Why You Need a Life List Journal Now and How to Create One Today

Ditch the Bucket List and Create a Life List Journal instead!

This post contains some affiliate links for your convenience (which means if you make a purchase after clicking a link, I will earn a small commission, but it won’t cost you a penny more)! Read my disclosure policy for more information.

This week I’m redesigning my Life List. What’s a life list, you ask? Well, most people call it a bucket list. A place to write down all the things you’d like to accomplish before “kicking the bucket.”

I’ve always found the term bucket list to be somewhat negative and depressing.

Instead, I prefer the term, Life List. It’s upbeat, exciting, and full of potential.

Have you written down all the things you want to achieve, the places you want to visit, and dreams you have yet to fulfill?

If not, then why not begin today?

As children, we all have hopes and dreams. We have a list of things we want to do when we grow up. Probably not a written list, but we keep a list in our minds.

But, as we get older, our days are filled with work, taking care of our kids, paying bills, and so forth. We become so busy, we place our dreams on a shelf in the back of our minds and forget about them.

At least, that’s what I did. How about you?

Don’t Wait for “One Day”

And I didn’t think much about those adventures I wanted to have. Or, when I did think about them, I would say, “One day, I’ll get around to it. One day the kids will be grown; I’ll retire and start doing the things I want to do.”

However, all that changed when I was diagnosed with Metastatic Breast Cancer. I suddenly realized I couldn’t wait for one day to arrive. Whatever I want to do, I need to do it now.

Thankfully today, I have no evidence of cancer in my body. I give thanks to God for healing and the incredible doctors He led me to see.

But I’ve also learned through this experience that life is much shorter than we realize, and if we ignore what’s important, the days (and our dreams) will slip away before we know it.

That’s why my Life List is so important to me. It reminds me there are still things I want to accomplish, memories I want to make with my family, and places I want to visit. And it reminds me to pay attention and take action in the now, not tomorrow.

Having a Life List also allows me to daydream about possibilities, look forward to new adventures, and sometimes step out of my comfort zone and explore what I can do. And, it’s a satisfying feeling checking another item off my Life List.

Also included in my Life List are meaningful goals and purposeful actions I want to accomplish while I’m here on earth.

How to Create Your Life List

If you haven’t created your list of goals yet, now is the perfect time to begin. Grab a piece of paper and start jotting down all the things you would like to do in your lifetime.

Below are a few questions to ask yourself. Your answers to these questions will help you build your Life List.

Questions to Help You Build Your Life List

What places in the world have you always wanted to visit?
What have you always wanted to learn how to do.
What is a major thing you’ve always wanted to have?
Is there something adventurous you’ve always wanted to do but were too afraid to do it?
If you could fulfill only one dream or wish, what would it be?
What is something you would like to do for others?
What is something crazy and fun you’ve always wanted to do or try?
What famous living person would you like to meet?
What habit would you like to develop in your life?
What fitness goals do you have?
What have you not tried that you really should?
What hobby have you always wanted to develop?
What new food would you like to try?
What goals do you have?
What one thing would you like to do or have by your next birthday or another date?
What event would you like to happen in your life? (ex: child getting married, become a grandparent, etc.)
What spiritual desires do you have? Where do you wish you could be in your spiritual life but aren’t?
Where would you like to be financially in your life?

Hopefully, these questions have given you ideas of some meaningful and fun things to place on your list. Remember to write down every goal you would like to accomplish in every area of your life. And make sure that the things you write down are what you actually want. Your list should motivate you and excite you, not make you feel pressured and stressed.

How to create your life list journal

Once you have written down what you want to accomplish, take it one step further. Transfer your list to a Life List Journal. I’m working on this currently, redesigning my list into a book.

Begin by purchasing a blank journal. You will want it to have enough pages to use a separate page for each item on your list. Or, you can use a three-ring binder and print the free Life List Printable in the Resource Library (more details on this at the end of this article) to create a journal.

Filling in the Pages

You’ll want to choose a title for your journal. You can use your name (ex: Jane’s Life List). Or come up with something clever. You can even call it a bucket list if you want. In short, choose a title that appeals to you.

Next, write down your first goal on the page with a short description of what you want to accomplish. If you know a date you want to accomplish it by, then add that too. If you have tasks to achieve this goal, explain the steps you will take to get it done.

Then go to the next page of your journal and do the same thing for the following item on your list.

You can be extra organized and divide your journal into sections (travel, adventure, etc.), or you can write the ideas down in no particular order. You can even have a table of contents at the beginning of the list. It’s totally up to you. Do whatever works best for you.

Check It Off Your List

Once you’ve accomplished an item on your list, write a few lines about the experience. Jot down what excited you, impressed you, or a particular memory about it. Write down how achieving that goal made you feel. You can also add a favorite picture of yourself achieving your goal.

It’s wonderful to be able to look back on all you have accomplished and what’s still left to achieve. Don’t wait for one day to come. Instead, begin redesigning your life today by writing your goals and dreams down. Having a list of your goals and dreams – your very own Life List will motivate you to achieve more than you ever dreamed possible.

So, do you have a life list? What’s your favorite goal on your list? Don’t have a list yet? Has this post motivated you to write one? Let me know in the comments below.

You may also be interested in Twelve Tremendous Ways To Get Organized And Stay Organized.

Are you a subscriber to the LifeReEnvisioned newsletter? If so, you have access to the Resource Library and today’s Life List Journal Printable. Not a subscriber? It’s easy to subscribe and it’s FREE! Simply sign up on the form below.