How to Make an Awesome Bucket List
Have you ever considered creating your own bucket list? Or maybe you already have one but it needs a shake up and an injection of inspiration.
Here are my top tips on how to make a truly awesome bucket list that you’ll feel inspired by.
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What is a bucket list?
So first things first, what exactly is a bucket list?
A bucket list is basically a list of things you want to do, see, experience or achieve before you, well, kick the bucket essentially. A list of things you want to do before you die.
Why Create a bucket list?
A bucket list really can be something wonderful. It can help create motivation, determination and fulfilment into your life. It might bring to you experiences you had never previously dreamt of. The list might introduce you to new people, new places and challenges.
Creating a bucket list for yourself can help you prioritise and understand what you want out of life. And will help you set future goals and ways to achieve them. It can help you focus.
A bucket list will get you out of your comfort zone.
Many people have ideas in their head of things they would like to do, places they want to travel to or achievements they want to complete. But in all too many instances it takes an illness, an accident or something life changing to give people that push to make a list and accomplish the goals.
Some people wait until retirement when they have more time whilst others feel the idea of a bucket list is very morbid and ignore the idea all together.
But why wait to start your bucket list? Why not start now?
Here are my steps to creating a bucket list that will get you excited, will be personal to you and will get you ready and raring to start experiencing the world and ticking off goals.
Make Time
Set aside some time to actually write out your bucket list. This can be done on paper or on the computer. Initially get down the first few ideas will take up the most time and after that you can add things as you go.
Having it physically written down and not just in your head will really. Once it is finished place it somewhere visible so you can look at it regularly and help keep up the motivation.
Start Your List with the Big Ones
This will be the easy part. What are the big goals you have always wanted to do? Visit all 50 US States? Write a book? Learn a new language? Make a million? Write all of these down goals down.
Are there places that you have always wanted to visit? Write them down. Want to see the Northern Lights? It might seem predictable but this is your list and if you want to see them then write it now. Any hey, seeing the Northern Lights is definitely on my list.
Remove Limit
It is important to create this list as if you have no limits in life. That nothing is stopping you from achieving what you want to. Even if it sounds too big or too expensive or too time consuming, add it to your list.
Categorize
I found having different categories really helpful when thinking up my ideas. Jot down the categories that matter to you and write out everything that comes to you for each one. Here are some category suggestions you could use:
Travel – Where in the world do you want to visit? Is there a land mark you really want to see? Be specific.
Food & Drink – What do you want to try? Again be specific. For me I added in a place for example eating snails in France or having Sushi in Japan.
Entertainment – Is there a theater show you really want to see? A book you haven’t had a chance to read but always wanted to? Want to go to an open air movie?
Sports – You don’t have to be naturally athletic to add some sport/activity goals. I found a love of paddle boarding one summer and decided I wanted to do it in 5 different countries. Maybe you want to hike a certain peak or be able to run 5 kilometres without stopping.
Education – Always wanted to learn piano or be fluent in Spanish, make chocolates, write a book, earn a qualification? Learning doesn’t have to be dull. Just make sure it is something you really want to do.
Challenges – These are almost like mini bucket lists within a bucket list. Watch the top 100 movies of all time, read all of the books by a specific author, visit every county in the UK. There are even Scratch off lists which are really fun and you can easily keep tabs. Below are some fun examples:
Local – Are there things you can do in your local town or the surrounding area? Would you be able to do it from home? Some goals you can do from the comfort of your own living room.
Wildlife & Nature – Do you have a list of animals you really want to see in the wild? Maybe you want to see the blossom in Japan.
Because they are Fun – Want to dye your hair a bright colour? Spend a day pony trekking? Anything that you think would be fun and that you haven’t done before can be added. And often these are goals you can do one weekend.
Get Inspired
There is so much inspiration around you to help you create your bucket list. Once you have worked your way through the categories take a look online and see what other people are doing. You might come across something you have never seen or noticed before.
Look at a map. Take a good hard look. Are their places you don’t recall the names of? Small hidden islands you’ve previously missed? Pick these out and research them. If you like the look of them consider adding them to your list.
Speak to friends and families and see if any of their own goals inspire you. Pinterest was a huge source of inspiration for me and also jolted my memory to previous bucket list goals I had thought about but never written down.
Here is a Pinterest board I made with loads of Bucket List inspiration to help you.
Take a look at our list of over 1300 Bucket List Ideas to give you some extra inspiration at the bottom of this post!
Pick Small Items Too
If all of your bucket list goals are large, expensive and time consuming then you will lose motivation for them and you won’t feel you are achieving much.
It is important to also pick some smaller, more achievable goals which will help your motivation continue. These could be experiences such as trying new types of food.
Set Timelines for Your List
I found this extremely helpful when working toward crossing items off. When I turned 30 I wrote a 40 Before 40 list which included a large proportion of items off my bucket list that I wanted to challenge myself to tick off by my 40th birthday.
At the beginning of each year instead of resolutions I pick out 4 things from my list. You can also create a summer bucket list challenge or a winter one. These smaller lists can really help you focus.
Get Accountability
This is why I feel that having a physical list that I can see everyday has really helped me. It is a reminder of what I have achieved so far and what else I can look forward to doing.
I also shared this list with my sister and she shared hers with me. This way we cannot only keep each other accountable but also we found we shared some of the same goals. Knowing this we can achieve these and tick them off together whilst also sharing the memories we have made.
Find a friend that you can share your list with and you’ll be more likely to work towards crossing them off. You never know you might also share some of the same goals.
Don’t have a friend you feel you can share these ideas with? Have a look online at Bucketlist forums and accountability groups. These are also great sources of inspiration as you can see other peoples bucket list goals too.
Start Working On Your Goals
Once you have your list you can start working towards achieving your goals.
Work out which items are really important to you and may take more time. A goal such as writing a book can be broken down into spending 30 minutes a day writing. Once you get started and into that habit you’ll be a lot closer to achieving your goal.
Do you need to save money to tick off a certain goal? If you need to plan a big trip for example then you are going to need funds. Creating a savings account specifically for your bucket list is a great idea. You can add a little money to it each week and then put it towards your trip.
Is there something on your list you can tick off right now? I had a goal of reading the Greek Myths. It was something inexpensive that I could do in my free time and was one of the first items on my list to be ticked off. Once you have one item ticked off you’ll feel even more motivated to start working on the rest.
Name Your List
Now I know that the name ‘Bucket List’ is not to everyone’s taste. But you don’t have to call it that.
It could be a Challenge List or a Life List. You call it what you want, it is your list and your life goals.
Conclusion
Once you have worked your way through the creation part of your bucket list, don’t forget that it is not set in stone.
You can change items on it or remove them. As time goes on, different things will inspire you and you’ll want to add those to your list too. Some goals will also no longer appeal to you and so it is always fine to remove them.
Check out our Freebie below for a list of over 1300 bucket list ideas! Let me know what your top 3 items on your bucket list!
