Three years ago, my life literally changed for the better after I made a 30-Before-30 Bucket List (here) and slowly picked away at it.
On it, I put things that were FUN, creative, and challenging. None of them were strictly “goal” related, but they all had an element of something that scared me, from a little to a lot.
This list inspired me to try again and not let the “one day I will” thinking continue to get in the way of me actually trying. Alongside that was the “I don’t have the time, money, energy” thinking.
Making 30 new recipes that year truly did make me a better person. And another thing on that list? Start a blog. Which led to my podcast! You never know where doing SOMETHING will take you.
It’s time for me to do this again, and it’s a big part of our focus this month, “New Year, New YOU!” Here is where you can get a free printable and brainstorm your own list, but below I’ve included my finalized list, if it’s helpful.
A few tips: I have found that I like attaching some numbers to a few items because it makes it more fun to slowing check things off. If you don’t know where to start, think about your childhood and things you used to love to do but stopped. Or things as an adult you’ve always wanted to try, but haven’t gotten around to.
Monica’s DO SOMETHING Bucket List
(below this is the same list, updated with what I’ve done so far)
- Read/Listen to 50 books
- Go on 12 out-of-the-house ADVENTUROUS (read: new-to-us) dates with Brad (we’ll also do a weekly date night, but they’ll mostly do our tried-and-true favorites)
- Take a “Mom’s Day:” My husband stays home with the kids and I do whatever I want for the entire day. My last one was two years ago, and it was wonderful.
- Swim 40 times
- Do a “Pastry Crawl” in SF with friends
- Go to an art museum with other adults
- Attend a regular dance class
- Perform in church 3 times
- Speak 10 times (in church or outside it at workshops and conferences)
- Paint something!
- Complete courses I signed up for
- Go on a real trip with Brad
- Go on an overnighter with Brad
- Attend the temple 5 times
- Try 10 new restaurants
- Do 5 new hikes
- Complete a trail run race (because it’s mostly hiking)
- Sign up for flute lessons / Practice flute
- Go on 30 “field trips” with kids
- Bake 15 challenging things I’ve never tried (croissants, I’m coming for you!)
- Organize 20 areas/20 household tasks I’ve put off
- Hike Mount Tam
- Go to Yosemite
- Go camping as a family
- Wear a fancy dress for something
- Take a masterclass on acting
- Try out for a local play
- Get a road bike
- Carry around a sketchbook–do 30 sketches
- Go on an overnighter with girlfriends
Get your free printable HERE and share what you’re up to ON THE PODCAST!!!!
What I’ve Accomplished So FAR (updated 2/11/19)
- Read/Listen to 50 books
- Every Note Played
- Paris and Other Short Stories by JoJo Mayes
- Silver Bay by JoJo Mayes
- Mother’s Milk by Rachel Hunt Steenblik
- One on the Seesaw by Carl Lyn Pearson
- Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
- The Magnolia Story by Chip and Joanna Gaines
- Make Your Bed by Willian H. Mcraven
- The Girl You Left Behind by Jojo Moyes
- Calypso by David Sedaris
- The Happiness Paradox/Paradigm by Richard Eyre
- Silent Souls Weeping by Jane Clayson Johnson
- Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan
- Solve for Happy by Mo Gawdit
- Girl Stop Apologizing by Rachel Hollis
- Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow
- Fire and Fury by Michael Wolff
- Hamilton Revolution by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Jeremy McCarter
- The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
- A Higher Loyalty by James Comey
- David and Goliath by Malcolm Gladwell
- The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom
- Hunger by Roxanne Gay
- I Miss You When I Blink by Mary Laura Philpott
- Rosemary by Kate Clifford Larson
- China Rich Girlfriend by Kevin Kwan
- Rich People Problems by Kevin Kwan
- Essentialism by Greg McKeown
- Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl
- For the Love by Jen Hatmaker
- The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg
- Surprise Me with Sophie Kinsella
- Boundaries by Henry Cloud
- What Happened by Hillary Rodham Clinton
- The Art of Gathering by Priya Parker
- My No So Perfect Life by Sophie Kinsella
- Book on special need my kid is facing (prefer to keep it private)
- Winter Garden by
- Go on 12 out-of-the-house ADVENTUROUS (read: new-to-us) dates with Brad:
- Attended a concert with choir from Yale
- Got massages at a reflexology place
- Hosted a game night with a few other couples
- Went To Hamilton!
- Got Indian food at a new place on my birthday
- Went to Zachary’s with my sister (ha!)
- Temple and dinner
- Take a “Mom’s Day:”
- I did it! On my birthday I spent the whole day by myself and did whatever I want. It entailed getting a delicious pastry, walking around a local reservoir while listening to the Cold podcast, going to Whole Foods for lunch, then working at the library for a bit.
