what's in store for 24?

Did I say I'd be back "later this week"? Well of course I actually meant I'd be back "sometime." Can't commit to this blog worth anything lately! Anywho, I'm finally back to talk about things that I liked and didn't like about my birthday bucket list, as well as what I plan to do this year. 

What I Liked

Life is busy. It is full of tasks that we have to do every day (laundry, cleaning, work, cooking dinner, etc.) and it becomes really easy to forget to do anything else outside our required routines. Now don't get me wrong, I love having a routine. However, at the end of a year, I don't want to look back and say, "Well this year, I did a lot of laundry." That's one reason that I loved having this bucket list: I can say that there are 17 defined things that I accomplished in the last year. I can even say there are a few more that I worked on but didn't quite fulfill. Some of my tasks were more serious, some were more frivolous, but all of the tasks were meaningful and/or fun for me. I love that the list made me think about, plan, and (most importantly) do things that I most likely would not have done otherwise.

What I Didn't Like

Even when you have a list, it doesn't automatically make you a great planner (go figure!). So though I worked on a few tasks for the first six months, I didn't make a ton of progress on my list. That meant that I packed a lot of stuff into the last six months. It made me feel so busy, which sometimes took the fun out of the things I was doing. 

Along with that^^, I'm not sure about a one-year timeframe. Like I said, I put things off for the first six months. I felt like I had so much time to get things done. So I definitely wouldn't do a longer timeframe, but I might consider a shorter time frame. 

I also didn't realize how difficult some of my tasks would be. I mean, 23 out-of-the-ordinary tasks in one year is already a lot, but when six of those tasks are actually many-tasks-within-a-single-task (i.e. attend 14 temples, visit three national parks), the load gets heavier. I wish I would have anticipated that better and organized my list accordingly. I mean, I am very happy about some of those tasks, but maybe I would have lowered my numbers or something.

So What's in Store for 24?

Well now, isn't that a great question? Honestly, I'm not sure yet. I think I'm going to ditch the birthday year and revert to calendar years. I'm also thinking I'll have two separate lists: one with just a few bigger items on it that would take all year, and another with an assortment of one-time-only tasks. Then I'll spend the whole year working on my big ones, and each month I'll pick an item from my one-time-only list to work on and accomplish. This way I won't get overloaded, but I'll still be actively seeking out ways to make my life more fulfilling and exciting.

What are your thoughts on life, goals, and bucket lists? :)