What is a bucket list?
A bucket list is essentially a list you put together of all the things you want to do before you die. Some people prefer to call it life goals, accomplishments, etc. Some people treat it as a wish list, but instead of wistfully wishing to do something, intend to accomplish the things you write down. Make it happen.
Making one can be the catalyst needed to start achieving your dreams. It gets you thinking, and when you write it down it becomes more solid, more than just a passing thought; it becomes reachable. It also holds you accountable for following your dreams.
Now is a great time to sit down and think about all of the things you want to do in life.
Here I will show you how to get started with your bucket list – or whatever you want to call it!
Bucket list Tips
- First, find your medium. Whether you write it down in a notepad, word document, or a Pinterest board. There are even websites like bucketlist.org and bucketlist.net where you can create an account, post your list, and look at others. You could even set it up on Google Maps like saving the locations to see what you have done. Whichever suits you best, as it’s your project.
- Brainstorm – Get it all out of your head and then you can reorganise everything later. You don’t have to agonize over this, you can just spend 10 minutes every day if you want. Once you get those creative juices flowing you will quickly build it up!
- Get inspiration from looking at bucket list websites like those mentioned above and more. If you Google “bucket list ideas” you will find a ton of information to help get you started. I love the website Atlas Obscura for finding weird and wonderful things to do. Social media, as always, is usually saturated with cool things to do too.
- Join a community. Find Facebook pages or talk to people on other bucket list websites to chat and swap ideas. Surround yourself with people who inspire and encourage you. I love Lookingformyawe, Dane has 4,000+ things on his bucket list and has ticked off hundreds so far.
- Ask your friends and family for ideas. See what would be on their list and get a fresh perspective.
- Hold yourself accountable. This ties into creating an account on a bucket list website. You can also tell all your friends and family what you are doing to motivate you to start ticking things off.
- Find a bucket list buddy. You can both motivate and inspire each other. I do this with me and my partner and we have a lot of fun running around ticking things off together.
- Dream big, but also recognise that putting “Be the first astronaut to fly to Pluto” clearly won’t happen (that might have been a slightly ridiculous suggestion…or is it?). Don’t forget the little things. If you want to put it on your list, then do it.
- It doesn’t have to be about travel. It can be about anything you want, like cooking, or learning skills, or family-orientated.
- Don’t put down things just because you think you ought to or to impress anyone. If you don’t want to visit Paris and take a selfie in front of the Eiffel Tower, you don’t have to! Be as weird or as cliché as you like. I have a great article for quirky things to do in Paris.
- Challenge yourself. This is a great time to put things down that you want to overcome, like walking over a bridge if you’re afraid of heights or holding a spider. You want to feel accomplished when you tick something off!
- You can always add or take things off the list, let it transform and grow as you do.
- Be cheeky and add a few things you have already ticked off to get things started.
Once you’ve got everything down you can start to organise it and think about when / how you want to tick things off:
- Firstly, organise it in to time frames – things to do within 1, 5, 10 years or lifetime accomplishments.
- Seasonal. Things you can do in the four seasons, like skiing or sunbathing on a beach.
- Categorize by country, relationships, family, career, skills, education, physical, mental. Personalise it to you.
- Create a couple of rules/conditions. For example, I have only one at the moment, but I need to take a picture as proof, preferably with me in it. You could also write a little journal entry about it.
- Pick a short-term and long-term goal to start working towards.
- Tick off some of the smaller goals first to give yourself that confidence and to get the ball rolling.
- Research things like cost, and the best time to tick off a particular goal, and plan it.
- Lastly, save money. If you can, set up a little savings account for your bucket list, it will make it less stressful when trying to tick things off.
Anyone can create a bucket list about anything, it’s completely up to you what you want on there, and how to cross it off. That’s the beauty of it! Take a look at my other articles for some inspiration here. Let your personality shine through. I want to see those pics! Be shameless, like me.
[…] what things you want to tick off your bucket list (Don’t have a bucket list? Read my article on how to create a bucket list). How much will those […]