Seven Reasons to Rethink Bucket Lists

I know 2020 wasn’t an ideal year for any of us. The virus squelched many of the activities we would have loved to do. But that doesn’t mean we need to abandon our bucket lists altogether.

Do you have a Bucket List?

When was the last time you thought about it? If it’s been a while, I suggest it’s time to revisit the idea.

Before going any further, perhaps I should spend a moment on terminology. Bucket List means a list of things to do before you kick the bucket. This is not a universally inspiring concept!

If you are not a fan of the term Bucket List, maybe one of the following phrases will inspire you instead:

• My Full Life List
• Lifetime Goals List
• Dreams Worth Doing
• Things I Want to Do Before I Die
• Cool Things I’d Love to Do
• Mountains to Conquer
• I Lived Project (See this post for the concept behind this phrase.)

I’m fine using Bucket List, but I do think the phrase “Full Life List” is a more positive way to describe the concept. Also, I prefer a phrase that doesn’t use words like goals or dreams, which can limit your thinking. Whatever your preference, read on.

Like any concept, a bucket list (or whatever you choose to call it) can be an effective tool or a waste of time. Is your list is a collection of random dreams or exotic destinations you jotted down on the spur of the moment? If so, it’s probably not very meaningful, nor it is likely to spur you to action.

An intentional list, on the other hand, has been created after much thought and can help you live a life of purpose and fulfillment.

Here are seven ways a bucket list can improve your life:

1. Helps you identify what matters. If you’re intentional about creating your list, it will cause you to reflect over what’s important to you and help you clarify what truly matters.
2. Aids focus. The internet provides us with an endless supply of cool ideas and distractions that will tempt us to waste hours and dollars on mindless or ho-hum stuff. Having a list of well-thought-out items to focus on helps you prioritize your effort, time and money on the activities and goals that will matter most to you. The next time you get get excited about a random idea you spotted on social media, stop and compare it to your list and ask which will give you more joy and fulfillment.
3. Restores perspective. Sometimes life gets out of whack. A looming deadline, an unexpected problem, illness, the demands of others… When other things take over, a bucket list can help us remember what is truly important. For example, once the deadline is past, our list can remind us that writing a novel or hiking with the kids is more important than working overtime.
4. Adds spice to life. It’s easy to coast through life doing the same old things time and again. A bucket list reminds you to get out of your rut and do something new and (hopefully) interesting. Think how much more enjoyable life could be if you achieved six things on your list in the coming year.
5. Spurs the hard work. Dreams worth striving for require often a lot of leg work to achieve the final result. This may include saving money, practicing new skills, or just plugging away at a project until it’s finished. We humans are more likely to persevere through the boring parts if we remember WHY we are doing it. Keeping the list in your mind reminds you why the hard work is important.
6. Enables bigger dreams. The whole concept of the list is to stretch yourself to achieve things beyond your everyday life. Therefore a bucket list helps you give yourself permission to think bigger and consider dreams that might feel impractical or out of reach.
7. Motivation and accountability. Just putting your Life List on paper helps it become more “real” and can motivate you to actively pursuing it. For additional motivation, you can share your list with a spouse or friend. If you thrive on external motivation, you might want to check out online communities that focus on achieving bucket list goals, such as BucketList.net, Day Zero Project, and BucketList.org.

A final thought

If you’ve been following my blog, you know that I achieved a big bucket list item last year—getting a novel published. That achievement has opened up a whole new realm of dreams and goals as I ponder what belongs on my published author bucket list. Next post I’ll talk about different categories of lists you might find useful and tips for keeping your lists relevant and useful.

In the meantime, think about your own life and where a bucket list might help you live more intentionally.

ONE MORE THING

I’m running a giveaway for everyone who preorders my debut novel, Death and a Crocodile, before February 8. Enter to win an autographed bookplate, bookmarks, and other swag, PLUS a chance to win the Grand Prize.