I’m going to take a guess and assume that many of us have written a bucket list over the years. My question to you now is, do you know where that list is and when was the last time you reviewed it? If you are far more organized than I am and can pull your list out at any given time, I ask you, when was the last time you marked something off of it? *crickets*
When you think about your average bucket list, you probably think of things like skydiving or going on safari. While travel and adventure are fabulous additions to a life bucket list, most of us are not getting our adrenaline pumping from once in lifetime experiences on a consistent basis. That is why those items belong on a life list. But what about the months/years/decades in between?
From personal experience I can attest that daily life can be a snooze fest. Most days we are going through the same routines, following the same habits, going to bed too late, and waking up too early without any pizzazz to be found. Why is it we rarely have something to look forward to? And better yet, what can we do about it? Enter: the annual bucket list.
An annual bucket list is exactly as it sounds. I list of things you want to do within the next twelve months (there is never a need to start in January by the way. Start now, thank me later.). Your annual bucket list is not and should not be the same as your life bucket list*. Your annual list should include things you can reasonably do at any time given your location, budget, and personal interests. The goal is to give ourselves something to look forward to. To break up the day to day with something new and exciting.
*Unless, of course, you plan to check off a life list item within the next year.
To make your list, gather your favorite markers, pens, notebooks, stickers, etc. Whatever helps you get your ideas down on paper. Come up with 100 ideas you can reasonably accomplish within the next year. Do not stop at 80 or 90 ideas. Take a few days if you need to, but be sure to include all 100. Now, here’s the kicker. Add three ideas into your calendar right now. Interested in trying a Pilates class? Book it today. Always wanted to make your grandma’s cookie recipe? Add the ingredients to your grocery list today. Been putting off that book your friend suggested? Put in a request with your local library today. And once you complete each item, celebrate your victory by checking it off your list. Boom, three items down. You’re well on your way.
If you’re in need of further inspiration, below are 100 bucket list ideas I hope to accomplish by the end of 2025.
- Read 35 books
- Complete 300 Pilates classes (I started the year with 210 under my belt, so only 90 this year)
- Create an Apollycon freebie to trade, 3/13
- Go to Apollycon, 4/8-4/13
- Date night at the local art center, 3/21
- Go ice skating
- Go to a concert
- Go on a hike
- Learn a song on the piano
- Install Little Free Library
- Paint Little Free Library, 1/25
- Remove concrete walkway
- Lay new brick walkway
- Clean out the basement
- Organize the basement
- Deep clean the car
- Go paddleboarding
- Visit parents up north
- Send friends birthday cards
- Try a new restaurant
- Buy a new swimsuit
- Go swimming
- Go to a baseball game, 3/14
- Go to a football game
- Go to a hockey game, 2/8
- Go to a basketball game
- Go to a volleyball game
- Go to the farmer’s market
- Buy farmer’s market flowers, 5/17
- Send holiday cards
- Buy a lottery ticket
- Install new flag on porch, 5/17
- Take an art class
- Decorate for fall
- Carve or paint pumpkins
- Make a blueberry strudel, 2/2
- Get a new indoor plant
- Go to a comedy show
- Get a tattoo
- Go to the movies, 1/4
- Watch fireworks
- Take a yoga class
- Go to the Renaissance Festival
- Get a massage
- Get a facial
- Bake cookies from scratch, 5/16
- Visit a flower field, 6/1
- Go to the beach
- Create a new budget, 3/7
- Celebrate 10-year anniversary
- Design a new front garden, 5/24
- Read at a coffee shop
- See a ballet
- Find a mentor
- Make a vision board, 3/12
- Take a dance class
- Get new couple photos
- Take a pottery class, 3/21
- Pick blueberries
- Have a bonfire
- Go horseback riding
- Watch a sunrise
- Watch a sunset
- Make a photo book of Scotland trip
- Read at the Law Library
- Do yoga with animals
- Visit Belle Isle
- Learn bookbinding, 1/18
- Make a mocktail
- Get a photo published
- Update my wardrobe
- Watch stars from the roof
- Manage who I follow on socials, 3/13
- Go on a date once per month
- Read a book of poetry, 4/19
- Kayak at Turnip Rock
- Do 15 full push ups
- Get my side splits
- Pay off AC loan, 4/2
- Finish a photography collection
- Create a website and blog, 4/1
- Try a barre class
- Fix the hose out front
- Add a window box to bay window
- Create a dining area outside, 5/26
- Plant an English garden
- $10K in new investment account
- $15K in new savings account
- Pay off at least $3K in student loans
- Complete the Artist’s Way
- Join a rec sports league
- Go on a local solo hike
- Finish flower shop miniature
- Organize office closet
- Organize broom closet, 1/1
- No alcohol all year
- Create an Apollycon sticker, 1/8
- New window trim in kitchen
- New baseboards in kitchen
- Try microneedling
Now, as much as I’m a dreamer, I’m also a realist. Will I complete all 100 items? Likely not, but that’s okay. I still love having a list to refer to when I need something to do or look forward to. My aim is to complete at least 70 items this year, and anything I don’t get to can be added to 2026 if I so choose.
What’s on your bucket list for 2025? Have you already accomplished anything you set out to do? No matter if it’s big or small, highly creative or terribly boring (like paying off our new AC unit, ugh), it all counts. Holding yourself accountable while holding space for grace is one fine line, but let’s take the pressure off for once and just roll with it. If the only thing you do with your list is make it, then I am proud of you for getting your thoughts and desires down on paper. This is how planning becomes doing.
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