- Swim 40 times (Done: 1/5/19 and 1/12/19–then I got ear infections that kept me out of the pool; 2/2/19, 2/9/19, 2/16/19, 2/23/19, 3/2/19, 3/9/29, (skip two months because of bathroom remodel and not having equipment and then traveling), Swam FOUR times in May, Three times in June, and Four times in July (19 time total up to this point), Three times in August (22), Sept 1st/5th (24, total), 6 times between October-November (30 total), Swam 3 times in December (33 total)
- Do a “Pastry Crawl” in SF with friends
- Go to an art museum with other adults
- Attend a regular dance class
- I’ve started!
- I’m going to count the dance group I was part of. We practiced weekly for four months.
- Perform in church 3 times
- Lamb of God (four performances, so….. I might count that)
- Accompanied a song with my flute
- Accompanied another song with my flute
- Speak 10 times (in church or outside it at workshops and conferences)
- Berkeley Singles Ward
- Stake Women’s Conference
- ALT round table
- ALT round table, round two
- Rediscover You Workshop
- Relief Society activity on sleep
- Girls Camp
- Faith Conference in Oakland
- Happier than Skinny Wellness Retreat
- Rediscover You Workshop!
- Paint!
- Painted at a friend’s home! It was so fun!
- Complete some online courses
- Amy Porterfield’s on course launch
- Mayes Team on Instagram
- Cathy Heller Webinar
- Go on a real trip with Brad
- We had a lovely 4 days in Austin, TX. I want to go back!
- Go on an overnighter with Brad
- Went to Hamilton in SF and stayed at the Palace!
- Attend the temple 5 times
- Went in January
- Went in March
- Open house in May
- Brad and I attended in August
- Try 10 new restaurants
- Taco Place in SF
- New Pastry place in Lafayette
- Vitality Bowl (does this count?)
- Dinner from hotel restaurant at Riviera (again, can this count?)
- Tried Pei Wei for the first time at an airport (ha!)
- Smash Burger in Vegas
- New Indian restaurant in a local town
- Broderick’s (local American food)
- BBQ Place in Austin
- Protein Factory in Utah
- Do 5 new hikes
- Above Palm Springs
- Hike around Lake in McCall
- Long hike around Briones
- Mussel Trail in Pacifica
- Hike above Austin
- Complete a trail run race (because it’s mostly hiking)
- Sign up for flute lessons / practice flute
- I’ve been taking lessons for a few months!
- I got to perform in a production for Lamb of God! Practiced a ton for it.
- Go on 30 “field trips” with kids.
- Lawrence Hall of Science 1/1/19
- Oakland Zoo 1/2/19
- Oakland Zoo 1/7/19
- Monterey Bay Aquarium 1/12/19
- Monterey Bay Aquarium 2/2/19
- SF Farmer’s market with the kids 2/24/19
- Oakland Zoo (March)
- Farmer’s Market again (April)
- Lands End Hike (April)
- Lawrence Hall of Science (April)
- Crissy Field as a family (May)
- Field trip to city with daughter (May)
- Lawrence Hall of Science (June)
- Oakland Zoo (June)
- Hap Magee Splash Pad (June)
- Central Park Splash Pad (June)
- Oakland Zoo (July)
- Breakfast hike as a family (July)
- Oakland Zoo (July)
- Central Park Splash Pad (July)
- Mccall, Idaho as a family! Canoe as a family (July)
- River Rafting with half of kids (July)
- Splash Pad (many more times than this)
- Hiking with Mimi and Papa
- Zoo (a few more times in August and September)
- (failed trip–we went home) to an indoor play area
- Donuts and Playing at an Elementary
- Walking around the reservoir
- Went to the Zoo
- Went to the Lawrence Hall of Science
- Visited Dad in the City
- Bake 20 challenging things I’ve never tried (croissants, I’m coming for you!)
- Organize 20 areas/20 household tasks I’ve put off.
- Boxes next to Brad’s bed
- Organized boxes above in garage
- Washed indoor and outdoor decorative pillow cases
- Switched out and organized baby’s clothes
- Printed off photos for hallway and installed them
- Mailed cards that needed to
- Brad’s childhood things organized
- Put baby stuff in garage
- Donated Girl clothes
- Reorganized the bathroom
- Organized the hall closet
- Went through my closet
- Organized boy’s toys and clothes
- Went through daughter’s clothes and closet
- Patched all the nail holes throughout the house
- Weeded the backyard
- Replaced dead plants outside + added soil
- Organized Pantry
- Organized boys’ closet
- Purged boys’ toys
- Organized my dresser and closet
- Donated items
- Cleaned out boy’s dresser
- Bear’s closet cleaned out + drawers in room
- Painted trim around interior of house
- Spot painted interior walls
- Painted bathroom and hall
- Spot painted boy’s room
- Repainted kitchen cabinets
- Painted exterior of home
- Hike Mount Tam
- Altering this–I hiked Dipsea Trail with friends
- Go to Yosemite
- Go camping as a family
- Wear a fancy dress for something
- Take a masterclass on acting
- We signed up! I started one class. Time to finish it!
- Try out for a local play
- Get a road bike
- This is in motion! I picked it out. Just waiting to save enough money.
- Carry around a sketchbook–do 30 sketches
- Go on an overnighter with girlfriends
