Just for Today · Day 1 of 31 · 2 min read
Day 1: Write Your List of 101 Things to Do Before You Die
Day 1 of the Just for Today Challenge: write a list of 101 things you want to do in your life, with prompts to get past the obvious and turn wishes into plans.
In short
Spend thirty to sixty minutes writing as many things as you can that you'd like to do, see, learn or become. Aim for 101, but the real goal is to uncover what you care about and pick one item to plan.
The challenge starts with a big, hopeful exercise: writing a list of 101 things you want to do in your life. Some people call it a bucket list; we prefer "life list", because the point is how you live, not how you'll finish.
Why start here? Because the rest of the month is about small daily changes, and small changes work best when you know what they're for. Your list is a map of what matters to you.
Why 101?
Ten items is easy. Most people write the same ten: travel somewhere famous, learn a language, run a race, write a book. Those are fine, but they're often borrowed from films and magazines. Pushing towards 101 forces you past the obvious into the specific and personal: "teach my niece to ride a bike", "learn to make my grandmother's bread", "sleep in a hammock in a forest".
You don't have to hit 101 today. Many people get to forty or fifty and add the rest over the following weeks.
How to do it
Find thirty to sixty minutes, a notebook or the life list builder, and something to drink. Then work through these prompts, writing quickly without judging:
- Places: Where would you love to go, near or far? Include the town an hour away you've never visited.
- Skills: What would you like to be able to do? Cook, draw, swim properly, fix a bike, code, dance?
- People: Who do you want to meet, reconnect with, thank or spend more time with?
- Experiences: What would you like to feel or try at least once? A sunrise from a mountain, a silent retreat, a night under the stars?
- Making: What would you like to create? A garden, a quilt, an album, a family history?
- Giving: How would you like to help? A cause to support, a skill to teach, a community project?
- Becoming: What qualities would you like to grow? Patience, confidence, fitness, calm?
- Money and home: What security or space would you like? An emergency fund, a paid-off debt, a room of your own?
Make items concrete
Vague wishes are hard to act on. As you write, nudge each item to be specific:
| Vague | Concrete |
|---|---|
| Travel more | Take the night train to the coast and watch the sunrise |
| Get fit | Swim a mile without stopping |
| Learn Spanish | Hold a fifteen-minute conversation in Spanish |
| Be creative | Paint twelve small watercolours, one a month |
Mix sizes
Include some big, unlikely dreams and plenty of things you could do this month. The small items keep the list alive, because ticking things off feels good and builds momentum. The big ones keep it exciting.
Choose one and give it a date
When you're done, read the list through and circle one item you could make happen in the next three months. Write down the first step and when you'll take it. Tomorrow's challenge, scheduling dates for the year, builds directly on this.
Keep it alive
A life list works best as a living document. Read it every few months. Cross things off, add new ones and delete anything that no longer excites you. Your list should change as you do.
If you get stuck, our piece on what dream you can cross off your life list has more ideas for choosing and planning.
Today's challenge
Write at least twenty-five items. Push for 101 if you have time. Circle one to plan.
Keep reading
- Day 18Day 18: Why You Need to Update Your Resume (Even if You're Happy)Day 18 of the Just for Today Challenge: update your CV or resume while you're calm. Why it matters even in a job you like, and a 60-minute method to do it.
- Day 19Day 19: Why You Need to Take Care of Your HealthDay 19 of the Just for Today Challenge: one practical health action today, from booking an overdue check-up to a brisk walk, based on mainstream public-health guidance.
- Day 20Day 20: Start a Gratitude JournalDay 20 of the Just for Today Challenge: write down three good things from today and why they happened. What the research says and how to keep it fresh.
- Purpose & MeaningA Meaningful Existence or a Meaningless One? How to Tell the DifferenceWhat psychologists mean by a meaningful life, the three ingredients researchers keep finding, and practical ways to add more meaning to an ordinary week.