Over the last 24 hours, I’ve done a mental reset on everything I would like to do. I’ve set aside every list I’ve made, every napkin sketch, and every false start. There is a lot to be said for a mental Spring cleaning. When things become too chaotic, complex, and overwhelming you need to take a step back and reestablish basic blocking and tackling.

I believe that having written goals and a plan to achieve them is critical for finding success. Over the next few days, I will be documenting my goals and identifying the critical milestones I must reach to achieve them. I’m not looking for a detailed roadmap, just a 50,000’ high level view of where I am headed, a general compass bearing, and the first one or two steps in that direction.

An excellent tool for taking inventory and getting organized is David Allen’s Getting Things Done ®. Last night, I created a basic GTD spreadsheet in Google Docs and set up my first week of work. Due to schedule constraints this week, I do not have the luxury of doing a complete inventory as Allen suggests, but I will make some time to do it in the near future. My initial list includes items for updating this blog, creating my goals, and a couple work related obligations I need to take care of. It should easily carry me through the week. I will write more about GTD in the future.

This week, I’ve been reading the blog of Josh Roa. Josh decided to become a complete lunatic and become a millionaire in 80 days. I like this! What a great attitude to have. If you are going to make changes in your life, go big! I find some of his ideas to be a bit bland and a little too marketing/self help based for my liking, but in general I think he has a great attitude.

This week is an exciting week. On Friday and Saturday, I will be participating in my first BarCamp. There has been one in my city for the last four years, but this is the first one I’ve been able to attend. I have been working on a half hour presentation and possibly a subject for a lightning talk. BarCamp is a tremendous opportunity to learn, network, and just have some fun. I’ve not met anyone who has attended one that has not gotten considerable value from it. Expect a review later.

Ok, off to get to Inbox:0 and work on my presentation!