As September 22nd rolled around, I realised there were exactly 100 days left until the end of 2025 — and this thought seemed to shake me out of cruise mode. On the surface, things have been good: I’ve made steady progress with a bunch of projects, my business is humming along nicely, and life in general feels pretty sweet. But underneath, there was this niggling sense of dissatisfaction I couldn’t ignore.
A closer look revealed the culprit: my to-do list. It had quietly piled up into a mountain of small, half-finished jobs. The boring ones, the inconvenient ones, the ones that would mean asking someone else for help (ugh). The kind you shuffle to the bottom of the pile and hope will magically sort themselves out. Spoiler alert: they don’t. Instead, they hang around like in the background, creating a low-grade level of dissatisfaction I could feel every time I looked at my to-do list or in places around my house. No wonder I felt a bit stagnant.
So, I threw down a challenge for myself: what if I used these final 100 days of the year to actually clean the slate? What if, instead of dragging this unfinished business into 2026, I gave myself the gift of peace, space, and freedom — by tying off all the loose ends?
I decided to treat it as an experiment. Honestly, it felt a quite daunting. Could I really get something across the line every single day? I know I’m great at starting, but finishing – that’s my challenge! For this 100 day project I wasn’t going to bully or shame myself into action. My focus was on the reward — the joy and satisfaction that comes with every task I tick off the list.
And because I can’t resist making things playful, I gamified it. I wrote out my list, then made myself a version of a star chart — something I’ve never done before. On an A3 sheet of card I scribbled ‘100 Day Project’ in the centre, with my intentions written in secret-code script as the background. Then I ripped up a painted watercolour sheet into ‘inchies.’ Each time I complete a task, I get to glue one colourful inchie onto my board.
So now, this isn’t just about the chores. It’s a visual patchwork of progress — a visual reminder that I’m moving forward.
I started the night I set it up, tackling a little job that barely seemed worth an inchie. But the next morning, I woke up buzzing with enthusiasm. By 10am I’d already knocked three more things off my list. That feeling — of actually getting shit done — was exactly what I’d been craving. And instead of avoiding my procrastination pile, I’m now curious: what else can I smash out?
I shared this idea with my ‘Journalling with Art’ class, and with a series of journalling prompts invited them to dream up their own 100 day projects. Having company on the journey makes me feel accountable, but it’s also inspiring — everyone has their own version of unfinished business, or something they’ve dropped the ball on, that they’d love to wrap up before the year ends.
For me, this project is about so much more than the individual tasks (which in all honesty, aren’t exactly earth-shattering). It’s about tying up loose ends, entering the new year with a lighter load, and experiencing once again how small, consistent actions really do add up. It’s about facing the boring stuff in a way that feels playful, motivated by the peace of mind and sense of freedom I aim to achieve. Most of all, it’s about clearing space for something new to emerge.
I look forward to seeing my board filled with 100 tiny painted inchies, each one representing space cleared, loose ends tied up, and a little more energy freed up for the year ahead. Watch this space!
A Question for You
What would your 100 day project look like?
- Clearing clutter?
- Building a new habit?
- Finishing something you’ve been putting off?
- Or starting something you’ve always wanted to try?
Whatever it is, imagine how it would feel to arrive at the end of the year with not just a sense of completion, but a tangible reminder of what you achieved.
If you’d love some extra clarity, courage, or motivation to take on your own 100 day challenge, I’d be delighted to support you. Reach out, and we can explore it together.
