Benefits of a Bucket List

A bucket list often conjures up thoughts of death and grief. However, a bucket list isn't just about a person's last wishes, rather an opportunity to create memories, learn new skills and to live life to the fullest.

Bucket lists encompass goals or milestones that people want to achieve, often by a certain age. There are many benefits of a bucket list, whether you're 21 years old or 95 years old, healthy or ill, there's never a wrong time to create a bucket list and tick off your own personal goals. 

Bucket lists are for everyone

Taking time to write a bucket list makes people stop and consider what they want to achieve and experience in this lifetime. Bucket lists can provide hope and support to curious minds about a range of experiences and new skills. 

When is the best time to write a bucket list? 

The best time to start writing a bucket list is now - there is no age limit! Often kept on a piece of paper, notepad or smartphone, a person can write down their greatest wishes and desires and store the list in a place that's easily accessible and edited. 

What does a bucket list include?

Bucket lists include goals that a person wishes to accomplish. This might include travelling the world, buying a car or learning a new language. People might also include charity work, volunteering, hosting an event or participating in a fundraising activity. 

How to write a bucket list

Here are our tips to writing a bucket list; 

Brainstorming

Brainstorming allows the mind to think freely by writing down as many ideas that come to mind. Once brainstormed, prioritising the list can help gauge which goals are the most important.

Prioritising goals

When composing the bucket list, it is important to prioritise the goals starting with the most achievable ones. Consider activities and events from childhood that were missed or from a few years ago that you never had the opportunity to do. These can be things like playing a musical instrument, learning to dance or rock climbing. Take some time to think about your goals from when you were growing up, and then decide whether these are still goals that you wish to fulfil.

Talk to family and friends

The next step is to speak to family and friends, the people that know you best. Absorb their thoughts and ideas as they are the ones that know you best.

Create a timeline to complete your bucket list

Depending on circumstances, a person may aim to complete the list in one year while others may prefer to tick off the list as quickly as possible.

To avoid feeling overwhelmed by the time frames of a bucket list, prioritisation can help. Determine whether the goals are short term, long term, or urgent. Everyone's situation is different, so unless you know that your time on earth is limited, there is no need to feel pressured to tick everything off as quickly as possible and create unnecessary stress and pressure.

Another idea is to categorise the list into similar groups or activities. Some of the activities may require friends to join in. The benefits of having a bucket list buddy can help keep the motivation alive and help share special memories with loved ones. 

Enjoy the journey

The aim of an ideal bucket list isn't to finish the list, it's to keep the list growing and to enjoy each experience along the way. Goals and dreams continue to evolve with each individual having the mindset to live a life free of regret.  

Writing a bucket list can help you live a more meaningful life because it keeps you focused on your life goals and achievements. There are really no limits to what you can achieve in this life, so don't hold back writing your bucket list and start enjoying the fulfilment for achieving  your goals. 

By Alana Dintinosante