how to create and keep track of your bucket list

When I was ten years old, I created a list of 100 things I wanted to do before I die. I still have that list today. Curiously, some of the more obvious items (like visiting the Winchester Mystery House on Friday the 13^th) are still on my list, while some of the more extravagant dreams, like walking with elephants in Africa, have already been crossed off. In the years since writing my original “100 things” bucket list, I’ve learned a few things about keeping track of my heart’s desires. I’m still a fan of paper and pen when it comes to brainstorming, but these days, technology can’t be beat when you want to keep track of your life goals.

Take Note! Jot Down Your Dreams

Remember your childhood dreams. So, maybe you didn’t become a fireman when you grew up. But if it still sounds interesting to you, you might want to consider looking into becoming a volunteer firefighter, or even take a Red Cross CPR/First Aid class. Children don’t have the same filters as adults, they don’t think in terms of “I can’t do that because…” Mine your memories to come up with ways you might achieve goals that correspond to your childhood dreams.

What makes you happy? And don’t say vague things like “My family makes me happy!” Of course they do, but that doesn’t help your bucket list. Focus, people! For instance, cooking makes me happy, especially when I’m learning new techniques. So one of the things I’ve recently added to my bucket list is to take a food enthusiasts course at the Culinary Institute of America. While I’m at it, the cannoli making class at Sur la Table looks quite delectable too.

What are your interests? How do you use your free time? You might love independent bookstores, so maybe you should take a writing class and finally write that novel that has been knocking around your head for years. Me? I like to garden, make cheese and visit farms. I would love to take a class from the experts at Happy Girl Kitchen Co. and book a tour of Cowgirl Creamery in Pt. Reyes Station this spring.

Tools To Help You Realize Your Bucket List Dreams

Pen & Paper – Give yourself an allotted amount of time to jot down all of your ideas as quickly as possible. Don’t filter or judge yourself. You can edit your list and make it actionable, later. Keep a little notebook for this purpose because you might be in the middle of dinner when the swordfish you’re eating reminds you of how you’ve always wanted to go deep-sea fishing.

Research – If you love travel but aren’t really sure about where you want to go, there are some great books such as 1000 Places to See Before You Die. Or, if you know you want to become certified as a Master Gardener, but don’t know how, research it on that all-knowing oracle, the Internet.

The Trylist – You’ve got your list of dreams jotted down in your notebook and you’ve spent hours on the Internet finding ways to make those dreams reality. It’s time to make sure you don’t lose sight of your dreams. LikeList has a feature to help you organize all the places you want to try, in one convenient place. It’s called the trylist. Now you can look up Sur la Table on LikeList and add it to your trylist with a note like, “check out cannoli making class”. Once you’ve accomplished your goal, you can either remove it from your trylist (if it wasn’t all that) or you can “like it” and leave a tip about your experience, so your friends can benefit from your experience, as well.

Never loose sight of your dreams, get out there and do something you’ve never done before today.

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