It’s that time of year again – another birthday bucket list. This year is a big year – we are officially in the double digits of making a list – this year is my TENTH! list. That’s absolutely unreal. 

Before we get into this year’s list, let’s go over the basics.

What is a birthday bucket list? 

A birthday bucket list, sometimes called an annual bucket list, is a list of fun things you want to accomplish in a year, typically starting from your birthday through to your next one. For me, I typically increase the number of things each year to be the same age that I am. I started at 24 things to do before I turned 25, and now we’re up to 35 things to do before I turn 36! You can pick any number of things for your list. Maybe you’d rather do 30 things every year of your thirties. Whatever number you choose, it has to feel good for you!

My favourite thing about birthday bucket lists is that they add a timeline to your general ‘bucket list’ idea. We all have big ideas that are on our “bucket list”, but without ever setting timelines, goals, or expectations to those items, they might not ever happen! With a birthday bucket list, you’ve attached a timeline. 

It’s within this next year! 

If you’ve got a big item you want to knock off your dream “bucket list”, you can always break it down over a few birthday bucket lists. Maybe the first year you have an item on your list that ‘Save $X each month to put towards dream trip.’, the next year is ‘Plan dream trip’, and then the third year, you get to put the trip itself on your birthday bucket list! 

How to make a birthday bucket list

The important part about a birthday bucket list is to make sure it’s filled with a mixture of easy-to-accomplish things and some bigger-ticket items! I love to split my list into different areas of my life and make sure I have items in each category. If you’ve ever heard of the Level 10 life, the categories I follow are quite similar. Some sample categories you could use for your birthday bucket list items include: 

1. Relationship
2. Finance
3. Business/Career
4. Personal Development
5. Family
6. Health/Fitness
7. Home/Environment
8. Friendships
9. Fun/Travel/Recreation
10. Giving
11. Spirituality

Documenting your birthday bucket list

While not essential, documenting the progress of your list is such a fun part! It’s a big part of the reason why I started my blog so many years ago. It’s so fun to be able to look back on what you’ve accomplished in a year and the list makes it feel so intentional.

Ways to document your birthday bucket list progress:

1. Start a blog!

Starting a blog is easy these days. First, pick your platform of choice. There are some easy-to-use templates and even free platforms you can use. Here’s a couple I would recommend:

1. Squarespace: SquareSpace is a very easy-to-use website builder that can expand quite substantially!
2. ShowIt: If you’re looking for an easy-to-design platform that connects seamlessly with the blogging powerhouse that is WordPress, ShowIt is a great option! In fact, my blog is currently built using ShowIt!

2. Keep a journal.

You don’t have to share your progress with the world if you don’t want to. Track it in a journal. The fun part about sharing it with the world is that you invite your people in to share these moments with you. Heck, my sister even threw me a party once to help me complete my list! 

3. Use your social media

TikTok or Instagram would be a great way to capture your progress. You can even tag your posts with a custom hashtag to be able to scroll back through them in the future. 

4. Take photos

If you’re still leaning towards not sharing your progress with a larger audience, you can document each item by taking a cute little Polaroid with an Instax Camera and displaying them in that viral Polaroid frame! You can also grab this mega cute Instax printer and print photos right from your phone in poloroid format – cute!

Don’t forget to stock up on some film.

Be sure to follow along on my blog or follow me on Instagram and/or TikTok to see our progress throughout the year! I’d love to see your lists if you make one. Be sure to tag me or use the hashtag, ‘#birthdaybucketlist” so I can browse through and cheer you on, too!