Ask LH: What Should Be On The Perfect Bucket List?

Dear Lifehacker, How might I go about making the perfect bucket list? I know it should have all the things I want to do/see/experience. But what about all the amazing things I’m not even aware of? Also, should it be 50 things? 100? 1000? Should it be a dynamic list or something I set in stone until it’s finished? I want to make a well-rounded list so I feel like I’ve really lived, before I kick the bucket (hopefully in many years’ time!) Thanks, Bucket Head

Skydiving picture from Shutterstock

Dear BH,

What an endearingly odd question! It largely depends on how adventurous you are, whether you’re naturally generous and — crucially — the amount of free time you have at your disposal.

Apparently, it has become increasingly common for affluent white collar workers to quit their jobs for a year or two for the sole purpose of pursuing their bucket lists. (Usually these lists involve lots of travel which necessitates taking time off.) If this doesn’t sound feasible, you might want to scale things back to around 50 must-do items that aren’t too costly or time consuming.

Naturally, you should stick to bucket list items that are actually plausible. For example, I often dream about scaling Mount Everest, but as a portly 30-something with a gammy knee, it’s simply never going to happen (ditto sleeping with 1990s-era Salma Hayek). I’m not saying you need to make your list boring and vanilla, but by the same token you need to stay within the bounds of reality — otherwise you’d just die disappointed.

It’s also a good idea to throw in some charitable endeavours; even if it’s just helping out at a homeless shelter or nursing home. When you’re lying on your death bed, it will feel nice knowing you gave something back.

Otherwise, it all comes down to personal preference. A lot of people put sky diving on their bucket list, but what if you’re afraid of heights? The only person who can craft your perfect bucket list is you.

If you’re stumped for ideas, a good place to start is the self-explanatory Bucketlist website and the similar 100 Things — both websites let you jot down your own personal bucket list and check out the life ambitions of others. There are some great left-of-field ideas on these sites, such as randomly paying for someone else’s groceries. I’m totally adding that to my own bucket list.

Do any readers have some bucket list creation tips of their own? Let BH know in the comments section below.

Cheers
Lifehacker

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