

In chronological order from September through today:

• I was working.
• Created an LLC called Reno Collective for a coworking space.
• Worked freelance on the side.
• Spent a lot of time building a social network for Vivanista.
• Started dating a wonderful and talented individual.
• Went to Burning Man again.
• Returned to Reno, ready to quit my job.
• Was laid off instead.
• Helped launch Vivanista.
• Started Lively Labs.
• Aforementioned relationship ended.
• Traveled to San Francisco for Dreamforce.
• Won a MacBook Air in the Dreamforce Hackathon.
• Business loan for Reno Collective denied.
• Thanksgiving in Las Vegas.
• Large client landed for Lively Labs.
• Signed a lease for Reno Collective at 250 Bell Street.
• Lively Labs is in full swing.
• Started winter training for spring season.
• Christmas holiday in Las Vegas.

Now those were all in past tense. The future holds a lot of opportunities and excitement.

For the near future of 2010, I have the following goals and/or plans so far:

• Reno Collective will open officially next week.
• Continue to grow Lively Labs with new talent.
• Launch some new products through Lively Labs.
• Continue to grow Reno Collective.
• Inspire and ignite Reno’s underground tech culture.
• Ride in the Chico Wildflower Century.
• Host Reno’s 2nd Reno-Tahoe WordCamp.
• Continue training for improved mind and body.
• Ride in the Death Ride.
• Celebrate my 23rd birthday.
• Ride in the Tour De Nez Century.
• <so much more to insert here>

I am very excited for what the new year has to offer. By no means, do I intend to limit myself to the list above, nor do I think I can anticipate what will happen in the months to come but I embrace it just the same.

Some Personal Planning for 2010

I came across this list for personal planning from Raol De Jongh, aka the Urban Ninja. Reflect on the items below and think about how these items may play into your goals for the future. What things drive your personal satisfaction and what things deter you from meeting your goals?

1. Big Picture (3-4 most important things)
2. Key Likes (3-4 areas that most drive my personal satisfaction)
3. Geography (where I will spend my time )
4. Body — key points for my body
5. Mind — key points for mind/knowledge/education
6. Spirit — when and how I will rest (from training, from work, from everything)
7. Places I want to visit
8. Personal Asset Allocation (today, five year, ten year)
9. Next twelve month expense projection
10. Next twelve month income projection
11. Personal Top Ten List — the ten most important things in my life that require focus, effort and time
12. Actions — what actions/habits are most important to me
13. Hazards — what items need to be watched to avoid roadblocks

Hope you have a happy new year!

The core team consists of myself, Ed Adkins, and Chelsea Otakan and we will be providing Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) development and consulting using Salesforce.com, the Force.com platform, WordPress and the iPhone.

You can read more at Lively Labs: The Adventure Begins.

Our first product, Basejump, which I’ve talked a little bit about here will be available this month on Salesforce.com’s AppExchange and the Basecamp+Salesforce developer toolkit will be released to the developer community to allow for others to create their own integrations between the two applications.

- Mark Epstein
Thoughts Without a Thinker

The route took us out from downtown Reno, out through Washoe Valley and into Carson City. After crossing the city, we took Highway 50 up to Spooner Summit where we were greeted with a quick lunch stop. From Spooner Lake Park, we made our way up 28 to Incline Village in Tahoe, up and over Mt. Rose Highway to return to Reno.

What’s next? Well, I want to keep up with the distance riding and start working on climbing techniques so I can start climbing longer hills smarter, rather than stronger. And of course, Steve is trying to get me to do the Death Ride…15,000 feet of climbing, anyone?

- Full Moon by Black Ghosts

An Ignite event has two parts (three, when you count the beers):

Ignite Contest – Team-based contests in making things such as human-supporting popsicle stick bridges, far-flying paper airplanes, and life-preserving egg drop capsules. Here is a chance for everyone to flex their creative muscles.

Ignite Presentations – 20 slides, 15 seconds each, what will you say?

An Ignite event has two kinds of participants:

Speaker - Each speaker is given 20 slides and each one changes automatically after 15 seconds, giving them a total of 5 minutes on stage. These presentations can be educational, inspirational, or even comical. The speaker’s job is to teach, entertain, or inspire. This might seem like a daunting task but it’s not. If you have an interest in something and can give a presentation on it, odds are good that other people will also be interested. for speakers is now open.

Audience - While the opportunity to speak is available to everyone, you do not have to give a presentation to enjoy Ignite! Come join us for a few drinks and some great speakers. You can RSVP on our Facebook event or drop us a line on Twitter (@igniteReno).

While you may be a spectator, we encourage you to participate in the Ignite Contest that takes place before the presentations.

O’Reilly’s website also has a “What is Ignite” section, here is how they describe it:

Started by Brady Forrest, Technology Evangelist for O’Reilly Media, and Bre Pettis of Etsy.com, formerly of MAKE Magazine, Ignite was inspired by Pecha Kucha Nights, where speakers are given 20 slides, each shown for 20 seconds, giving each speaker 6 minutes and 40 seconds of fame. The first Ignite took place in Seattle in 2006, and since then the event has become an international phenomenon, with gatherings in Helsinki, Finland; Paris, France; New York, New York; and many other locations.

Ignite has two parts: the Ignite contest, where people make things, and Ignite talks, where presenters get 20 slides and five minutes to make their point. You can opt to only have talks, but the contest is fun and can serve as a great warm-up for the talks.

We hope to see you at our first event on February 7th March 7th, 2009 at Se7en on West.

As always you can stay in the loop by visiting IgniteReno.com or following us on Twitter: @ignitereno

“Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?” 

“That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,” said the Cat.

“I don’t much care where…” said Alice.

“Then it doesn’t matter which way you go,” said the Cat.

- Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

Stop and reflect. Do you know where you are going?